What is the term for the protected status and tax on non-Muslims in an Islamic state?

• A. Jizya
• B. Dhimmi; they paid the jizya
• C. Zakat
• D. Kharaj

Answer: (B)

The main idea here is the distinction between the status granted to non-Muslims living under Islamic rule and the tax they paid. Non-Muslims who lived under such governance were designated as dhimmi, a protected status that signified security and certain rights in exchange for obligations. The tax they paid for this protection was the jizya. So the best phrasing is to identify the protected group as dhimmi and note that they paid the jizya. Zakat is the Muslim alms tax and isn’t about non-Muslims’ protected status, while kharaj refers to a different form of land tax in some contexts.