New Testament, Matthew, 10:34-39:
"Do not suppose that I have come to bring peace to the earth. I did not come to bring peace, but a sword.
For I have come to turn "'a man against his father, a daughter against her mother, a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law--
a man's enemies will be the members of his own household.'
"Anyone who loves their father or mother more than me is not worthy of me; anyone who loves their son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me.
Whoever does not take up their cross and follow me is not worthy of me.
Whoever finds their life will lose it, and whoever loses their life for my sake will find it."
So, don't Christians take the Bible as the literal Word of God? If so, then wouldn't these verses qualify as being militaristic and showing the warrior attitude of Jesus that allowed Christians to carry out the Crusades as they did? Clearly, they had some justification from the Bible! Namely, from Jesus' words!
You are not wrong to say that Allah ordered Jizya for some compensation to the Muslims. But to say that this was to make money is incorrect. Again, you ignore the fact that Muslims paid the Zakah. The Zakah was a 2.5% surcharge tax which Muslims had to pay. It was for the benefit of the poor and needy.
(Source: Glossary of Islamic Terms (Under Ushr and Zakah, respectively), from vol. 5 of Sunan Abu Dawud, published by Dar-us-Salaam, p. 594 and p. 597, First Edition July 2008)
Now for the Jizya, it was a charge to the Non-Muslims who lived under the Muslim government for protection. The payment was a compensation for their protection, in which they were guaranteed their rights, life, property and practice of their religion, etc. Dhimmis were exempted from the compulsory military duty which was imposed on Muslims to perform for the state. These Dhimmis (protected) had full rights to practice their faith and implement their own religious laws within their communities.
(Source: Glossary of Islamic Terms (Under Dhimmi or Ahludh-Dhimmah), from vol. 5 of Sunan Abu Dawud, published by Dar-us-Salaam, p. 509, First Edition July 2008)
Dhimmis did fare better. When you are protected by the same people who you fought, and you are given the ability to pay when you are able to do so, without force, then you are given very good rights. You are protected by the same government which fought you and exempted from having to fight and die for them, while those so-called "first-class" citizens as you distinguished, did fight and die to protect those very same people who them fought before. Yeah, I would say that is pretty good. They gave them full rights.
As for the concept of Jizya, it is not just for this purpose. It has a wider meaning of compensation. "As-Sawi: It is calld jizya because is spares them from being fought and accords them security. Jaza means to compensate for something."
Source:
https://bewley.virtualave.net/tawba2.html
The Islamic government would not even force the Dhimmis to pay if they could not do so. This is the injunction of the Holy Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) which Hazrat Umar Farooq (ra) had also mentioned to the Muslims before he expired on his deathbed. I narrate to you the Hadith in full, with the boldened part at the end the important portion which you are concerned with:
Narrated `Amr bin Maimun Al-Audi:
I saw `Umar bin Al-Khattab (when he was stabbed) saying, "O `Abdullah bin `Umar! Go to the mother of the believers Aisha and say, `Umar bin Al-Khattab sends his greetings to you,' and request her to allow me to be buried with my companions." (So, Ibn `Umar conveyed the message to `Aisha.) She said, "I had the idea of having this place for myself but today I prefer him (`Umar) to myself (and allow him to be buried there)." When `Abdullah bin `Umar returned, `Umar asked him, "What (news) do you have?" He replied, "O chief of the believers! She has allowed you (to be buried there)." On that `Umar said, "Nothing was more important to me than to be buried in that (sacred) place. So, when I expire, carry me there and pay my greetings to her (`Aisha ) and say, `Umar bin Al-Khattab asks permission; and if she gives permission, then bury me (there) and if she does not, then take me to the graveyard of the Muslims. I do not think any person has more right for the caliphate than those with whom Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) (p.b.u.h) was always pleased till his death. And whoever is chosen by the people after me will be the caliph, and you people must listen to him and obey him," and then he mentioned the name of `Uthman, `Ali, Talha, Az-Zubair, `Abdur-Rahman bin `Auf and Sa`d bin Abi Waqqas. By this time a young man from Ansar came and said, "O chief of the believers! Be happy with Allah's glad tidings. The grade which you have in Islam is known to you, then you became the caliph and you ruled with justice and then you have been awarded martyrdom after all this." `Umar replied, "O son of my brother! Would that all that privileges will counterbalance (my short comings), so that I neither lose nor gain anything. I recommend my successor to be good to the early emigrants and realize their rights and to protect their honor and sacred things. And I also recommend him to be good to the Ansar who before them, had homes (in Medina) and had adopted the Faith. He should accept the good of the righteous among them and should excuse their wrongdoers. I recommend him to abide by the rules and regulations concerning the Dhimmis (protectees) of Allah and His Apostle, to fulfill their contracts completely and fight for them and not to tax (overburden) them beyond their capabilities."
(Sahih Bukhari, Book of Funerals, Chapter: The Graves of the Prophet (pbuh), Abu Bakr, and Umar Radiyallahu Anhu, #1392)
Link:
Hadith - Book of Funerals (Al-Janaa'iz) - Sahih al-Bukhari - Sunnah.com - Sayings and Teachings of Prophet Muhammad (??? ???? ???? ? ???)
The Muslims were very much concerned with protecting the rights of the Dhimmis. If one of our Khulafa-e-Rashideen was so concerned with that, to the point of mentioning it before he died, then you have to respect the fact that the Dhimmis are not considered as some low class citizens. I don't care what you pull, this is not something which someone who considers people so lowly would say when he is just about to die after being stabbed by a Dhimmi as well. Hazrat Umar (ra) was stabbed by a Persian man who wanted revenge for the fall of Khusrau. And yet he was concerned with the Dhimmi's rights on his deathbed? If they were so second-class, then in his power surely he would have caused them harm. But this is not the case. Islam teaches compassion.
As for the religious rights, the explanation in the book sourced above, Volume 5 of Sunan Abu Dawud, said it clearly. They had full rights.
The Holy Prophet (saw) was the one who set the example for how to treat Dhimmis. We Muslims do not need anyone else to show us the truth of Islam better than him. I don't care what your source is for your information, and what you might think happened in Islamic history. Definitely, some time after the Holy Prophet (saw) the values of Islam started to decay and Dhimmis did get treated unfairly. But the teachings of Islam are clear on what Muslims are SUPPOSED to do.
As for the Islamic treatment of Christians, you have only to read what the Holy Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) wrote to the Cathedral of St. Catharines:
[BEGIN QUOTE]
- Muhammad the son of ‘Abd Allah, the Messenger of Allah, and careful guardian of the whole world; has wrote the present instrument to all those who are in his national people, and of his own religion, as a secure and positive promise to be accomplished to the Christian nation, and relations of the Nazarene, whosoever they may be, whether they be the noble or the vulgar, the honorable or otherwise, saying thus.I. Whosoever of my nation shall presume to break my promise and oath, which is contained in this present agreement, destroys the promise of God, acts contrary to the oath, and will be a resister of the faith, (which God forbid) for he becomes worthy of the curse, whether he be the King himself, or a poor man, or whatever person he may be.
- That whenever any of the monks in his travels shall happen to settle upon any mountain, hill, village, or other habitable place, on the sea, or in deserts, or in any convent, church, or house of prayer, I shall be in the midst of them, as the preserver and protector of them, their goods and effects, with my soul, aid, and protection, jointly with all my national people; because they are a part of my own people, and an honor to me.
- Moreover, I command all officers not to require any poll-tax on them, or any other tribute, because they shall not be forced or compelled to anything of this kind.
- None shall presume to change their judges or governors, but they shall remain in their office, without being deported.
- No one shall molest them when they are travelling on the road.
- Whatever churches they are possessed of, no one is to deprive them of them.
- Whosoever shall annul any of one of these my decrees, let him know positively that he annuls the ordinance of God.
- Moreover, neither their judges, governors, monks, servants, disciples, or any others depending on them, shall pay any poll-tax, or be molested on that account, because I am their protector, wherever they shall be, either by land or sea, east or west, north or south; because both they and all that belong to them are included in this my promissory oath and patent.
- And of those that live quietly and solitary upon the mountains, they shall exact neither poll-tax nor tithes from their incomes, neither shall any Muslim partake of what they have; for they labor only to maintain themselves.
- Whenever the crop of the earth shall be plentiful in its due time, the inhabitants shall be obliged out of every bushel to give them a certain measure.
- Neither in time of war shall they take them out of their habitations, nor compel them to go to the wars, nor even then shall they require of them any poll-tax.
- In these eleven chapters is to be found whatever relates to the monks, as to the remaining seven chapters, they direct what relates to every Christian.
- Those Christians who are inhabitants, and with their riches and traffic are able to pay the poll-tax, shall pay no more than twelve drachms.
- Excepting this, nothing shall be required of them, according to the express order of God, that says, ‘Do not molest those that have a veneration for the books that are sent from God, but rather in a kind manner give of your good things to them, and converse with them, and hinder everyone from molesting them’ [29:46].
- If a Christian woman shall happen to marry a Muslim man, the Muslim shall not cross the inclination of his wife, to keep her from her church and prayers, and the practice of her religion.
- That no person hinder them from repairing their churches.
- Whosoever acts contrary to my grant, or gives credit to anything contrary to it, becomes truly an apostate to God, and to his divine apostle, because this protection I have granted to them according to this promise.
- No one shall bear arms against them, but, on the contrary, the Muslims shall wage war for them.
- And by this I ordain, that none of my nation shall presume to do or act contrary to this my promise, until the end of the world.
[END QUOTE]
The Holy Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) had a delegation of the Christian tribe of Najran come to him where they visited him in Medina to exchange views with him on religious matters. It had several dignitaries. The conversation was held in the mosque for several hours. When the leader asked to depart from the mosque to go and hold a religious service at a convenient spot, the Holy Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said to them that there was no need for them to go out of the mosque, since they could also use the consecrated place of worship as well and hold their service in it.
(Source: Zurqani, Sharh Mawahib al-Ladunniyya, Vol. 5, pp. 186-187; Zad al-Ma'ad, Vol. 2, pp. 35-36)
The verses of the Holy Qur'an are clear about why Jihad was to be fought as well. Allah specifically told the Muslims to protect the houses of Allah:
22:39
To those against whom war is made, permission is given (to fight), because they are wronged;- and verily, Allah is most powerful for their aid;-
22:40
(They are) those who have been expelled from their homes in defiance of right,- (for no cause) except that they say, "our Lord is Allah". Did not Allah check one set of people by means of another, there would surely have been pulled down monasteries, churches, synagogues, and mosques, in which the name of Allah is commemorated in abundant measure. Allah will certainly aid those who aid his (cause);- for verily Allah is full of Strength, Exalted in Might, (able to enforce His Will).
So how are Muslims allowed to demolish the houses in which Allah is worshiped, as Allah Himself states? Indeed, the Qur'an is clear on matters. It is not for you to distort things here.
And so, why did you not consider the Holy Qur'an before you made such a silly assumption, as if Allah commanded us to destroy churches and synogogues if we Muslims wished, while jihad was enacted for the SPECIFIC purpose of protecting them? Clearly, you have no knowledge of the Qur'an, and so you are not fit to tell me what is right and wrong about it.
And it is clear to me that your agenda is to distort things and not discuss them here. That is why you are trying to impose your views here as if you understand these matters, while you know nothing of the Qur'an. Despite you mentioning how clear the Qur'an is, you can't understand the phrase, "
Did not Allah check one set of people by means of another, there would surely have been pulled down monasteries, churches, synagogues, and mosques, in which the name of Allah is commemorated in abundant measure." which is specifically aimed at the protection of these places of worship, and not pulling them down.
Again, you failed to point out that Muslims grant no rights to Christians and their services of worship, as per the Holy Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) words. He gave his statement about the protection of Christian rights "until the end of the world" in his statements to the Cathedral of St. Catharines. So again, please tell me what proof do you have that Muslims treat Dhimmis badly? just what source do you pull this from? What statements of the Holy Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) are you trying to use as proof? Just statements out of the blue? Sources needed...