hearts were united." What afterwards proved the main source of revenue
in Islamic states dates from the taking of Khaibar; for the rent paid to
the state by tolerated communities for the right to work their land
developed long after Mahomet's time into a poll-tax for Unbelievers (see
CALIPHATE, e.g. B. § 8 and MAHOMMEDAN INSTITUTIONS), and a land-tax for
all owners of land. Immediately after the taking of Khaibar certain
communities, of which the most notable was Fadak, sent tribute before
they had been attacked and reduced; their land was regarded by Mahomet
as his private domain, but after his death it was withdrawn from his
heirs by his successor Abu Bekr, in virtue of a maxim that Prophets left
no inheritance, which in the opinion of Fatima was contrary to Koranic
doctrine, and invented by Ayesha's father expressly for the purpose of
excluding her and her husband from their rights; and this is likely to
have been the case.
As a military organizer Mahomet, as has been seen, was anxious to adopt
the most advanced of contemporary methods, and more than once is said to
have scandalized the Arabs by foreign innovations, as at a later time
the Moslem chiefs who first used gunpowder scandalized their
co-religionists. The unit in his armies seems to have been, as of old,
the tribe, under its natural leader; that he introduced no more
scientific division, and nothing like a hierarchy of officers was
perhaps due to the difficulty of reconciling such a system with the
equality of all Moslems.
As has been seen, the Koran only assumed the character of a civil code
as the need for one arose; and for some time after Mahomet's arrival at
Medina old-fashioned methods of settling disputes continued in use, and
doubtless in accordance with precedent where such was known. For
difficult cases, even in Arab opinion, divine inspiration was required;
and since Mahomet naturally claimed to be in sole enjoyment of this, his
utterances soon became the unique source of law, though he did not at
first think of organizing a code. Such a plan is said to have occurred
to him, and he even wished to dictate a code upon his deathbed; but his
friends supposed or professed to suppose him to be delirious. A table
regulating the "Alms" was left by him, it is said, in the possession of
Abu Bekr; but other traditions assign another origin to this document.
Just as there were no regular officials for the arrangement of business,
so there were none for its execution; when punishment was to be
administered, any follower of Mahomet might be called upon to administer
it. In the case of the massacre of the Banu Quraizah care was taken to
see that some of the heads were struck off by their former allies, in
order that the latter might be unable at any time to bring a demand for
vengeance. The Prophet hoped by the mere terror of his name to make
complete security reign throughout Arabia, and there is no evidence that
any system of policing either it or even Medina occurred to him.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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