Why did Muslims set out to conquer the world?
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Peace G.Omar,
The meaning in the great reading itself is what matters. There is nothing inherent in the term "jizya" either in the quranic context or in Arabic dictionaries to indicate that it specifically has to do with military service. This is clearly a meaning dictated by the circumstances of the Moore rulers in Spain at the time (hundreds of years after the great reading was descended). Also, how about Muslims who don't serve in the army. Do they pay the tax?
Peace,
Ayman
I agree. if you want to understand the meaning of a Quranic term you need to find out what was intended. I have no information as to whether those Muslims who did not perform military service had to pay the Jizya. Given the very high level of equality btw. the religions I would expect a similar tax, not necessarily named Jizya though, was indeed levied on them. I will try to find out GW. !
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Peace Farida,
The word "jizya" has to do with compensation or retaliation (when negative). There is nothing inherent in the word by itself to specifically imply a religious tax or a religious-military service tax. In fact, the word "yu3tu" can mean "they are given". So the direction of the "jizya" would be from the believers to the people of the book. Clearly the believers wouldn't be paying them money. So it is retaliation for an injustice that those specific people of the book in Chapter 9 have done.
Peace,
Ayman
Having done further research into the matter of Jizya it appears it was indeed connected to military service or the exemption from such service. The evidence suggesting this is a)The tax was only imposed on able bodied non-Muslim men of military age. b) Dhimmis recruited for military operations were exempted from jizya for the year of service. Please read below
"In states ruled by Islamic law, jizya is a per capita tax imposed on able bodied non-Muslim men of military age. The tax was not levied on slaves, women, children, monks, the old, the sick, hermits and the poor. Non-Muslim citizens who pay the tax are permitted to practice their faith and to enjoy a measure of communal autonomy as well as being entitled to Muslim protection from outside aggression and being exempted from military service and numerous other exemptions to levies upon Muslim citizens.
Taxation from the perspective of people who came under the Muslim rule, was a concrete continuation of the taxes paid to earlier regimes but now lower under the Muslim rule and from the point of view of the Muslim conqueror was a material proof of the payer's subjection. In the border provinces, dhimmis were sometimes recruited for military operations. In such cases, they were exempted from jizya for the year of service." -
Where are the sources for that statement? Textual or factual?
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Various sources, I made a search on "Jizya". Mainly Wikipedia.
Oh horror.