[2] The Jizyah and its Philosophy Jizyah is derived from...

[2] The Jizyah and its Philosophy Jizyah is derived from Jazā’ and refers to the money taken from the non-Muslims, who are under the protection of the Islamic government. It has been named so because it is paid by the non-Muslims to the Islamic government as recompense for the protection granted to them with respect to their lives and properties (as stated by Raghib, in his book al-Mufradat).

It is a kind of Islamic poll tax that is associated with individuals – not land or wealth; in other words, it is a yearly computation. Some people are of the opinion that its root is of non-Arabic origin and has been derived from the ancient Persian word کزيت , which means tax taken to strengthen the army.

However, numerous others believe that this word is totally Arabic of origin and, as we have previously mentioned, taken from Jazā’ , in view of the fact that the tax was a compensation for the security provided by the Islamic government to the religious minorities. Jizyah also existed prior to Islam and it is the view of some people that the first person to levy it was Anushirwan , the Sassanid king.…