or Ḥabs (a.) is properly an Arabic maṣdar meaning “to prevent, restrain”. In Muslim legal terminology it means primarily “to protect a thing, to prevent it from becoming the property of a third person (tamlīk)” (Sarak̲h̲sī. Mabsūṭ, xii. 27). By it is meant I. state land, which on being conquered passed to the Muslim community either by force or by treaty and remained in possession of the previous owners on payment of the k̲h̲arād̲j̲ and could neither be sold nor pledged by the…