The Islamic Law of the Dhimma is conventionally viewed among Muslims as the proper legal
framework for the presence of non-Muslims within an Islamic Society. It provides the legal
rights and restrictions on the People of the Book primarily Jews and Christians living under
Islamic rule. Under this view the law can be traced to the lifetime of the prophet of Islam
Muhammad. This view though typical does not accord with the currently available
historicalevidence. the study of the history of Islamic Law is limited in the Western tradition
of learning. Among the scholars studying the discipline Ignaz Goldziher (1850-1921) 1 Joseph
Schact (1902- 1969) 2 Wael Hallaq (b. 1955) 3 Ahmad El-Shamsy (b. 1974) 4 and John Esposito (b.
1940) 5 are among the few to attempt a historical account. None of these scholars wrote on the
specifics ofthe creation of the Law of the Dhimma.
