Βασίλειος@Ciaran61215770· 1/9 It’s saddening that the majority of conversions from Christianity to Islam in the early 8th century to late 10th century was purely activated by economic & farmland basis, not intellectual theological rigor. Christians were subject to the choice of paying the Jizyah
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Βασίλειος@Ciaran61215770 2/9 karag (land tax) & accepting the status of dimmi, or conversion to Islam & exemption from all tax. Indeed, the reformed Jizyah (under the Umayyad caliph Abd al-Malik ibn Marwan 685-705AD represented a four hundred percent increase on city dwellers & a shift from a tax -11:18 AM · Jan 25, 2020·
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LikesΒασίλειος@Ciaran61215770· Replying to @Ciaran61215770 3/9 in produce to money for those in the countryside. Further, now the land itself, & not produce, was taxed based on its distance from city markets. For non-Muslims the tax burden forced one of three choices. A landowner could continue to pay Jizyah & the Karag to the best
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Βασίλειος@Ciaran61215770· 4/9 of his ability. He could also choose to abandon his land & emigrate to a city, thus becoming free of the karag but still subject to the Jizyah. Initially, it appears that most Christians chose the latter option. Both of these entailed accepting dimmi status as “protected”
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Βασίλειος@Ciaran61215770· 5/9 citizens of the empire. However, as time went on and increasing social, political and religious restrictions were added to the tax burden, the third option became more and more attractive: conversion to Islam. Through conversion a person was automatically exempted from
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Βασίλειος@Ciaran61215770· 6/9 both the Jizyah & the karaj, & thus could continue to possess property while being required to pay only the moderate zakat (alms tax) imposed by the Sari’ah. The Abbasid caliphs began to open society to Arabs & non-Arabs alike, extending the benefits to adherents of
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Βασίλειος@Ciaran61215770· 7/9 Judaism, Christianity, & Persian religions who converted to Islam to also recieve high positional careers. This stepped up an effort to encourage conversion already begun by the Umayyad caliph Umar ibn Abd al-Azez 717-720AD, a few decades earlier. The consequence of his
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Βασίλειος@Ciaran61215770· 8/9 program was a slow but steady rise in the numbers of those turning to the ‘new religion’. By the middle of the eighth century, these benefits(maintain a freedom adhering to our religious beliefs, judged in accordance to our own law, & lastly, free from Zakat), were being
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Βασίλειος@Ciaran61215770· 9/9 diminished by restrictions on public displays of religion, limitations on property ownership, & the requirement of distinctive signs & dress for all non-Muslims. This situation continued throughout the first decades of the Abbasid caliphate until Haran ar-Rasid 786-809).
Jadde: from Bosnia to Bengal 
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