The Arab administration in Sindh was like a military jagir, engaged only in collecting taxes by force. They had to take help of the local people in administration as their numbers were limited. Historians say that the Arab rule in Sindh introduced one novelty, in which Hindus were regarded as zimmis like Christians and Jews. As an Islamic state is meant only for the believers of Islam, all non-believers should either become Muslims or face death. An exception is made for Christians and Jews, who do not worship idols. They are allowed to live under the protection of an Islamic state provided they pay a religious tax called the jizya.
It would appear on conquering Sindh, Qasim was faced with the problem of an impossibly large number of Hindus who should (according to Islamic law) either be killed or be converted to Islam. As this was beyond his capabilities, he sought the permission of Hajjaj to regard them as similar to Jews and Christians and thereby allow them to stay alive after paying the jizya tax. Hajjaj agreed and thus an innovation in the history of Islam was introduced. It not only solved Qasim’s problem, but helped the Arab’s successors, the Turks, in allowing Hindus to live in an Islamic state after the payment of jizya. It should, however, be noted that the Arabs were after all much less fanatic than the Turks in matters of religion.
In the first flush of victory after Debal, Qasim behaved like a Muslim conqueror in an infidel country. Temples were destroyed, people were given the choice to convert to Islam-or to die and the women and treasures were appropriated. Gradually, however, a policy of toleration was adopted and the privileges of the Jews and the Christians (Zimmi) were granted to the Buddhists and the Hindus of Sindh. Hindu chiefs were given back their lands without forcing them to become Muslims. The new policy stated: “The temples shall be inviolate like the churches of the Christians, the synods of the Jews and the altars of the Magians-subject to Jizya and other taxes”. According to Chachnama, the people from Bramhanabad appealed to Hajjaj and he advised Qasim: “As they have made submission and have agreed to pay taxes to the Caliph, nothing more can be properly required of them. They have been taken under our protection and we cannot, in anyway, stretch our hands upon their lives or property. Permission is given to them to worship their gods. Nobody must be forbidden or prevented from following his own religion. They may live in their houses in whatever manner they like”. Upon the receipt of this, Qasim’s order to his subordinates was: “Deal honestly between the people and the Sultan, and if distribution is required, make it with equity, and fix the revenue according to the ability to pay. Be in concord amongst yourselves and oppose not each other, so that the country may not be distressed”.
Be that as it may, the Arabs got a lot of wealth from Sindh, carrying away maunds of gold. People who did not become Muslims were taxed very heavily. The yield from Sindh and Multan was reported to be one-and-a-half crores of dirhams. The jizya tax also produced a high revenue income. Depending on the social status as also the ability of the person (women and children excluded) to pay, it was fixed at three slabs of 48, 24 and 17 dirhams. The land tax was charged according to produce and was called khiraj. It was two-fifths for the lands irrigated by public canals and one-fourth for the rest. For gardens and orchards producing dates and such, the state took away one-third. For fish, wine and pearls, the state’s share was one-fifth, and there was the provision for increasing taxes in the event of a necessity. Elliot said: “With the progress of luxury, the wants of people and its servants increased, and the zeal diminished; so that it became requisite to employ more and more people and to give them higher pay. Consequently, the taxes were gradually increased till the proprietors and the working classes were unable to pay them, which led to continual changes in the government.”
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For administrative purposes, the Arabs divided Sindh into a number of districts called iqtas and put each such iqta under the charge of a military officer. The officers were quite independent with regard to the administration but were required to provide military service to the governor. Land was given to soldiers as jagirs and to Muslim scholars and saints as endowments. Owing to soldiers holding jagirs, a large number of military cantonments were established in places like Mansura, Mahfuza and Multan. The people of Sindh were left to manage their own affairs.
Things were not very organised, the people were treated rather arbitrarily. There was no regular law nor any regular court. The Arab chiefs were allowed to dispense justice to their dependants and had the power to impose even capital punishment. A qazi was there in the capital and the districts also had qazis, who decided cases according to the Islamic law. For the Hindus, the law was severe. If a Hindu committed theft, he was burnt to death, sometimes along with his family members. However, the Hindus were allowed to decide matters like marriage, inheritance, etc., in their panchayats.