Customs dues, historical - Encyclopaedia of Islam, THREE
[Article]
Darling, Linda T.
Leiden
Brill
(751 words)
Customs dues or duties (Arabic maks , pl. mukūs > Aramaic maks ; Persian bāj, kurūj , or gumruk; Turkish gümrük > Latin commercio , Greek kommerkion ) in the premodern Islamic world were taxes or tolls on imports and exports paid at major ports and on caravan routes. These were customary taxes, not prescribed by Islamic law; purists therefore considered them illegal, but they were legitimated as alms (zakāt) or a tithe (ʿushr) , which were in accordance with Islamic law. Customs dues existed in pre-Islamic times and were not much different under Muslim