What is the Jizya Tax in Islam?

Whether Muslims or non-Muslims, Islam ensures that every person has access to their rights. One of such rights is the protection of property, family, etc. And since, for this protection, non-Muslims didn’t have to pay alms (Zakat) or serve in the military, the Jizya tax was made an obligation on them.

The word Jizya originates from the Arabic word Jaza, which means to repay. It is a tax paid by non-Muslims living in an Islamic state as compensation for the services provided to them. The people who pay the Jizya tax are known as Aahlul-Dhimmah, which literally means the people of protection. Jizya is only applicable to certain kinds of people, in general, the People of the Book.

Quranic Ruling About Jizya

“Fight against such of those who have been given the Scripture as believe not in Allah nor the Last Day, and forbid not that which Allah hath forbidden by His messenger, and follow not the Religion of Truth, until they pay the tribute readily, being brought low.” [Surah Tawba, Verse 29]

To fully understand the meaning of this verse and to avoid any misconception, it should be kept in mind that there are two kinds of Quranic verses. The first kind is the general kind of verses, which talk about good manners, worship of Allah, etc. The second kind of verses are those that are meant for a specific occasion. This surah was revealed at a time when the Arabian pagans, with their allies, constantly violated the treaties they had signed with the Prophet PBUH. This violation left Muslims in a jeopardized position, because of which they constantly had to fight for the survival of the newly established state.

Therefore, this verse talks about the people who attacked the Muslims and violated their agreements. The offenders were fought with unless they stopped. And if they refused to accept Islam, they were obligated to pay the Jizya tax. Moreover, taxes were implemented in many states even before Islam was introduced. So when Islam put into effect the Jizya tax policy, it was to ensure that the state remained harmonious with every citizen living a peaceful life.

Origin Of Jizya

Although there is no specific date that states when the collection of Jizya started, there are several hadiths that show that Jizya was collected even when the Prophet PBUH was alive.

“Bajalah narrated that Umar RA would not take the Jizya from the Zoroastrians until ‘Abdur-Rahman bin ‘Awf RA told him that the Prophet PBUH used to take Jizya from the Zoroastrians of Hajar.” [Jami` at-Tirmidhi 1587]

“The Prophet PBUH sent  Khalid ibn al-Walid to Ukaydir of Dumah. He was seized and they brought him to the Prophet PBUH. He didn’t kill him. Rather he spared his life and made peace with him on the condition of paying Jizya.” [Sunan Abi Dawud 3037]

Who Pays Jizya?

A hadith states that according to the sunnah, no Jizya is required from women, children, or the People of the Book and that Jizya is only applicable to men who have reached puberty. As long as these people live in the country, they don’t have to pay anything on their property except for the Jizya tax. They remain in the deen they practice and continue to do what they did. [ Book 17, Hadith 46]

Jizya is only taken from free and sane adult males who are capable enough to pay it. Women, children, older adults, enslaved, handicapped, monks, hermits, and non-Muslims who chose to fight in the army didn’t pay Jizya.

Zakat & Jizya Tax

Just like Muslims are obligated to pay Zakat every year (2.5% of their savings), the same was applied to non-Muslims. However, because non-Muslims didn’t pay Zakat, they paid Jizya every lunar year, which was an average of one dinar (4.25 grams of gold).

Malik Ibn Anas’s al-Muwatta, the founder of the Maliki school of Islamic jurisprudence, states that “Zakat is imposed on the Muslims to purify them and to be given back to their poor, whereas jizya is imposed on the people of the Book to humble them (to show they are subjects of the state).”

Misconceptions Regarding Jizya

Many misconceptions arise regarding the topic of Jizya. Still, the most common one is that while non-Muslims are obligated to pay Jizya, there is no such obligation in the case of Muslims regarding Zakat. That is not true. Muslims are obligated to pay the Zakat as much as non-Muslims are obligated to pay Jizya. Of course, there are certain conditions under which both Zakat and Jizya can be waived. For example, if a person is poor and doesn’t have enough, the obligation is waived, whether they are Muslims or non-Muslims.

Another misconception that arises is that the words of the verse ‘Fight against such of those ’ refer to fighting against them until they die. This is also false. A non-Muslim won’t be killed just because they didn’t pay the Jizya without considering the cause behind it. For example, if the person is poor or wants the payment to be delayed, that is a valid reason, and they won’t be killed. Only the person who refuses to accept Jizya’s obligation can be killed.

Furthermore, if the person refuses to pay Jizya, killing him is not the only option. Rather, he has lost the security and protection of the military and so can be killed, ransomed, enslaved, or freed (sent outside the Islamic state). On the other hand, if the person pays Jizya and the army can’t protect him, they return the amount to the non-Muslim.

Abolishment Of Jizya

Modern Muslim states no longer have the obligation to pay Jizya since citizenship is no longer defined on the basis of religion and because Muslim countries now have national armies. The third Mughal Emperor, Akbar, abolished the Jizya tax in 1564.