Not to be confused with the Pact of Umar II, a later document of disputed origin

The Covenant of Omar (637

637

Year 637 was a common year starting on Wednesday of the Julian calendar. The denomination 637 for this year has been used since the early medieval period, when the Anno Domini calendar era became the prevalent method in Europe for naming years.- Europe :* Battle of Mag Rath: Dál Riata influence...

) purports to be a treaty concluded between Islam

Islam

Islam . The most common are and .   : Arabic pronunciation varies regionally. The first vowel ranges from ~~. The second vowel ranges from ~~~...

ic Caliph

Caliph

The Caliph is the head of state in a Caliphate, and the title for the ruler of the Islamic Ummah, an Islamic community ruled by the Shari'ah. It is a transcribed version of the Arabic word   which means "successor" or "representative"...

 Omar ibn Khattab

Umar

`Umar ibn al-Khattāb c. 2 November , was a leading companion and adviser to the Islamic prophet Muhammad who later became the second Muslim Caliph after Muhammad's death....

 and the Patriarch of Jerusalem

Greek Orthodox Patriarch of Jerusalem

The Greek Orthodox Patriarch of Jerusalem is the head bishop of the Orthodox Church of Jerusalem, ranking fourth of nine Patriarchs in the Eastern Orthodox Church. Since 2005, the Orthodox Patriarch of Jerusalem has been Theophilos III...

, Sophronius. The treaty outlines the rights and the limitations of Christians

Christianity

Christianity is a monotheistic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus as presented in canonical gospels and other New Testament writings...

 as "People of the Book

People of the Book

People of the Book is a term used to designate non-Muslim adherents to faiths which have a revealed scripture called, in Arabic, Al-Kitab . The three types of adherents to faiths that the Qur'an mentions as people of the book are the Jews, Sabians and Christians.In Islam, the Muslim scripture, the...

" or "people of protection" to enjoy religious tolerance under Muslim rule, while requiring them to pay the Islamic poll tax (jizya

Jizya

Under Islamic law, jizya or jizyah is a per capita tax levied on a section of an Islamic state's non-Muslim citizens, who meet certain criteria...

) in return. Some Palestinian Christians and Muslims see the document as having the force of law, even after more than thirteen centuries.

Background

After a successful campaign against the Byzantines

Byzantine Empire

The Byzantine Empire was the Eastern Roman Empire during the periods of Late Antiquity and the Middle Ages, centred on the capital of Constantinople. Known simply as the Roman Empire or Romania to its inhabitants and neighbours, the Empire was the direct continuation of the Ancient Roman State...

 in the Battle of Yarmuk, According to Islam Omar travelled to Jerusalem on horseback, and stepped down from his steed to enter the holy city by foot. The Covenant of Omar purportedly concluded with Sophronius after he handed him the keys to the city.

Caliph Umar in Jerusalem

In 637

637

Year 637 was a common year starting on Wednesday of the Julian calendar. The denomination 637 for this year has been used since the early medieval period, when the Anno Domini calendar era became the prevalent method in Europe for naming years.- Europe :* Battle of Mag Rath: Dál Riata influence...

, after a prolonged siege of Jerusalem

Siege of Jerusalem (637)

The Siege of Jerusalem was a part of a military conflict which took place in the year 637 between the Byzantine Empire and the Rashidun Caliphate. It began when the Rashidun army, under the command of Abu Ubaidah, besieged Jerusalem in November 636. After six months, the Patriarch Sophronius...

, Islamic tradition claims that the Muslims finally entered the city peacefully following the signing of a treaty by the Patriarch Sophronius (i.e. Jerusalem) and Umar himself. The Patriarch is portrayed in Islamic tradition as having announced that he would not sign a treaty with anyone other than the Caliph himself. For this reason, 'Umar personally came to Jerusalem after the Muslims had established control of all the surrounding territory. According to Muslim tradition 'Umar entered the city humbly, walking beside a camel upon which his servant was sitting, due to the reason they shared turns over it and it was his servant's turn when they reached the city. He is said to have been given the keys to the city by the Patriarch of Jerusalem, Sophronius, after concluding this Covenant of Umar, the English translation of which is provided below.

Muslim tradition claims that Umar asked the Patriach to lead him to the place of the old Jewish Temple

Temple in Jerusalem

The Temple in Jerusalem or Holy Temple , refers to one of a series of structures which were historically located on the Temple Mount in the Old City of Jerusalem, the current site of the Dome of the Rock. Historically, these successive temples stood at this location and functioned as the centre of...

. Umar was shocked to find the site covered in rubbish, as the Romans, after Hadrian's suppression of the Bar Kochba revolt, initiated the custom of using it as a refuse heap. 'Umar is purported to have knelt down immediately, and began to clear the area with his hands. When the Muslims saw what he was doing, they followed his example, and soon the area was cleaned up.
Muslim tradition claims that 'Umar was then led to the sites of the Foundation Stone by a rabbi

Rabbi

In Judaism, a rabbi is a teacher of Torah. This title derives from the Hebrew word רבי , meaning "My Master" , which is the way a student would address a master of Torah...

, Ka'ab al-Ahbar

Ka'ab al-Ahbar

Ka‘b al-Aḥbār was a prominent rabbi from Yemen of the clan of Dhu Ra'in or Dhu al-Kila. He is counted among the Tabi‘in and narrated many Isra'iliyat.-Umar's era:...

, who had converted to Islam and was his closest advisor. The rock was surrounded by a fence, and several decades later an Umayyad Caliph, Abd al-Malik, built the Dome of the Rock

Dome of the Rock

The Dome of the Rock is a shrine located on the Temple Mount in the Old City of Jerusalem. The structure has been refurbished many times since its initial completion in 691 CE at the order of Umayyad Caliph Abd al-Malik...

 over the site.

Legacy

Some Palestinian Christians and Muslims today continue to see the document as having the force of law, even after more than thirteen centuries. The Palestinian Basic Law, the constitution, of the Palestinian National Authority

Palestinian National Authority

The Palestinian Authority is the administrative organization established to govern parts of the West Bank and Gaza Strip...

 is said to reflect the spirit of the Covenant, stipulating that "freedom of belief and performance of religious rituals are guaranteed (unless) they violate public order or public morals." The Covenant enjoys popular recognition as well. During a solidarity march protesting the Danish cartoons in Gaza in which officials from the Greek Orthodox church and other members of Gaza

Gaza Strip

thumb|Gaza city skylineThe Gaza Strip lies on the Eastern coast of the Mediterranean Sea. The Strip borders Egypt on the southwest and Israel on the south, east and north. It is about long, and between 6 and 12 kilometres wide, with a total area of...

's small Palestinian Christian community were well represented, one of the Muslim protestors carried a framed copy of the Al-Uhdah Al-Omariyah (Covenant of Omar).

Historicity

Many critical scholars of early Islam do not think that the Covenant of Umar I is authentic; they think rather that the pact was attributed to Umar I to lend it authority. In addition, such critical scholars find it likely that the Muslim tradition about Umar's entrance into Jerusalem has been colored by later Islamic theology. Traditional Islamic accounts of the Muslims' seventh century conquests, including Jerusalem, such as those by historians al-Baladhuri and al-Tabari were written down two to three hundred years after the events, so can hardly have preserved an exact account of what happened. Also militating against the Covenant's authenticity is that no contemporary source refers to it at all. Sophronius' authentic extant writings refer to the Muslim conquerors in a very negative way, which casts some doubt on the irenic relationship between the patriarch and Umar I that the Muslim tradition assumes. Another problem with the Covenant's authenticity is that it appears in at least two significantly different forms: one in which Umar I agreed to prohibit Jews from living in Jerusalem, which is quoted below, and referred to by al-Tabari , and one in which they were allowed to live there. This suggests that no single version of the Covenant can be indisputably traced back to Umar I. Rather there may have been number of pacts associated with Jerusalem, none of which were necessarily signed by Umar I.

Text of the Treaty

In the Name of Allah, the Most Merciful, the Most Compassionate

This is an assurance of peace and protection given by the servant of Allah, Omar-Commander of the Believers to the people of Ilia' (Jerusalem). He gave them an assurance of protection for their lives, property, church and crosses as well as the sick and healthy and all its religious community.

Their churches shall not be occupied, demolished nor taken away wholly or in part. None of their crosses nor property shall be seized. They shall not be coerced in their religion nor shall any of them be injured. None of the Jews shall reside with them in Ilia'.

The people of Ilia shall pay Jizia tax (head tax on free non-Muslims living under Muslim rule) as inhabitants of cities do. They shall evict all Romans and thieves.

He whoever gets out shall be guaranteed safety for his life and property until he reach his safe haven. He whoever stays shall be (also) safe, in which case he shall pay as much tax as the people of Ilia' do. Should any of the people of Ilia wish to move together with his property along with the Romans and to clear out of their churches and crosses, they shall be safe for their lives, churches and crosses, until they have reached then safe haven. He whoever chooses to stay he may do so and he shall pay as much tax as the people of Ilia' do. He whoever wishes to move along with the Roman, may do so, and whoever wishes to return back home to his kinsfolk, may do so. Nothing shall be taken from them, their crops have been harvested. To the contents of this convent here are given the Covenant of Allah, the guarantees of His Messenger, the Caliphs and the Believers, provided they (the people of Ilia') pay their due Jizia tax.

Witnesses hereto are:

Khalid Ibn al-Waleed Amr Ibn al-Ass Abdul-Rahman Ibn'Auf Mu'awiya Ibn abi-Sifian Made and executed in the year 15 AH.

The above is the text approved by historians, foremost of whom are Imam al-Tabari. The text appears in his book "Tareekh Al Umam wal Molouk" (History of Nations and Kings), Part III, Page 105, printed in Cairo and collected by a team of scholars and printed in English at Brill Printing Press London.