Chapter 18 · Keeping a Stud Book
It is narrated from Abdullah bin Ka'b bin Malik al-Ansari, may Allah be pleased with him:
A detachment of the Ansar was in Persia with their commander. However, Omar would annually relieve the army stationed at the border by sending a replacement and recalling the previous one. Omar, may Allah be pleased with him, did not find the opportunity to do so while preoccupied with other matters (atiyya). When the time for the relief passed, those on the frontier returned. Omar then reprimanded them severely and threatened them. Yet they were all companions of the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him. They said: “O Omar, you neglected us. You abandoned the command of the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him, to relieve one army with another (and so we returned).”
From the son of Adiy bin Adiyyi’l-Kindî is reported:
‘Umar ibn ‘Abd al-‘Azīz wrote a letter to his officials:
Whoever inquires as to where the spoils taken without fighting are disbursed, let him know that their place of disbursement is where ‘Umar ibn al-Khattāb determined and the believers have found just, following the Prophetic statement, “Allah has established the truth upon the tongue and heart of ‘Umar,” in accordance with justice.
Hazrat ‘Umar decreed that gifts be distributed to the Muslims from the fay’ (spoils of war), and granted security to non-Muslims in return for the jizyah they would pay from them. He did not take a fifth of this jizyah, nor did he consider it spoils.
EXPLANATION:
The taxes taken from non-Muslims without fighting were distributed among those recorded in the divan (register) according to their status as combatants during the time of Hazrat ‘Umar. He did not allocate a fifth of these assets to the Bayt al-Mal (public treasury). The jizyah and land tax collected from non-Muslims were fixed annually, and agreements were made with them regarding it.
Abu Zarr, may Allah be pleased with him, narrated:
I heard the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings upon him, say: "Indeed, Allah has placed truth in Umar’s tongue; so he speaks with that truth."