The relationship between the muslim authorities and prominent Christian personalities within their territories

Abstract

The prophet said that it anybody burdened any of the people or the book more than they could endure he would ben his opponent until the day of judgment.

-under the rightly guided caliphs the Christians had much freedom .this is shown by a letter attributed to ishu-yab III. The Nestorian catholics.

-The third caliph,Uthman favoured the Christians either because of the spcial skills or abilities which they possessed or through the imfluence of his Christian wife Na'ila.

-Under the early Umayyade,the christiansins the Isalamic umma had as much freedom as they had previously enjoyed under the best of their Christians governments because they restorted their churches and appointed many Christians to the government posts.

-From the reign of Abd al-Malik until the downfallof the Umayyad caliphate, the Christians'status deppnded on the attitude of individual governornors and  on relation ship of the caliphate with the Byzantine Empire.

-It would appear that generally speaking the caliph Umar II pursued a stronge anti-christian policy.this emerges from both Christians and some muslims sources