What details must be recorded upon establishing a covenant of protection (Dhimma) with non-Muslims?

General Chapter

Al-Mughni

Book of Jizya

Book 55 · Issue 1 · Bab 1

Open in Qurani

Primary text

Upon establishing the Dhimma covenant, the names of the individuals, their fathers' names, their count, their physical descriptions (Hilya), and their religion must be recorded. This includes specifying details such as lineage (e.g., so-and-so son of so-and-so), stature (tall, short, medium height), complexion (dark or white), eye color (dark-eyed), nose shape (aquiline), and eyebrow description (conjoined eyebrows). Such descriptions are necessary to distinguish each person from the others.