The Origins of the Islamic State/Part 1/Chapter 12

by Aḥmad ibn Yaḥyá al-Balādhurī

CHAPTER XII

Tabûk, Ailah, Adhruḥ, Maḳna and al-Jarbâʾ

Tabûk makes terms. When in the year 9 the Prophet marched to Tabûk in Syria for the invasion of those of the Greeks, ʿÂmilah, Lakhm, Judhâm and others whom he learnt had assembled against him, he met no resistance.^[1] So he spent a few days in Tabûk, whose inhabitants made terms with him agreeing to pay poll-tax.

Ailah makes terms. During his stay at Tabûk, there came to him Yuḥanna ibn-Ruʾbah, the chief of Ailah, and made terms, agreeing to pay on every adult in his land one dînâr per annum making it 300 dînârs in all. The Prophet made it a condition on them that they provide with board and lodging whomsoever of the Moslems may pass by them. To this effect he wrote them a statement^[2] that they may be kept safe and protected.

Muḥammad ibn-Saʿd from Ṭalḥah-l-Aili:—ʿUmar ibn-ʿAbd-al-ʿAzîz never raised the tax of the people of Ailah above 300 dînârs.^[3]

Adhruḥ makes terms. The Prophet made terms with the people of Adhruh^[4] stipulating that they pay 100 dînârs in Rajab of every year.

Al-Jarbâʾ makes terms. The people of al-Jarbâʾ^[5] made terms and agreed to pay poll-tax. To this effect the Prophet wrote them a statement.

Maḳna makes terms. The people of Maḳna made terms with the Prophet, agreeing to offer one-fourth of what they fish and spin, one-fourth of their horses and coats of mail, and one-fourth of their fruits. The inhabitants of Maḳna were Jews.^[6] An Egyptian told me that he saw with his own eye the statement that the Prophet wrote them on a red parchment, the writing on which was partly effaced, and which he copied and dictated to me as follows:

"In the name of Allah, the compassionate, the merciful. From Muḥammad, the Messenger of Allah, to the banu-Ḥabîbah and the inhabitants of Maḳna: peace be with you. It has been revealed unto me from above that ye are to return to your village. From the time this my letter reaches you, ye shall be safe ; and ye have the assurance of security from Allah and from his Messenger. Verily, the Messenger of Allah has forgiven you your sins and all blood for which ye have been pursued. In your village, ye shall have no partner but the Messenger of Allah or the Messenger's messenger. There shall be no oppression on you nor hostility against you. Against whatever the Prophet of Allah protects himself, he will protect you. Only to the Prophet of Allah shall belong your cloth-stuff, slaves, horses^[7] and coats of mail, save what the Prophet or the Prophet's messenger shall exempt. Besides that, ye shall give one-fourth of what your palm-trees produce, one-fourth of the product of your nets, and one-fourth of what is spun by your women; but all else shall be your own; and God's Prophet has exempted you from all further poll-tax or forced labor. Now, if ye hear and obey, it will be for the Prophet to do honor to the honorable among you and pardon those among you who do the wrong. Whosoever of the banu-Ḥabîbah and the inhabitants of Maḳna bethinks himself to do well to the Moslems, it shall be well for him; and whosoever means mischief to them, mischief shall befall him. Ye are to have no ruler save of your number of the family of the Prophet. Written by ʿAli-ibn-abu-Ṭâlib^[8] in the year 9."

Footnotes

1. Ibn-Saʿd, vol. ii¹, p. 118; Hishâm, p. 893; Ṭabari, vol. i, p. 1692.
2. Hishâm, p. 902.
3. Wellhausen, Das Arabische Reich, p. 173.
4. Yâḳût, vol. i, p. 174; Iṣṭakhri, p. 58; Muḳaddasi, p. 54.
5. Yâḳût, vol. ii, p. 46.
6. Wâḳidi, tr. Wellhausen, p. 405.
7. Ar. kurâʿ, see Nihâyah, vol. iv, p. 16; and Muṭarrizi, vol. ii, p. 148; Margoliouth translates "camp-followers" in Zaidân's Umayyads and Abbasids, p. 121.
8. Sic! Being genitive, it should be "abi". See note in De Goeje's edition, p. 60.