Question

When did Akbar abolish Jizya tax?
a. 1579
b. 1564
c. 1569
d. 1570

Answer 1

Hint:
Jizya tax was a per capita yearly taxation levied in the form of financial charge on permanent non-muslim subjects of a state governed by Islamic law.


Complete step by step solution:
Akbar abolished the Jizya Tax in 1564. Unlike other rulers, Akbar thought of Indian subcontinent as his homeland. He believed that people had the right to choose any religion. He never coerced people into following Islam.

Jizya was a tax imposed on non-Islamic people residing in an Islamic-ruled state. The Quran mentions jizya without specifying its rate or amount. The application of this tax varied in the course of Islamic history. It was also called Kharaj.

The rate of jizya was usually a fixed annual amount depending on the financial capability of the payer. This tax has been understood in Islam as a fee for protection provided by the Muslim ruler to non-Muslim people, for the exemption from military service for non-Muslims, for the permission to practice a non-Muslim religion etc.

The rates of jizya were not uniform and according to Muhammad Hamidullah, the rate of ten dirhams per annum represented the expenses of an average family for at least 10 days. It varied in accordance with the affluence of the people of any region and their ability to pay.


Hence, the correct answer is option B.

Note:
Jizya was imposed on non-muslims in India with the starting of the 11th century. It expanded with Delhi Sultanate and Alauddin Khilji legalized the enslavement of the Jizya and Kharaj defaulters. These defaulter slaves were sold in growing Sultanate cities where there was a great demand for slave labour.