An Investigation into the Religious, Social, and Political Life of Dhemmi (Free Non- Muslims Subject to Live in a Muslim Country) Christians (During the reign of first Caliphs and Imam Ali)

After the advent of Islam, the clear terms of the Holy Quran determined to improve relations between Muslims and People of the Book. According to Sura Tawba (The Repentance), verse 29, people of the Book could remain loyal to their religion, if they would like, and pay per capita tax, called tribute, in return for having permission to live in the Islamic society. The Holy Prophet strengthened his relations with Christians in compliance with the aforementioned verse. The number of Dhemmi Christians increased after the conquest of Christian settlements during the reign of the first Caliphs. The increase of population caused new debates on how the religious and sociopolitical relationships between Muslims and Dhemmi Christians can be established. Therefore, it was necessary to pass and implement new rules to determine the religious and sociopolitical position of Dhemmi people in the Islamic society. The present paper tries to investigate the religious and sociopolitical rights of the Dhemmi people during the reign of the first Caliphs.