The Treaty with the People of Tiflis

صلح أهل تفليس

c. 646 CE · c. 26 AH

Tiflis

In al-Baladhuri Habib ibn Maslama reached Tiflis and wrote its people a peace whose text runs: 'This is a writ from Habib ibn Maslama to the people of Tiflis of Manjalis, of Jurzan al-Qirmiz: aman on yourselves, your houses of worship, your monasteries, your prayers and your religion — on your acknowledgment of subordination and a jizya of one dinar per household; you may not join households to lighten the jizya, nor may we divide them to multiply it; we have your counsel and your back against the enemies of God and His messenger as you are able; the quartering of a needy Muslim for one night with the lawful food of the People of the Book that is ours; and if a man of the Muslims is stranded among you, it is on you to convey him to the nearest band of believers unless harm is between them; if you repent and keep the prayer you are our brothers in religion, else the jizya is on you; and if the Muslims are distracted from you and your enemy overcomes you, you are not held to blame for that, nor does it break your covenant — this is yours, and this is upon you; God and His angels witness, and God suffices as witness'; and al-Jarrah ibn Abdallah al-Hakami wrote the people of Tiflis a writ whose copy runs: 'This is a writ from al-Jarrah ibn Abdallah to the people of Tiflis of Rustaq Manjalis, of the district of Jurzan: they brought me Habib ibn Maslama's writ of aman for them acknowledging the jizya's subordination, and his treaty with them over lands of theirs — vineyards and water-mills called Awari and Sabina of Rustaq Manjalis, and Ta'am of Rustaq Quhuyt of Jurzan's district — on their paying for these mills and vineyards a hundred dirhams yearly, no second term; so I have executed their aman and their treaty for them and have ordered the revenue-officers that whoever resists my writ shall not exceed it against them, God willing.'