Zimmi
Also called: Dhimmi · Topic: Bhakti and Sufi Traditions · NCERT: Class 12, Ch 2 "Bhakti-Sufi Traditions"
Meaning
Zimmi means "protected". The word comes from the Arabic zimma, protection. In Muslim states, zimmis were people who followed a revealed scripture, such as Jews and Christians. They could keep their own religion. In return, they paid a tax called jizya, and the ruler promised to protect them. In India, Muslim rulers gave this status to Hindus as well. This let rulers govern a population that was mostly non-Muslim.
Example
After the Delhi Sultanate was set up in the 13th century, Hindus were treated as zimmis. Mughal practice went further than this. In 1598 Akbar issued a farman (royal order) telling officials at Khambat to let the Jesuits build a church.
Don't confuse with
- Jizya: the tax that zimmis paid. Zimmi is the protected status; jizya is the payment for it.
- Mlechchha: a Sanskrit label for outsiders who did not follow caste rules and did not speak Sanskrit. It was not a legal status under Muslim rule.
Related concepts
- Ulama
- Sharia
- Hadis
- Five pillars of Islam
- Khojahs
- Ginan
- Mihrab
- Regional mosque architecture
- Turushka
- Yavana