Minorities in an Islamic State — Page 29
29 rupees from the rich. Almost the whole of the tax so realized was spent on the education, development, uplift and welfare of the Dhimm i s. 38 Actually, in those days, the Muslims were under conscription and under the law had to do compulsory military service. The Dhimm i citizens, however, were under no such obligation and were given the option, either to enlist in the army like the Muslims or to pay a token tax, on payment of which they were guaranteed protection and security against external as well as internal aggression. Therefore it was that those who paid the tax were automatically exempted from service in the army. Thus one clause of the pact signed at the time of the fall of Jurj a n is as follows: "We agree to guarantee protection and security to you on the condition that you continue to pay tax, which will be remitted in case you choose to join the army or civil service". 39 Jizyah — Not a Religious Tax: It must be pointed out that Jizyah was not a religious tax. Even before the Muslims this tax was there and people used to pay it. As a matter of fact, there is historical evidence to prove that the tax under the Muslims was exactly the same as the tax levied by Nosherwan ’ s government in Iran. The famous Christian historian Jurjy Zaidan writes thus: