The Variable Jizya Policy of Ashras b. Abdullah, Governor of Khorasan, Towards the Mawâl?

This study explores the shifting stance of Ashras b. Abdullah, the Umayyad governor of Khorasan (109-111/727-729), towards the collection of jizya from the maw & amacr;l & imacr;. The aim is to contribute to the understanding of the issue of jizya collection from the maw & acirc;l & imacr; during the Umayyad period through an analysis of Ashras' policies. Upon assuming office, Ashras announced the abolition of this tax for the maw & acirc;l & imacr;. However, due to an unexpected surge in conversions to Islam and the potential revenue losses, he quickly reverted to the previous governors' practice of conditional jizya collection. Several factors influenced this inconsistent policy shift, including the persuasion of non-Muslim tax officials, local leaders (marz & ucirc;b & acirc;ns and dihq & acirc;ns), and perhaps most notably, Caliph Hisham b. Abd al-Malik's (105-125/724-743) financial sensitivities. This fluctuating taxation policy led some maw & acirc;l & imacr; to migrate from Samarqand (Sogd), with certain Arab elites offering them practical support. Ashras, refusing to backtrack, sought to suppress the maw & acirc;l & imacr; and their supporters through various pressure mechanisms, which, coupled with military support from Turkic forces north of the Seyhun River, escalated into a regional rebellion. Consequently, much of the Sogdian territories slipped from Umayyad control, and Ashras, deemed unsuccessful, was eventually dismissed. The research is confined to Ashras' variable jizya policies and their outcomes, though it also includes contextual information about the conditions under which this practice emerged and its cessation. The study demonstrates that jizya was not uniformly demanded from all maw & acirc;l & imacr; during the Umayyad period. This practice was initiated in Sogd after the death of Khorasan Governor Qutayba b. Muslim (d. 96/715). However, some caliphs and governors refrained from imposing such a tax, while others implemented it under specific conditions. It is also evident that although Caliph Hisham did not request the collection of jizya from the maw & amacr;l & imacr; in its technical sense either in writing or verbally, he nevertheless left the final decision on this matter to the discretion of Khorasan's governors. The study employs the narrative research technique, one of the qualitative research methods, as its primary methodology.