The same applies to the terms “jizyah” (poll tax) and “diyah” (blood money). The former follows the pattern fi‘lah, from jazā–yajzī, meaning to discharge or pay an obligation. This is the sense of the Prophet’s words, may Allah bless him and grant him peace:

“It suffices for you, but it will not suffice for anyone after you.”

The underlying construction is jazā, jizyah (“he paid; payment”), just as one says wa‘ada, ‘idah (“he promised; a promise”), and wazana, zinah (“he weighed; weight”). Likewise, diyah derives from wadā–yadī–diyah (“to pay blood money; blood money”), just as one says wa‘ada–ya‘idu–‘idah (“to promise; a promise”).

A verbal noun is often used to name the object of its action. Thus, what is paid is called diyah, and what is discharged and settled is called jizyah, just as what is promised is called a “promise” in His words:

“They say, ‘When will this promise come to pass, if you are truthful?’ Say, ‘Knowledge is with Allah alone, and I am only a clear warner.’ Then, when they see it close at hand…”

What they see is the punishment they were promised. Similarly, such a payment is called itāwah (tribute) because it is given. The same applies to darībah (a levy), which denotes what is imposed upon people. None of these expressions has a fixed limit inherent in its linguistic meaning; rather, reference is made to people’s customs. If, however, religious law has fixed a limit for any of them, that limit must be observed.

For this reason, the jurists differed over jizyah: is its amount fixed by religious law, or is it left to the independent judgment of the rulers? The same applies to kharāj (land tax). The correct view is that their amounts are not fixed by religious law. The Prophet’s instruction to Mu‘ādh, may Allah bless the Prophet and grant him peace,

“to take from every male who had reached puberty one dinar or its equivalent in Ma‘āfirī cloth,”

was a ruling for a particular case. He did not make it a general rule applying until the Day of Resurrection to everyone from whom jizyah is collected. This is shown by the fact that he concluded an agreement with the people of Bahrain on the basis of