Abstract:
The Umayyads' getting to power in the Levant provided them with the basis to develop their relations with the people of Damascus who made up a large part of the Levant's (Shām) inhabitants. The inhabitants of Damascus were under the Roman rule until the Islamic conquest, and were to accept the new Muslim rule. Therefore, the Ahl ul-ḏimmah had to maintain the social and administrative position they held during the Roman domination, and the Umayyad Caliphs also needed the expertise and experience of the Ahl ul-ḏimmah to govern their vast territory. This study seeks to answer the question of how the people of Dhimma maintained their social status in the social structure of the Umayyad government and were able to dominate the Umayyad administrative structure.
Machine summary:
Background of the Research In the field of the research topic, although no independent book or article has been written or published so far, and what has been written is mostly focused on the era of the caliphate of Umar ibn Abd al-Aziz or political issues, and less on the administrative affairs of the Umayyads.
Emad al-Din Khalil also, in his work: “Features of the Islamic Revolution in the Caliphate of Umar ibn Abd al-Aziz,” dedicates a chapter to administrative issues, but mostly deals with the political dismissal and appointment of governors in the caliphate’s territory (1398 A.
In the era of the caliphate of Umar ibn Abd al-Aziz (99-101 AH), a transformation occurred regarding the presence of the dhimmi in the body of the Umayyad government, and their social and administrative position became more unstable and different compared to the time of previous caliphs.
However, during the caliphate of Umar ibn Abd al-Aziz, an order was issued stating that the dhimmi were exempt from paying jizya after converting to Islam (Malik ibn Anas, 279/1; Abu Yusuf, 143).
Despite the social and administrative restrictions imposed by Umar ibn Abd al-Aziz, he ordered that elderly dhimmi and those who were physically weak and unable to earn a living and unable to pay jizya be exempted and receive a share from the Bayt al-Mal (public treasury) (Abu Ubayda, 56).
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