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THE ORIGINS OF THE ISLAMIC STATE

The survey of Ḥudhaifah. ʿAbdallâh ibn-Ṣâliḥ al-ʿIjli from certain authorities:—Ḥudhaifah who measured the surface of the land irrigated by the Tigris, died at al-Madâʾin. The Ḳanâṭir Ḥudhaifah [arches of Ḥudhaifah] are named after him, because he camped near them; but others say because he renewed them. His cubit [Ar. dhirâʿ], like that of ibn-Ḥunaif, is the length of a man's arm, hand and thumb, stretched out. When the inhabitants of as-Sawâd had the system of kharâj proportioned to the produce of the land, after they had that based on the area [misâḥah], one of the officials said: "The tithe levied on the fiefs was a tenth which was not equivalent [?] to one-fifth of the half levied on the istâns [administrative districts]. Therefore, it is necessary that there should be levied on the jarîb of the fiefs subject to the area [misâḥah] system of kharâj also one-fifth of what is levied on the jarîb of the istâns [?]."[1] Such was the case.

Abu-ʿUbaid from Maimûn ibn-Mihrân:—ʿUmar sent Ḥudhaifah and ibn-Ḥunaif to Khâniḳîn, which was one of the first places they conquered; and after they attached seals to the necks of the dhimmis, they collected its kharâj.

Lands confiscated by ʿUmar. Al-Ḥusain ibn-al-Aswad from ʿAbd-al-Malik ibn-abi-Ḥurrah's father:—The latter said, "ʿUmar ibn-al-Khaṭṭâb confiscated for himself ten pieces of land in as-Sawâd of which I remember seven, the remaining three having slipped me. The lands he confiscated were (1) a piece covered with woods; (2) one covered with marshes; (3) one belonging to king Kisra; (4) all of Dair Yazîd;[2] (5) the land of those who were killed during the war; (6) the land of those who fled the country.

  1. Caetani, vol. v, p. 374; Muḳaddasi, p. 133.
  2. Caetani, vol. v, p. 373, gives it "dayr mubad (? nel testo: barîd)". Cf. Yûsuf, p. 32, l. 20.