🌾 Understanding Muqasamah: The 🏺 Ancient Islamic Land Tax System

Explore Muqasamah, a tax system in use from 628 CE until the end of the Mamluk period. Understand its historical significance, cultural context, and jurisprudential discussions in Islamic law.

Muqasamah: Definition and Meaning 🌾§

Muqasamah (مقاسمة)- A historical tax system operational from 628 CE until the end of the Mamluk period in the late sixteenth century. Commonly referred to as muqasamah kharaj, this system was a type of share-cropping contract whereby tenants would lease land from the state or private parties and agree to pay a percentage of the crop yield as rent. This arrangement ensured the protection of the tenant’s land by the lessor.

Etymology: The term “Muqasamah” is derived from the Arabic root ق-س-م, which relates to the concept of dividing or sharing. This etymology underscores the arrangement’s nature, as it involves sharing the crop yield between the tenant and the landowner.

Historical Background and Dates: The Muqasamah system began around 628 CE during the early Islamic period and sustained its prevalence through the Umayyad, Abbasid, and Mamluk periods, ending in the late sixteenth century.

Islamic Jurisprudence: A significant aspect of Muqasamah centers around its jurisprudential discussions. Islamic scholars debated whether such contracts exploited tenants or involved undue speculation. By setting clear legal frameworks regarding these agreements, it aimed to ensure fairness and equity within an Islamic ethical context.

Cultural Differences and Similarities 🌍§

Cultural Context: In different Islamic regions, the Muqasamah varied in implementation. In the Islamic heartlands such as Iraq and Egypt, it became a principal form of agricultural tenancy and revenue collection, whereas in peripheral areas, innovation and local customs often shaped its application.

Similar Systems: Comparable systems include the Roman coloni arrangement and European medieval manorial contracts, both employing sharecropping principles.

Synonyms and Related Terms:

  • Kharaj (خراج) - A broader term for land tax in Islamic jurisprudence.
  • Iqtā’ (إقطاع) - Another land management system where land grants were given in lieu of military or administrative service.

Antonyms:

  • Tamlik (تمليك) - Ownership or full private property.

Fascinating Facts 🌠:

  • Some prominent Islamic scholars and legal texts, such as Al-Mawardi’s Al-Ahkam al-Sultaniyya, discuss Muqasamah and other taxation forms in depth, highlighting the meticulous Islamic approach to fairness and reciprocity.
  • In some regions, the percentage of yield that tenants had to give varied, typically based on the crop’s economic value and land fertility.

Quotations:

  • Al-Mawardi, in Al-Ahkam al-Sultaniyya, notes: “In Muqasamah, there lies justice for the tiller and security for the land, an agreement decreed by shared benefit and communal responsibility.”

Literature and Further Studies 📚§

  • “Al-Ahkam al-Sultaniyya” by Al-Mawardi
  • “The Early Islamic Conquests” by Fred M. Donner
  • “The Muqaddimah” by Ibn Khaldun

Translations:§

  • Arabic: مقاسمة
  • Urdu: مقاسمہ (Muqasamah)
  • Persian: مقاسمه (Muqasamah)
  • Turkish: Muqasamah


Fairness rooted in the soil and shared among men, Muqasamah embodies a principle of collective justice.

Farewell, Farid Al-Hassan 🌿 2023-10-04

Saturday, July 6, 2024

Islam Dictionary

IslamicTermsLexicon.com is your ultimate resource for understanding the vast and intricate world of Islamic doctrines, rites, ceremonies, customs, and technical & theological terms. Our comprehensive dictionary provides thousands of terms in both English and Arabic, each with detailed definitions, authoritative references, and quizzes designed to sharpen your understanding and enhance your learning experience.

Amina Al-Fahad Ibrahim Al-Hakim Ibrahim Al-Rashid Ibrahim Al-Hassan Hassan Al-Rashid Fatima Al-Hassan Fatima Al-Zahra Yusuf Al-Hakim Layla Al-Rashid Fatima Al-Rashid Ibrahim Al-Mansur Layla Hassan Zainab Al-Rashid Fatima Zahra Layla Al-Hassan Zayd Al-Hakim Zaynab Al-Rashid Ibrahim Al-Yusuf Layla Hasan Yusuf Al-Mahdi Yusuf Al-Rashid Dr. Layla Hassan Fatima Al-Husseini Harun Al-Rashid Ibrahim Malik Layla Ahmed Mustafa Al-Hakim Ahmad Al-Rashid Hakim Al-Rashid Hasan Al-Rashid Hassan Al-Hakim Hassan Al-Tamimi Ibrahim Al-Hakeem Ibrahim Al-Hashimi Ibrahim Al-Hussein Ibrahim Al-Karim Ibrahim Al-Khalil Ibrahim Al-Yazid Ibrahim Mustafa Khalid Al-Mansoor Omar Al-Hakim Omar Al-Rashid Samira Al-Hakim Tariq Al-Hakim Yusuf Al-Mansur Zainab Malik Zaynab Al-Hakim Zaynab Al-Hussein Ahmad Al-Hakim Fatima Ahmed Fatima Al-Husayni Fatima Al-Hussein Fatima Al-Mansouri Fatima El-Amin Fatima El-Sayed Fatima Rahman Fatima Rahmani Fatima Siddiqui Fatimah Al-Rashid Fatimah Zahra Hassan Al-Mansur Hassan Al-Razi Ibrahim Al-Husseini Ibrahim Al-Khatib Ibrahim Al-Mahdi Ibrahim Al-Mansoor Ibrahim Al-Mansour Ibrahim Al-Mansouri Ibrahim Al-Najjar Ibrahim Hassan Ibrahim Khalid Ibrahim Suleiman Khalid Al-Rashid Layla Al-Hakim Layla Al-Hashimi Layla Al-Mansoori Layla Al-Mansouri Layla Al-Zahra Layla Mahmoud Layla Mustafa Layla Rahman Tariq Al-Mansur Yasmin Al-Hassan Yasmin Al-Rashid Yusuf Al-Mansoor Yusuf Ibn Khalid Zara Ahmed Zaynab Hassan Ahmed Al-Hakim Aisha Ahmed Aisha Al-Hassan Aisha Rahman Aliyah Rahman Farah Al-Zahra Fatima Al-Habib Fatima Al-Hariri Fatima Al-Hassani Fatima Al-Mahmoud Fatima Al-Najjar Fatima Al-Qadri