Mahmood
of Ghazni
 |
| Mahmood of Ghazni |
Mahmood
ascended the throne of Ghazni on the death of his father but after a brief war
of succession with his brother Ismail who was defeated and imprisoned for the
rest of his life. This was an evil augury for one who was to be the first
Muslim king of Hindustan, but it was too common a feature in the history of
Islam to attract attention. Mahmood, born on 1st November A.D. 971,
was twenty seven years of age when he became Sultan in A.D. 998. Already he had
been governor of Khurasan for four years since its acquisition in A.D. 994.
Scholars
have expressed different opinions regarding the works and personality of
Mahmood Gaznavi. Some historians have regarded him a great victor, efficient
commander, farsighted general, worthy ruler and able politician. He was also a
lover of arts. Landpoole has written about him, “Mahmood was not crude.
He seldom indulged in wanton slaughter, and when a treaty of peace had been
concluded, the Raja and his friends were set free.” S.M. Jaffar observes,
“He was an ideal soldier.”
As
a Man –
Mahmood did not possess an attractive personality. He was not a man of good
height but had broad shoulders and robust health. He was conscious of his
ugliness as he had marks of smallpox on his face. Once he said to one of his
officers, “The sight of a king should brighten the eyes of the beholder
but Nature has been so unkind to me that my appearance is positively
forbidding.” But he was a very bold man full of zest and courage. He
invaded India again and again and attained victories.
He was a
religious-minded person and had profound faith in Islam. Though scholars have
depicted him as a cruel and callous ruler
on account of his barbarous acts in India, yet in fact he was not so.
Mahmood
was a greedy person and his greed for gold motivated him to invade India a
number of times. Owing to his excessive greed Havell has remarked, “He
would have sacked Baghdad with as little compunction as he plundered Somnath,
if the undertaking had seemed as profitable and as easy, for he did not
hesitate to threaten the Khalifa with death when the latter refused to give him
Samarkand.”
As
a General
:- Mahmood was a brave and courageous soldier. He was a worthy general too. He
successfully invaded Central Asia and India and was seldom defeated. Landpoole
has remarked, “He was a great soldier, a man of infinite courage and
indefatigable energy of mind and body.”
People of
different castes and creeds were recruited in his army but he exercised
effective control over them due to his fine qualities of a successful
commander. He never lost temper even in adverse circumstances and attained
victories by dint of his courage.
As
a great Empire Builder :- Mahmood waged various wars and extended his territory
quite far from Ghazni. Famous historian Gibbon has counted him among the great
emperors of the world. his empire can be compared with that of Alexander and
Napoleon the Great. Besides being a victor, he was a great empire builder. Sir
wolseley Haig has remarked about his success, “Mahmood is one of the most
prominent figures in the history of Islam. During the reign of thirty-two
years, he extended his empire over the whole of the country now known as
Afghanistan, the greater part of Persia and Transoxiana and the Punjab.”
As
a lover of Justice :- Mahmood was a lover of justice. He was quite stern in
doing justice and adopted a complete impartial attitude at the time of
dispensing justice. He was impartial even against his own kith and kin and
awarded severe punishments to them in case they were found guilty. He got the
head of his nephew chopped of for having illicit relations with a lady. But his
attitude towards Hindus was quite narrow and he did not dispense impartial
justice to them.
As
a Patron of Arts and Literature :- Mahmood Ghaznavi was fond of Arts and Literature
and he awarded liberal patronage to all artisans and men of letters. Various
scholars of Central Asia adorned his court. He was very fond of listening to
poetry and often saved time to satisfy his thirst for it even during wars.
Scholars like Al Beruni, Firdausi, Ansari and Farrukhi were the precious gems
of his court.
Besides
the virtues mentioned above, there were several shortcomings in the character
of Mahmood Ghaznavi. He was not a worthy administrator. The empire founded by
him lasted only up to his life time. The greatest weakness of his character was
that he was a fanatic. He was a staunch follower of Sunni religion and he
oppressed the infidels as well as non-Sunni Muslims. Besides plunder, his aim
was to convert the people to the fold of Islam. He inflicted severe punishments
on those who did not embrace Islam and burnt down several villages and colonies
and destroyed specimens of arts for this purpose.
Professor
Muhmood Habid has also condemned him in these words, “No honest historian
should seek to hide and Musalmans acquainted with his faith will try to justify
the wanton destruction of temples that followed in the wake of Ghaznavide army
…….the preachings of Quran were misinterpreted.”
Historians
hold different opinions regarding the effects of the invasions of Mahmood on
India. Some are so the opinion that he invaded India like a storm and destroyed
whatever came in his contact but after the storm has passed, the things were
set right. The ruined temples and destroyed idols of the gods and goddesses were
rebuilt and soon people forgot about Mahmood and his invasion.
At last
to sum up, we may say that Mahmood Ghaznavi was a man of double-faced
personality. He was brave, just and an efficient Commander but at the same time
he was a plunderer, a fanatic and a greedy fellow. S. R. Sharma has written, “The
ruthless despoiler of temples in India was also the paragon of cultured
monarchs among his own people at home.” Really, he was destroyer and
builder at the same time.
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