THE BLEND OF JUDICATURE AND EXECUTIVE During the reign of Abu Bakr (Rad.A) the Governor performed the dual functions of a judge and an executive officer, and it was only in later ages that the two functions were separated and the power of the Governors limited.
SECRETARIES AND GOVERNMENT OFFICIALS SERVING UNDER ABU BAKR (RAD.A) The following were the most prominent officers serving in the Government of Abu Bakr (Rad.A).
Abu Ubaydah bin al-Jarrah, who, at the beginning of Abu Bakr’s (Rad.A) reign was the Chancellor of the Exchequer; Umar (Rad.A) the chief Qazi; Zaid ibn Thabit (Rad.A), Ali (Rad.A) and Usman (Rad.A) who acted as secretaries of the Commonwealth and who conducted the Caliph’s correspondence and issued instructions to subordinate officers; and the Governors appointed over the territory over which they ruled. The State Revenues For Abu Bakr (Rad.A) the policy governing the collection
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and distribution of state revenues and taxation was ”tax the rich to feed the poor”.
The chief sources of state revenue were:
(1) Ushr, (tithes) and Zakat (Sadaqah or the poor tax) which was payable by all wealthy Muslims on property and possessions situated within the bounds of the Islamic Commonwealth.
(2) Kharaj (the land tax) payable from the produce of the land by non-Muslims in conquered territories.
(3) Jizya or the poll tax, payable by non-Muslims.
(4) The war booty or the Royal Fifth: Ghanimah and Fay.
(5) Miscellaneous, payable in kind by the subject races who were called upon to provide supplies of provisions such as wheat, oil, honey and fat, for the troops stationed in their territory.
