Abstract

The ḥadīth, “whoever harms a dhimmī I shall be his foe on the Day of Judgment’, can be found as an end clause to covenants which the Prophet Muḥammad issued to Christian, Jewish, and Magian communities. As it is highly unlikely for different non-Muslim communities to have forged this Prophetic statement at the end of their respective documents, this paper argues that this utterance is authentic and can be confidently traced back to the Prophet. This paper examines the occurrence of this statement as a ḥadīth in the Islamic literature and notes how it was dismissed by scholars of tradition who only accepted one of its variants. The paper then compares the rights granted to non-Muslims in the covenants to those conveyed in a number of ḥadīths and notes the discrepancies between early Islam’s official documents and the legal injunctions found in Muslim tradition. It argues that the ḥadīths on the rights of non-Muslims oftentimes reflect legal maxims of scholars living in the ‘Abbasīd era and that these were back-projected to the Prophet and his Companions using fictitious isnāds. Finally, this paper concludes by recommending the incorporation of the Prophet’s official decrees, which includes the covenants, within the fabric of Islamic law.

Highlights

  • MMuuhhaammmmaadd HHaammiidduullllaahh’’ssrreefMfeerrueenhntatiimaallmwwaoodrrkkHMMamaajjimmdūuʿlalaatthaa’lls--WWreaaftethhrāaeʾniiqqtial-SwiyoāraskiyyMyyaajlmi-lū-ʿaathhdadla-Wl-Natahbbāaawwiqīıal-Siyāsiyya li-l-ʿah wwaa--ll--KKhhiillāaffaatt aall--RRāasshhiiddaa bbrroouugghhwttat-tolo-ggKeehtthihleāefrrataalall-ttRhheāeslhleeitdtttaeerrbssroaanundgdhpptootloliitgtiieccatahllettrreeaaaltltiietehsseooflfetthhteeersPPraroonppdhhepetot alaintniddcattlhhteereaties of the PropRRiigghhttllyy GGuuiiddeedd CCaalliipphhss iinn onReigvhotluymGeuisdpeadnnCinaglipjuhstinovoenre75v0olppuaamgeess.pTTahnheneissnhhgeeeejurrsmt aogvnenraann7ii5mm0iitptyyagooeffs

  • Another recension of the same covenant was documented by John Andrew Morrow in his 2013 book, The Covenants of the Prophet Muhammad with the Christians of the World, the only difference being that the word “al-mu ’minın” is missing and it reads instead “I shall be his foe on the Day of Judgment from among all the Muslims.”10 Though the Hill/Morrow Covenant does not address any particular Christian sect, it appears that it was either written to al-Sayyid Ghassanı, the governor of Najran, or to the Copts of Egypt

  • “Whoever shows enmity towards them, he has shown enmity towards me and r Harms a Dhtoiwmardms AīllaIh,SmhayaHlelbeBexealtHed.iTsheFLoorde—oexnaltetdhbee He—and I shall be his foe on the dgment”: AnDaIynovf Juedsgmtiegnta.”tion into an Prophetic Tradition and Its Origins from “man ‘adahum ‘adanı wa ‘ada Allahu subh. anahu wa anawa al-rab subh. anahu akun h. ajıjahu yawm al-qiyama.” 23 nants The recension of the Covenant with the Magi brought to light by Sorabjee Jamshetji Jejeebhoy states: “Whoever does them harm does me harm and I shall be his foe on the Day of Judgment, his Studies, Hamad Bin KhalirfeacUomnivpeernsistey,wPi.Oll.bBeotxh3e41fi1r0e Dofohhae,llQaantadr;he will be free of my protection.”

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Summary

Introduction

MMuuhhaammmmaadd HHaammiidduullllaahh’’ssrreefMfeerrueenhntatiimaallmwwaoodrrkkHMMamaajjimmdūuʿlalaatthaa’lls--WWreaaftethhrāaeʾniiqqtial-SwiyoāraskiyyMyyaajlmi-lū-ʿaathhdadla-Wl-Natahbbāaawwiqīıal-Siyāsiyya li-l-ʿah wwaa--ll--KKhhiillāaffaatt aall--RRāasshhiiddaa bbrroouugghhwttat-tolo-ggKeehtthihleāefrrataalall-ttRhheāeslhleeitdtttaeerrbssroaanundgdhpptootloliitgtiieccatahllettrreeaaaltltiietehsseooflfetthhteeersPPraroonppdhhepetot alaintniddcattlhhteereaties of the Prop. The obvious “mistakes” which led to the rejection of the covenants, such as their early dating, the names of witnesses, and the scribe’s name, have all proved to be consistent anachronisms in texts inherited by non-Muslim communities for which there is no evidence of cross-communal borrowing or influence. Analysis of these textual parallelisms have, led to a counterintuitive conclusion, namely, that the covenants are authentic and, on the whole, textually accurate but that they were deliberately suppressed or interpolated in Muslim sources.. Analysis of these textual parallelisms have, led to a counterintuitive conclusion, namely, that the covenants are authentic and, on the whole, textually accurate but that they were deliberately suppressed or interpolated in Muslim sources. Though one is not here arguing that all letters and official decrees of the Prophet and the early Caliphs that exist in Muslim tradition are edited versions of the originals, one cannot negate the possibility of a policy having developed around the 2nd/8th century to undermine and reverse the rights that were initially granted to non-Muslim communities

A Mutawatir Dictum in the Covenants
The Curious Silence in Muslim Tradition
Textual Analysis in the Context of Multiple Transmissions
Granting the Protection of Allah and His Messenger
Building of New Churches
Levying the Jizya on the Magi
Expelling the Jews and Christians from the Arabian Peninsula
Two Creeds Cannot Inherit One Another
Compromising the Terms and Conditions of the Original Covenants
Incorporating the Covenants into Islamic Law
10. Conclusions
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