d.
One narration from the history of the
companions of the Prophet will satisfy
all the doubts about Jizyah.
During the period of second Caliph,
Umar, when his army had to vacate a
territory conquered by them, he ordered
the military officers to pay back the
Jizyah they had collected from the Jews
and the Christian inhabitants on the
ground that after vacation they would
not be able to safeguard their lives
and properties which was obligatory
upon them. The Jizyah was taken
from the People of the Book in order
to defend their lives, honor and properties
and to free them from obligatory services
of the state. In that period there was
no standing army of the Muslims. Defense
services were obligatory on every able
Muslim citizen besides other civic responsibilities.
The Jizyah charged people of
the Book were exempt from defense services.
e.
Defense of the state, military services,
health care, free medical services to
the subject, feeding the poor, looking
after the disabled, orphans, aged citizens
were obligatory on those welfare states.
The People of the Book, who had deviated
from their own religions, were asked
to pay Jizyah. The Jews and
Christians of that time did not regard
it ransom and readily paid it. Even
today the Jewish history regards those
two centuries when the great Caliphate
was in power as their golden period.
They had freely enjoyed all civil liberties
and religious freedom. The later period
Muslim kings for political purposes
misusing the Islamic terminology might
have levied at random taxes. Now to
take revenge of their misdeeds, should
one defame the Book of The Creator and
The Master?
