Minhaj as-Sunnah - Ibn Taimiya - (8/515)

Minhaj as-SunnahIbn Taimiya

in his Sahīh (1). The Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, concluded a treaty with the Christians of Najrān requiring them to pay jizyah. They were the first to pay it, and concerning them Allah revealed the opening portion of Surah Āl ‘Imrān. In the year 9, the polytheists were expelled from the Sacred Precinct, he repudiated his treaties with them, and Allah Most High commanded him to fight them. All the Arab polytheists embraced Islam, so no polytheist remained under a treaty, whether it involved jizyah or not (2). Before that, he had concluded treaties with them without requiring jizyah.

Was the reason he did not take jizyah from them (3) that none remained among them to be fought until they paid it? Rather, had they all embraced Islam because they saw its beauty and ascendancy, recognized the ugliness of the polytheism they had followed, and disdained paying jizyah with willing submission, being humbled?

Or was it because taking jizyah from them was not permissible, and they had to be fought until they embraced Islam? According to the first explanation, jizyah is taken from all disbelievers, as most jurists maintain.

These scholars say: When he was commanded to fight the People of the Book until they paid the jizyah with willing submission, being

(1) The hadith narrated by Sulaymān ibn Buraydah from his father, may Allah be pleased with him, appears in Muslim’s Sahīh, 3:1357–1358 (Book of Jihad and Military Expeditions, chapter on the imam’s appointment of commanders over expeditionary forces…). Its wording is: Whenever the Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, appointed a commander over an army or a detachment, he gave him personal instructions… Then he said: “Fight in Allah’s name, in the path of… When you encounter your polytheist enemy, invite them to three courses of action (or: options). Whichever they agree to, accept their response and refrain from fighting them. Then invite them to Islam… If they refuse, ask them to pay jizyah. If they agree, accept it from them and refrain from fighting them…” The hadith continues. It also appears in Sunan Ibn Mājah, 2:953–954 (Book of Jihad, chapter on the imam’s instructions); al-Musnad (al-Halabī edition), 5:352, 358; Sunan Abī Dāwūd; and Sunan al-Tirmidhī. (2) س، ب: “No one remained under a treaty, whether involving jizyah or otherwise.” (3) ن، م، س: ‘anhum (“from them”).

فِي صَحِيحِهِ (١) ، وَصَالَحَ النَّبِيُّ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ نَصَارَى نَجْرَانَ عَلَى الْجِزْيَةِ وَهُمْ أَوَّلُ مَنْ أَدَّى الْجِزْيَةَ وَفِيهِمْ أَنْزَلَ اللَّهُ صَدْرَ سُورَةِ آلِ عِمْرَانَ، وَلَمَّا كَانَتْ سَنَةُ تِسْعٍ نَفَى الْمُشْرِكُونَ عَنِ الْحَرَمِ، وَنَبَذَ الْعُهُودَ إِلَيْهِمْ، وَأَمَرَهُ اللَّهُ تَعَالَى أَنْ يُقَاتِلَهُمْ، وَأَسْلَمَ الْمُشْرِكُونَ مِنَ الْعَرَبِ كُلُّهُمْ، فَلَمْ يَبْقَ مُشْرِكٌ مُعَاهِدٌ لَا بِجِزْيَةٍ وَلَا بِغَيْرِهَا (٢) وَقَبْلَ ذَلِكَ كَانَ يُعَاهِدُهُمْ بِلَا جِزْيَةٍ، فَعَدَمُ أَخْذِ الْجِزْيَةِ مِنْهُمْ (٣) : هَلْ كَانَ لِأَنَّهُ لَمْ يَبْقَ فِيهِمْ مَنْ يُقَاتِلُ حَتَّى يُعْطُوا الْجِزْيَةَ، بَلْ أَسْلَمُوا كُلُّهُمْ لِمَا رَأَوْا مِنْ حُسْنِ الْإِسْلَامِ وَظُهُورِهِ، وَقُبْحِ مَا كَانُوا عَلَيْهِ مِنَ الشِّرْكِ وَأَنَفَتِهِمْ مِنْ أَنْ يُؤْتُوا الْجِزْيَةَ عَنْ يَدٍ وَهُمْ صَاغِرُونَ؟ . أَوْ لِأَنَّ الْجِزْيَةَ لَا يَجُوزُ أَخْذُهَا مِنْهُمْ، بَلْ يَجِبُ قِتَالُهُمْ إِلَى الْإِسْلَامِ، فَعَلَى الْأَوَّلِ تُؤْخَذُ مِنْ سَائِرِ الْكُفَّارِ كَمَا قَالَهُ أَكْثَرُ الْفُقَهَاءِ، وَهَؤُلَاءِ يَقُولُونَ: لَمَّا أُمِرَ بِقِتَالِ أَهْلِ الْكِتَابِ حَتَّى يُعْطُوا الْجِزْيَةَ عَنْ يَدٍ وَهُمْ

(١) الْحَدِيثُ عَنْ سُلَيْمَانَ بْنِ بُرَيْدَةَ عَنْ أَبِيهِ رَضِيَ اللَّهُ عَنْهُ فِي مُسْلِمٍ ٣/١٣٥٧ - ١٣٥٨ (كِتَابُ الْجِهَادِ وَالسِّيَرِ، بَابُ تَأْمِيرِ الْإِمَامِ الْأُمَرَاءَ عَلَى الْبُعُوثِ. . .) وَنَصُّهُ: كَانَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ إِذَا أَمَّرَ أَمِيرًا عَلَى جَيْشٍ أَوْ سَرِيَّةٍ أَوْصَاهُ فِي خَاصَّتِهِ. . . ثُمَّ قَالَ: " اغْزُوَا بِاسْمِ اللَّهِ فِي سَبِيلِ. . . وَإِذَا لَقِيتَ عَدُوَّكَ مِنَ الْمُشْرِكِينَ فَادْعُهُمْ إِلَى ثَلَاثِ خِصَالٍ (أَوْ خِلَالٍ) فَأَيَّتَهُنَّ مَا أَجَابُوكَ فَاقْبَلْ مِنْهُمْ وَكُفَّ عَنْهُمْ، ثُمَّ ادْعُهُمْ إِلَى الْإِسْلَامِ. . . فَإِنْ هُمْ أَبَوْا فَسَلْهُمُ الْجِزْيَةَ، فَإِنْ هُمْ أَجَابُوكَ فَاقْبَلْ مِنْهُمْ وَكُفَّ عَنْهُمْ. . . الْحَدِيثَ. وَهُوَ فِي: سُنَنِ ابْنِ مَاجَهْ ٢/٩٥٣ - ٩٥٤ (كِتَابُ الْجِهَادِ، بَابُ وَصِيَّةِ الْإِمَامِ) ، الْمُسْنَدِ (ط الْحَلَبِيِّ) ٥/٣٥٢، ٣٥٨ وَهُوَ فِي سُنَنِ أَبِي دَاوُدَ وَسُنَنِ التِّرْمِذِيِّ. (٢) س، ب: فَلَمْ يَبْقَ مَعَاهِدٌ بِجِزْيَةٍ وَلَا بِغَيْرِهَا. (٣) ن، م، س: عَنْهُمْ.