Under Umar ibn al-Khattab who was now known as amir al-muminim, the commander
of the faithful, the Arabs began to take over the Persian Empire. The Arab tribes gained territory in Syria,
Iraq, and Egypt and by 641 were able to take control total control of these
territories. During this time of
conquest, the Arabs did not try to convert the people they had conquered to
Islam. Most of the territories that
were conquered were filled with Jews, Christians, and Zoroastrians. The Muslims believed that these people
belonged to the ahl al-kitah, the People of the Book and were in a way fellow
believers. These people became dhimmis,
protected subjects, who had to pay a special tax in return they were protected
from raiders and were treated fairly.
Up until this point the Muslims had let others run the offices of the
country for them. Under Umar, the
Muslim Empire began to run their offices themselves. Umar set up the first government office to collect taxes, had
Muslims rather than foreigners manage the treasury, and began minting their own
coins.
The territories that were now under the control of the umma were not plundered and resettled. Instead the Muslims decided to leave most these conquered territories intact and would impose a tax on the people to pay. Umar’s decision on the new territories would latter on lead to conflicts in the Muslim Empire. They would set up garrisons known as amsars in these territories to pacify any resistance to their occupation. In 644, Umar Ibn al-Khattab was killed by a Persian prisoner of war and was replaced by Uthman Ibn Affan.
Written by Alex Boyce, 2003