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Glite Dictionary
🛡️ Protected non-Muslim 🛡️ Protected person
zimmi

zimmi

9.9
A person not Muslim who lives under Muslim rule with protection and often pays a special tax
  • noun
  • /ˈzɪmi/
  • Specialized
translation icon : zimmi
  • Under Islamic rule, a zimmi was required to pay the jizya tax for protection.

Examples

  • The rights and responsibilities of a zimmi were defined by Islamic legal codes.

  • Historical records show that many zimmis lived peacefully within Muslim societies.

  • A zimmi enjoys certain rights.

  • Many zimmis lived peacefully.

  • A zimmi in the Ottoman Empire received legal protection in exchange for paying taxes.

  • The treatment of a zimmi varied across different regions ruled by Muslims.

  • As a zimmi, he was allowed to practice his religion while living in a Muslim-majority area.

Synonyms

dhimmi
vszimmi
1 9.9

A person who is not Muslim living under Islamic rule, protected but paying a special tax and facing some restrictions

focuses on protection and rights given specifically in exchange for paying a special tax
rayah
vszimmi
  • Archaic
9.9

A person who paid taxes and had no special rights in the Ottoman Empire

indicates protected status with rights in return for paying a special tax

Surface Forms

zimmi singular
zimmis plural

Etymology

Zimmi comes from the Arabic word dhimma meaning 'protection' or 'pledge', and it is also spelled dhimmi. So a zimmi was a non-Muslim 'under protection' of the Muslim state who had certain rights and duties, often including the payment of a special tax.