Written by: Imran Ayyub Lahori
The polytheists (mushrikīn) and the protected people (dhimmī/ahl al-kitāb) shall not be permitted to reside in the Arabian Peninsula.
① Report from ʿAbdullāh ibn ʿAbbās رضي الله عنهما — a prophetic instruction at the time of the Prophet’s ﷺ passing:
أَخْرِجُوا الْمُشْرِكِينَ مِنْ جَزِيرَةِ الْعَرَبِ
“Expel the polytheists from the Arabian Peninsula.”
([Bukhārī: 3053; Kitāb al-Jihād wa al-Siyar: Bāb: Hal yustashfaʿ ilā Ahl al-Dhimmah wa Muʿāmalatuhum; Muslim: 1637)
② Report from ʿUmar رضي الله عنه — attributing to the Prophet ﷺ:
لَأَخْرِجَنَّ الْيَهُودَ وَالنَّصَارَى مِنْ جَزِيرَةِ الْعَرَبِ حَتَّى لَا أَدَعَ إِلَّا مُسْلِمًا
“I will expel the Jews and the Christians from the Arabian Peninsula until I leave none there except a Muslim.”
([Muslim: 1767; Kitāb al-Jihād wa al-Siyar: Bāb: Ikhrāj al-Yahūd wa al-Naṣārāʼ min Jazīrat al-ʿArab; Aḥmad: 1/32; al-Tirmidhī: 1606; al-Bayhaqī: 207/9)
③ Report from ʿĀʾishah رضي الله عنها — final words of the Prophet ﷺ as reported:
لَا يُتْرَكُ بِجَزِيرَةِ الْعَرَبِ بِنَانٌ
“No two religions shall be left in the Arabian Peninsula.”
([Aḥmad: 275/6)
④ Report from Abū ʿUbaydah ibn al-Jarrāḥ رضي الله عنه — final words attributed to the Prophet ﷺ per narration:
أَخْرِجُوا يَهُودَ حِجَازٍ وَأَهْلَ نَجْرَانَ مِنْ جَزِيرَةِ الْعَرَبِ
“Expel the Jews of Ḥijāz and the people of Najrān from the Arabian Peninsula.”
([Aḥmad: 195–196; Ḥumaydī: 85; al-Bayhaqī: 28/9)
⑤ Report from Ibn ʿUmar رضي الله عنهما — actions of ʿUmar رضي الله عنه in exile/relocation:
It is reported that ʿUmar رضي الله عنه expelled Jews and Christians from the land of Ḥijāz (and similarly he relocated the Jews of Khaybar to Taymāʾ and Arīḥā).
([Bukhārī: 2338; Kitāb al-Ḥarth wa al-Mazāraʿah: Bāb: Idhā qāla Rabb al-Arḍ atruk mā atruk Allāh)
Jazīrat al-ʿArab (the Arabian Peninsula):
Defined as the region encompassed by the Indian Ocean, the sea of Syria (Mediterranean), and the Tigris–Euphrates area — stretching lengthwise from between ʿAdan and Abayn to the regions approaching Sham; and breadthwise from Jidda to the environs of Iraqi settlements. The term is used because seas surround it (the Indian Ocean, Persian Gulf, Red Sea) and because it was the pre-Islamic dwelling of the Arabs.
(Reference: al-Qāmūs al-Muḥīṭ; Nayl al-Awṭār: 133/5)
Ḥijāz:
By Ḥijāz is meant Makkah, Madīnah, Ṭāʾif and their districts — it lies between Najd and Tihāmah (or Najd and Sarāt) and is characterized by five volcanic fields (ḥarrah): Ḥarra ibn Sulaym, Ḥarra Waqim, Ḥarra Laylā, Ḥarra Shawrān, and Ḥarra Nār.
(Reference: al-Qāmūs al-Muḥīṭ; Tārif in the classical sources)
① Majority (Jamhūr):
When the texts command expulsion from “Jazīrat al-ʿArab,” they mean specifically the Ḥijāz region. That is, the command targets the sacred precinct and its environs.
② Ḥanafīs:
Except for the Sanctuary (Masjid al-Ḥarām), polytheists may be permitted entrance and residence elsewhere; they do not accept a blanket expulsion in every location.
③ Imam Mālik:
No disbeliever may dwell anywhere within the Arabian Peninsula, though they may enter the Haram for purposes of trade.
④ Imam al-Shāfiʿī:
Expulsion of all polytheists from the Arabian Peninsula is obligatory; however, by “Jazīrat al-ʿArab” he specifically intends Ḥijāz — i.e., Makkah, Madīnah, Yamāmah and their districts. He does not include Yemen in this definition. Polytheists may not enter the Haram without the ruler’s permission.
(References: Tuḥfat al-Aḥwadhī: 222/5; Sharḥ Muslim li al-Nawawī: 105/6; Nayl al-Awṭār: 134/5; Subul as-Salām: 179/4; Fatḥ al-Bārī: 284/6; al-Istidhkār li Ibn ʿAbd al-Barr: 62/26)
The term “Jazīrat al-ʿArab” should be understood in its broad sense — therefore polytheists are to be expelled from all the regions that the term encompasses, and this includes Yemen. When a hadith specifies expulsion from Ḥijāz only, that is not contradictory to a ruling for the whole Peninsula, because a ruling mentioned for part of a general thing does not negate the ruling for the whole (i.e., a specific mention of the part does not cancel the general directive).
(References: Subul as-Salām: 1791/4; Al-Rawdah al-Nadiyyah: 766/2; Nayl al-Awṭār: 135/5)
The Magians (Majūs) are treated similarly to the People of the Book regarding the rule of expulsion from Jazīrat al-ʿArab. The source also cites the hadith:
لَا يَجْتَمِعُ دِينَانِ فِي أَرْضِ الْعَرَبِ
“Two religions cannot coexist in the land of the Arabs.”
(Reference: Subul as-Salām: 1793/4)
◈ Several prophetic reports and the actions of the Rightly-Guided Caliphs are cited as authority for the ruling to remove polytheists and certain People of the Book from the Arabian Peninsula (with historical instances of relocation/exile described).
◈ There exists juristic disagreement on the precise geographic extent (Ḥijāz specifically vs. the whole Peninsula) and on exceptions (trade access to the Haram, allowances outside the Sanctuary, etc.).
◈ The source favors a broad application of the command to the entire Peninsula, including Yemen, and treats Majūs akin to Ahl al-Kitāb with respect to this ruling.
Introduction — Main Ruling
The polytheists (mushrikīn) and the protected people (dhimmī/ahl al-kitāb) shall not be permitted to reside in the Arabian Peninsula.
Primary Texts and Reports
① Report from ʿAbdullāh ibn ʿAbbās رضي الله عنهما — a prophetic instruction at the time of the Prophet’s ﷺ passing:
أَخْرِجُوا الْمُشْرِكِينَ مِنْ جَزِيرَةِ الْعَرَبِ
“Expel the polytheists from the Arabian Peninsula.”
([Bukhārī: 3053; Kitāb al-Jihād wa al-Siyar: Bāb: Hal yustashfaʿ ilā Ahl al-Dhimmah wa Muʿāmalatuhum; Muslim: 1637)
② Report from ʿUmar رضي الله عنه — attributing to the Prophet ﷺ:
لَأَخْرِجَنَّ الْيَهُودَ وَالنَّصَارَى مِنْ جَزِيرَةِ الْعَرَبِ حَتَّى لَا أَدَعَ إِلَّا مُسْلِمًا
“I will expel the Jews and the Christians from the Arabian Peninsula until I leave none there except a Muslim.”
([Muslim: 1767; Kitāb al-Jihād wa al-Siyar: Bāb: Ikhrāj al-Yahūd wa al-Naṣārāʼ min Jazīrat al-ʿArab; Aḥmad: 1/32; al-Tirmidhī: 1606; al-Bayhaqī: 207/9)
③ Report from ʿĀʾishah رضي الله عنها — final words of the Prophet ﷺ as reported:
لَا يُتْرَكُ بِجَزِيرَةِ الْعَرَبِ بِنَانٌ
“No two religions shall be left in the Arabian Peninsula.”
([Aḥmad: 275/6)
④ Report from Abū ʿUbaydah ibn al-Jarrāḥ رضي الله عنه — final words attributed to the Prophet ﷺ per narration:
أَخْرِجُوا يَهُودَ حِجَازٍ وَأَهْلَ نَجْرَانَ مِنْ جَزِيرَةِ الْعَرَبِ
“Expel the Jews of Ḥijāz and the people of Najrān from the Arabian Peninsula.”
([Aḥmad: 195–196; Ḥumaydī: 85; al-Bayhaqī: 28/9)
⑤ Report from Ibn ʿUmar رضي الله عنهما — actions of ʿUmar رضي الله عنه in exile/relocation:
It is reported that ʿUmar رضي الله عنه expelled Jews and Christians from the land of Ḥijāz (and similarly he relocated the Jews of Khaybar to Taymāʾ and Arīḥā).
([Bukhārī: 2338; Kitāb al-Ḥarth wa al-Mazāraʿah: Bāb: Idhā qāla Rabb al-Arḍ atruk mā atruk Allāh)
Definitions — Geographic Terms
Jazīrat al-ʿArab (the Arabian Peninsula):
Defined as the region encompassed by the Indian Ocean, the sea of Syria (Mediterranean), and the Tigris–Euphrates area — stretching lengthwise from between ʿAdan and Abayn to the regions approaching Sham; and breadthwise from Jidda to the environs of Iraqi settlements. The term is used because seas surround it (the Indian Ocean, Persian Gulf, Red Sea) and because it was the pre-Islamic dwelling of the Arabs.
(Reference: al-Qāmūs al-Muḥīṭ; Nayl al-Awṭār: 133/5)
Ḥijāz:
By Ḥijāz is meant Makkah, Madīnah, Ṭāʾif and their districts — it lies between Najd and Tihāmah (or Najd and Sarāt) and is characterized by five volcanic fields (ḥarrah): Ḥarra ibn Sulaym, Ḥarra Waqim, Ḥarra Laylā, Ḥarra Shawrān, and Ḥarra Nār.
(Reference: al-Qāmūs al-Muḥīṭ; Tārif in the classical sources)
Juristic Opinions on the Scope and Application
① Majority (Jamhūr):
When the texts command expulsion from “Jazīrat al-ʿArab,” they mean specifically the Ḥijāz region. That is, the command targets the sacred precinct and its environs.
② Ḥanafīs:
Except for the Sanctuary (Masjid al-Ḥarām), polytheists may be permitted entrance and residence elsewhere; they do not accept a blanket expulsion in every location.
③ Imam Mālik:
No disbeliever may dwell anywhere within the Arabian Peninsula, though they may enter the Haram for purposes of trade.
④ Imam al-Shāfiʿī:
Expulsion of all polytheists from the Arabian Peninsula is obligatory; however, by “Jazīrat al-ʿArab” he specifically intends Ḥijāz — i.e., Makkah, Madīnah, Yamāmah and their districts. He does not include Yemen in this definition. Polytheists may not enter the Haram without the ruler’s permission.
(References: Tuḥfat al-Aḥwadhī: 222/5; Sharḥ Muslim li al-Nawawī: 105/6; Nayl al-Awṭār: 134/5; Subul as-Salām: 179/4; Fatḥ al-Bārī: 284/6; al-Istidhkār li Ibn ʿAbd al-Barr: 62/26)
Preferred (Rājiḥ) View Presented in the Source
The term “Jazīrat al-ʿArab” should be understood in its broad sense — therefore polytheists are to be expelled from all the regions that the term encompasses, and this includes Yemen. When a hadith specifies expulsion from Ḥijāz only, that is not contradictory to a ruling for the whole Peninsula, because a ruling mentioned for part of a general thing does not negate the ruling for the whole (i.e., a specific mention of the part does not cancel the general directive).
(References: Subul as-Salām: 1791/4; Al-Rawdah al-Nadiyyah: 766/2; Nayl al-Awṭār: 135/5)
On the Magians (Zoroastrians)
The Magians (Majūs) are treated similarly to the People of the Book regarding the rule of expulsion from Jazīrat al-ʿArab. The source also cites the hadith:
لَا يَجْتَمِعُ دِينَانِ فِي أَرْضِ الْعَرَبِ
“Two religions cannot coexist in the land of the Arabs.”
(Reference: Subul as-Salām: 1793/4)
Summary of Practical Outcomes in the Source
◈ Several prophetic reports and the actions of the Rightly-Guided Caliphs are cited as authority for the ruling to remove polytheists and certain People of the Book from the Arabian Peninsula (with historical instances of relocation/exile described).
◈ There exists juristic disagreement on the precise geographic extent (Ḥijāz specifically vs. the whole Peninsula) and on exceptions (trade access to the Haram, allowances outside the Sanctuary, etc.).
◈ The source favors a broad application of the command to the entire Peninsula, including Yemen, and treats Majūs akin to Ahl al-Kitāb with respect to this ruling.
