Minorities in an Islamic State — Page 22
22 Dhimm i s , in their provinces, be regularly paid stipends from the Baitul-M a l. 27 Non-Muslim ’ s Participation in Administration: Hadrat ‘ Umar ra always used to consult Dhimm i s in the affairs of state. When the question of land settlement in Iraq arose, he called a meeting in Medina to decide the matter. In this meeting the non- Muslim Chiefs of Iran and Iraq also participated. 28 Again we see that in settling the affairs of Egypt, Hadrat ‘ Umar ra always consulted Maquqas — the religious leader of the Egyptians before taking any decision. 29 Similarly a Nestorian priest, a contemporary of ‘ Umar ra , writing about the political conditions of his area, says in a letter to a friend of his: "The Muslims protect our religion, respect our priests and Pharisees and have bestowed lands and J a g i rs on our churches". 30 It is also worth noting that the Muslim caliphs used to invest the religious leaders of the Dhimm i s with certain civil and administrative powers. 31 The Muslims continued to treat the non-Muslims throughout the centuries in a similar manner. The door of every office of the government was open to them and they were given a fair deal in these matters. Thus we see that under the Umayyads and Abbassides, the