Umar rules for Christian Dhiminis

ACT OF UMAR

  In return for “safety for ourselves, children, property and followers of our religion”

 

 The Christians will not:

  

Build “a monastery, church, or a sanctuary for a monk”;

“Restore any place of worship that needs restoration”;

Use such places “for the purpose of enmity against Muslims”;

“Allow a spy against Muslims into our churches and homes or hide deceit [or betrayal] against Muslims”;

Imitate the Muslims’ “clothing, caps, turbans, sandals, hairstyles, speech, nicknames and title names”;

 “Ride on saddles, hang swords on the shoulders, collect weapons of any kind or carry these weapons”;

“Encrypt our stamps in Arabic”

“Sell liquor”

“Teach our children the Qur’an”;

“Publicize practices of Shirk” – that is, associating partners with Allah, such as regarding Jesus as Son of God. In other words, Christian and other non-Muslim religious practice will be private, if not downright furtive;

Build “crosses on the outside of our churches and demonstrating them and our books in public in Muslim fairways and markets” – again, Christian worship must not be public, where Muslims can see it and become annoyed;

“Sound the bells in our churches, except discreetly, or raise our voices while reciting our holy books inside our churches in the presence of Muslims, nor raise our voices [with prayer] at our funerals, or light torches in funeral processions in the fairways of Muslims, or their markets”;

“Bury our dead next to Muslim dead”;

“Buy servants who were captured by Muslims”;

“Invite anyone to Shirk” – that is, proselytize, although the Christians also agree not to:

“Prevent any of our fellows from embracing Islam, if they choose to do so.” Thus the Christians can be the objects of proselytizing, but must not engage in it themselves;

“Beat any Muslim.”

  

Meanwhile, Christians must obey the following; if not, they could be killed:

 Allow Muslims to rest “in our churches whether they come by day or night”;

“Open the doors [of our houses of worship] for the wayfarer and passerby”;

Provide board and food for “those Muslims who come as guests” for three days;

“Respect Muslims, move from the places we sit in if they choose to sit in them”

“Have the front of our hair cut, wear our customary clothes wherever we are, wear belts around our waist” – these are so that a Muslim recognizes a non-Muslim as such and doesn’t make the mistake of greeting him with As-salaamu aleikum, “Peace be upon you,” which is the Muslim greeting for a fellow Muslim;

“Be guides for Muslims and refrain from breaching their privacy in their homes.”

The Christians swore: “If we break any of these promises that we set for your benefit against ourselves, then our Dhimmah (promise of protection) is broken and you are allowed to do with us what you are allowed of people of defiance and rebellion.”

 

Muhammad declared that the dhimmi cannot walk on the same road as the Muslim.

 “Do not initiate the Salam [greeting of peace] to the Jews and Christians, and if you meet any of them in a road, force them to its narrowest alley.”