Page:William Muir, Thomas Hunter Weir - The Caliphate; Its Rise, Decline, and Fall (1915).djvu/401

 370 the ruling of Abu Bekr, handed over to the family of ʿAlī; their properties in Mecca were restored to the family of Talḥa; and these, with other resumptions of the kind, created ill-feeling in the royal house. His devotion to Islām prejudiced him against the employment of Jews and Christians: and in a rescript addressed to his lieutenants he bade them exalt the true faith, abase all others, and appoint none but Muslims to offices of trust—quoting verses of the Ḳorʾān in support of his command. The Mawāli, or new converts, of Khorāsān, who took part in the wars, were put on a level with the Muḳātila, or fighting Arabs—that is, they were exempt from taxes and received pensions. He restored to the children also of the Muḳātila the pensions which had been curtailed by Muʿāwiya and withheld by ʿAbd al-Melik. The tithes of the province of ʿOmān were returned to that province for distribution amongst its poor. He was also hard and unpitiful in exacting from those of other creeds the severest burdens it was lawful to impose. But whatever the bigotry or even fanaticism of his rule, and however much he may have sought to proselytise by favouring the religion of Islām, his justice in administering the law according to its dictates, was surpassed by none. When appealed to by the Christians of Damascus to give them back the Church of St John turned by Al-Welīd into the city Mosque—though unable to concede their request, he allowed them to retain the Church of St Thomas, which was not theirs by right. The people of Nejrān, who had, by a breach of faith, been transplanted by ʿOmar I. to near Al-Kūfa, and on whom Moḥammad had laid a tribute of 2000 pieces of cloth (80,000 dirhems), had decreased in numbers by war and conversions. ʿOthmān had granted them a rebate of 200 pieces, and Muʿāwiya of a further 200, Both these were re-imposed by Al-Ḥajjāj. By the time of ʿOmar II., their numbers had fallen from 40,000 to 4000, ʿOmar II. therefore reduced the tribute from 2000 pieces of cloth to 200.

Hitherto in the public prayers on Friday throughout the Empire, a petition cursing ʿAlī had been in use. The later historians say this was now withdrawn. A sense of duty may have led to this action, justified by a passage in the Ḳorʾān, which enjoins justice and kindness towards