866-295-4143, fbns@wayoflife.org
According to the Quran, dhimmi especially applies to “People of the Book,” referring to Jews and Christians, who were treated somewhat differently than idolaters.
A dhimmi is allowed to live in Muslim territory in exchange for submission and payment of a heavy jizya tax. The Quran says: “Fight those who believe not in Allah nor the Last Day, nor hold that forbidden which hath been forbidden by Allah and His Messenger, nor acknowledge the religion of Truth, (even if they are) of the People of the Book, until they pay the jizya with willing submission, and feel themselves subdued” (Quran 9:29).
Exercise of the dhimmi law has varied from place to place and time to time, both in history and at the present. For example, in the late ninth century, Tariqu al-Hakim, the sixth Fatimid caliph in Egypt, required all Christians to wear a four-pound cross around their necks and Jews to wear a four-pound carving of a calf (for having worshiped the golden calf) (Rodney Stark, God’s Battalions, p. 90).
Sometimes Christian dhimmis have been allowed to keep their churches (but not build new ones or repair old ones), but they have always been forbidden to evangelize. For a Muslim to declare faith in Christ is apostasy, which is an unforgivable sin and punishable by death under sharia law.
After the Muslims conquered Syria in the seventh century, the dhimmis had to wear special identifying clothing and clip the fronts of their hair. They were not allowed to own weapons, ride on saddles, display crosses or Bibles, or hold public religious ceremonies. They had to take in any Muslim traveler and give him three days’ food and lodging (Trifkovic, The Sword of the Prophet, p. 105).
Even the most minor infraction of the dhimmi rules “left the door open for the resumption of jihad.”
In practice, dhimmis have been treated in whatever way the ruling Muslims see fit, and they have had no judicial recourse. They are at the “mercy” of their masters, but history tells us that more often than not, the Muslim masters were like the Babylonians, of whom Jeremiah said, “they are cruel, and have no mercy” (Jer. 6:23).
The dhimmi law is enforced with great rigor today by the Islamic State. The following is a description of what is happening under Islamic State rule in Syria, as told by Christian refugees who fled to Jordan. “Their village was occupied by rebel forces, who proceeded to announce that they were now under an Islamic emirate and were subject to sharia law. The Christian residents were offered four choices: (1) renounce the ‘idolatry’ of Christianity and convert to Islam; (2) pay a heavy tribute (jizya) to the Muslims for the privilege of keeping their heads and their Christian faith; (3) be killed; (4) flee for their lives, leaving all their belongings behind. Some Christians were killed, some fled, some tried to pay the jizya and found it too heavy a burden to bear after the rebels kept increasing the amount they had to pay, and some were unable to flee or pay, so they converted to Islam to save themselves. The scenario reported by Syrian refugees is a re-enactment of the historic fate of Christians across the Middle East” (“A Conversation with Christian Syrian Refugees,” Religious Freedom Coalition, June 1, 2013).
Excerpted from THE BIBLE AND ISLAM. In light of today’s news events, we do well to ask what the Bible says about Islam. Islam controls a large part of the world and is on a jihadic rampage that hasn’t been seen in hundreds of years. This far-reaching book describes Islam’s beginning and history, the doctrine of Allah, the Quran, Islam and salvation, the three stages of jihad, the Koran’s doctrine of abrogation, Islam and Judaism, Islam and Christianity, Sharia law, jihad and world conquest, Islam and the slave trade, Islam as a judgment on apostate Christianity and apostate Israel, Islam’s divisions and internecine hatred (Sunni vs. Shiite, etc.), Islam as a preparation for the Antichrist, the Antichrist and the Middle East problem, and Muslim nations in prophecy. The book explains what is happening in the Middle East, and where these events will ultimately lead. 160 pages. Available in print and as a free eBook from www.wayoflife.org.
- Receive these reports by email
- www.wayoflife.org
______________________
Sharing Policy: Much of our material is available for free, such as the hundreds of articles at the Way of Life web site. Other items we sell to help fund our expensive literature and foreign church planting ministries. Way of Life's content falls into two categories: sharable and non-sharable. Things that we encourage you to share include the audio sermons, O Timothy magazine, FBIS articles, and the free eVideos and free eBooks. You are welcome to make copies of these at your own expense and share them with friends and family. You may also post parts of reports and/or entire reports to websites, blogs, etc as long as you give proper credit (citation). A link to the original report is very much appreciated as the reports are frequently updated and/or expanded. Things we do not want copied and distributed are "Store" items like the Fundamental Baptist Digital Library, print editions of our books, electronic editions of the books that we sell, the videos that we sell, etc. The items have taken years to produce at enormous expense in time and money, and we use the income from sales to help fund the ministry. We trust that your Christian honesty will preserve the integrity of this policy. "For the scripture saith, Thou shalt not muzzle the ox that treadeth out the corn. And, The labourer is worthy of his reward" (1 Timothy 5:18). Questions? support@wayoflife.org
Goal:Distributed by Way of Life Literature Inc., the Fundamental Baptist Information Service is an e-mail posting for Bible-believing Christians. Established in 1974, Way of Life Literature is a fundamental Baptist preaching and publishing ministry based in Bethel Baptist Church, London, Ontario, of which Wilbert Unger is the founding Pastor. Brother Cloud lives in South Asia where he has been a church planting missionary since 1979. Our primary goal with the FBIS is to provide material to assist preachers in the edification and protection of the churches.
Offering: Offerings are welcome if you care to make one. If you have been helped and/or blessed by our material offerings can be mailed or made online with with Visa, Mastercard, Discover, or Paypal. For information see: www.wayoflife.org/about/makeanoffering.html.