believe in him, and that he declared those among them who did not believe in him to be disbelievers; that he commanded fighting them until they embraced Islam or paid the jizyah by hand, in a state of submission; that he fought them personally and through his military detachments; and that he imposed the jizyah upon them, killed their fighting men, took their children captive, and seized their wealth as spoils.

He besieged Banū Qaynuqā‘ and then expelled them to Adhri‘āt. He besieged Banū al-Nadīr and then expelled them to Khaybar; concerning this, Allah revealed Sūrat al-Hashr. He then besieged Banū Qurayzah when they broke their covenant, killed their men, took their dependants captive, and seized their wealth. Allah Most High mentioned this in Sūrat al-Ahzāb. He fought the people of Khaybar until he conquered it, killed some of their men, took some of their dependants captive, and divided their land among the believers. Allah Most High mentioned Khaybar in Sūrat al-Fath. He imposed the jizyah upon the Christians, concerning whom Allah revealed Sūrat Āl ‘Imrān. He also campaigned against the Christians in the year of Tabūk, concerning which Allah revealed Sūrat Barā’ah.

Most of the Medinan surahs—such as al-Baqarah, Āl ‘Imrān, al-Nisā’, al-Mā’idah, and others—contain so many calls and addresses to the People of the Book that this fatwa could not accommodate even a tenth of them.

Then his successors, Abū Bakr and ‘Umar, together with the Emigrants and Helpers who accompanied them—who are known to have followed him most closely, obeyed his commands most faithfully, and upheld his covenant most carefully—campaigned against the Romans just as they campaigned against the Persians, and fought the People of the Book just as they fought the Magians. They fought those who fought them and imposed the jizyah upon those among them who paid it by hand, in a state of submission.