Almost most the narratives of these conditions came with the same text that stated on part one, with much unnoticed tiny differences. In this part of the article, I will discuss the condition’s positions in Islamic heritage, and mentions some of its contradictions with the well-known tradition of Islam.
– These conditions have penetrated into our religious jurisprudence and political heritage and have clearly influenced the approval of many jurisprudential views of many scholars. Many books have been written describing these claimed conditions, without paying attention that these conditions are falsified and contrary to the purposes of Islam and the biography of the Prophet and the following Muslim Caliphs.
– These conditions and doctrinal rulings have been used and are still being used by many extremist groups as a justification for their persecution of non-Muslim minorities in Muslim countries. What ISIS is doing against the Christians of Iraq, Syria, and Egypt is the best evidence of the misuse of these conditions to bring about instability in the Muslim world.
– The Conditions of Umar conflict with the Pact of Umar by many old and modern Muslim scholars, as well as by Western orientalists. Many of them did not distinguish between them. Many scholars dealt with the conditions as valid without any criticism or comparison with the Quran and biography of the Prophet.
– The conflicting opinions of scholars on when these conditions were first revealed is evidence of the weakness of these conditions. The historical investigation proves that the first to mention these conditions was Abu Bakr Al-Khallal (who died in 311 AH), in his book “The provisions of the people of the book,” and who was from the second stage of Hanbali scholars. They were later mentioned by Ibn Al-Arabi, (who died in 340 AH), and were mentioned by Ibn Hazm (died in 456 AH) and by Baihaqi (who died 458 AH) and Ibn Assaker (who died in 571 AH).
– These Conditions of Umar have been repeated frequently in the books of Islamic heritage without critique or comparison with the philosophy of Islam and the guidance of Prophet Mohammed and even the policy of Umar Ibn Al-Khattab in dealing with Christians. One of the Prophet’s last commandments was: “I recommend my successor to be good to the people of God and His Messenger and to protect them and to defend them to death. I recommend him not to make them bear what they cannot bear.” It is strange that one of our Muslim scholars, Imam Ibn al-Qayyim, singled out six chapters to explain the Conditions of Umar, in his book, “The Rulings of the People of the Book,” without criticising them, or comparing them with the known stories of the Muslim Caliphs with regard to dealing with the people of the book. What is more astonishing is the explanation of Ibn al-Qayyim’s book, published by Professor Subhi Al-Salih, who approved them without questioning them. The most astonishing of all is that Christian historian Georges Zidane, touched on these conditions and apologised to Umar Ibn Al-Khattab and raised the issue of their contradictions with the spirit of the time of Umar and the tolerant biography of Omar, which many of our Muslim scholars did not notice.
– In an unusual manner, Imam Ibn al-Qayyim ignored looking into the chain of narration of this very weak narration, as we have seen, and he realized that it does not stand on a true basis, so he commented on it in his book: “The rulings of the people of the book,” by saying: “Every narration in this regard is not without an attribution, the previous Imams accepted them, and mentioned them in their books, and used them as evidence. They mentioned the Conditions of Umar in their books and conversations, which were implemented by the Muslim Caliphs after that.” This is not true and contradicts the well-known history of the Post-Prophet Caliphates, the Umayyad Caliphate or Abbasid Caliphate. The fame of a narration does not prove its strength and verification.
– The conditions reflect the mentality of the victorious and cultivate the seeds of social and moral isolation of the Christian minority in the Muslim community, and reflect the extreme and strange insult of Christians, and contradict completely with the spirit of the Holy Quran and the biography of the Prophet and the biography of the Righteous Caliphs, who frequently urged for the mercy and the dignity of the people of the book. They also contradict with the rule established by the Pact of Umar which states, “They bear what we do and we bear what they do,” which was mentioned by the many pacts between the Prophet and the Christians of Najran and the Jews as well as the history of the Muslim Caliphs after him.
– Many of these conditions are opposed to the opinions of the principles of jurisprudence and the views of the Imams such as the issue of the denial of the teachings of the Prophet regarding treating the people of the book and changing their dress code.
– Some of these conditions are completely incompatible with the principle of preaching for Islam, which is rooted in the philosophy of Islam, claiming that Christians stipulated that they will not read Al-Quran, which is the key to the guidance in Islam. This strange condition brings the basis of conditions to an end and increases its weakness.
*Dr.Tarik Ladjal is Professor of History at Effat University in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia
