Society during Delhi Sultanate
The foreign Muslims, viz. the Turks
and the Afghans, ruled over India throughout the reign of Delhi Sultanate. They
were also supported by the Persians, Arabians, Abyssinians and Egyptians in
performing their duties and running the administration of the empire
efficiently. The Turks were not only the leaders of these foreign Muslims but
they also safeguarded the interests of the other foreign Muslims. They did not
permit the Indian Muslims to take part in the process of administration and
deprived them of royal services. From Qutbuddin to Kaiqubad, all the ruler of
the slave dynasty endeavored to maintain the supremacy of the Turks. Balban
hated the low-born and declared that his veins began to agitate when he beheld
a low-born person. He did not allow any non-Turk to enter the royal services.
With the passage of time Muslims migrated from Central Asia during the last
decades of the thirteenth century and thus an amalgamation of castes occurred
amongst Muslims also. It marred the purity of Turks of which they were very
proud. With the establishment of Khalji Empire the principle of supremacy of
Turks disappeared and the power slipped in the hands of Khaljis. The change of
leadership came to be known as Khalji revolution. The nobles and Amirs of the
Sultanate period worked jointly only against Hindus during war times, otherwise
they always remained rivals of one another and concentrated on their selfish
interests. Their mutual jealousies and conflict harmed the interests of the
Sultanate. Thus the division among foreign Muslims with the amalgamation of
different castes broke the superiority of foreign Muslims who believed in the
purity of blood.
Indian Muslims
In the beginning the number of Indian
Muslims was quite low as the conversions from Hinduism to Islam were quite on
the lower side but with the establishment of Turkish rule in India, the number
of converted Muslims began to increase. Most of the Hindus of low castes
embraced Islam. Foreign Muslims hated Indian Muslims and did not permit them to
take part in the social activities of foreign Muslims nor included them in the
category of the victors. Only Imad-ul-Mulk was an exception during the
sultanate period who was appointed on a high post among Indian Muslims and even
in his case, it could be possible because he did not disclose his parentage.
When this fact came to the knowledge of Sultan Balban, his regard for
Imad-ul-Mulk vanished. Once he rebuked his courtiers for they once selected an
Indian Muslim for the post of clerk in Amroha district.
Iltutmish also hated Indian Muslims.
During his reign Imad-ud-din Raihan was the only Indian Muslim who got a high
post through he also had to meet his downfall very soon. The condition of
Indian Muslims remained quite deplorable for a long time. They had no
participation in the administration of the Sultanate nor were they included in
the royal administrative class.
Muslim Society and its Chief Classes
Muslim society was divided into two
categories – the men of sword and the men of pen. The first category consisted
of soldiers and most of them were the sons of foreign Muslims. Soldiers were
graded into Khan, Malik, Amir, Sipahsalar and Sar-i-Khail. In the gradation the
place of khan was supreme and Sar-i-Khail held the lowest position. But this
categorization was limited on paper only and its significance had ended in the
14th and 15th centuries. Among men of pen non-Turk
foreigners or their descendants were prominent. Among them the place of Ulema
was most significant. They were appointed Maulavis, Teachers and Qazis. They
had great influence over government and the Muslim populace.
The lowest cadre consisted of
artisans, shopkeepers, clerks and petty businessmen. Normally, Muslims lived in
towns, they did not prefer villages. Slaves can also be included in the lowest
category and they were in great numbers during the Delhi Sultanate. Every
person, high or low had some slaves according to his economic resources and
social status. Slaves were either kept for household jobs or employed in
factories.
Among them who earned their
livelihood through pen, the place of Ulema was at the top. They had great
influence in Muslim society, politics administration and religion. They were
well-versed in Muslim theology and fiq, so they held high posts in religions
and justice department.
Sufi saint also had an honorable
place in the Muslim society but they led a very detached life and lived in
Khanqahs outside the bounds of the city. They had great influence on the people
because of their holy living and high thinking.
Condition of Hindus
The majority of people in India were
Hindus. Before the advent of the Turks, Hindus were the master of India and
they were owners of most of the land during the Sultanate period. Some of them
were rich and prosperous nobles. They had control over revenue and finance
departments. The revenue collectors – Khuts, Muqaddams and Multani merchants
were famous moneylenders in India. A large number of Hindus carried on
agriculture. Brahmans were most devoted to learning and religious pursuits.
The Turks ruled over India for three
centuries. During this period the process of conquest and suppression
continued. Hence, a great number of Hindus were either killed or enslaved.
During the invasion of Timur on Delhi, about one lakh Hindu captives were
slaughtered by him. Hindus were deprived of employment in the military and
civil services of the Sultanate. As a result of these oppression the Hindu
subjects had to suffer a lot. The disdainful behavior of the Muslims offended
them very much.
The Hindus society was based on caste
system and the Turkish regime forced the Hindus to make their casteism all the
more rigid. As Turks were found of getting beautiful Hindu girls, hence the
system of child marriage and Pardah system emerged I Hindu society. Widow
re-marriage was prohibited in all families except among some low castes. Female
education was prevented only in some high families. Otherwise it was
non-existent, but the boys used to get early education in the schools.
Hindus were very much devoted to
their religion. No doubt, some of them were enlightened enough and reposed
their faith in the theory of oneness of God but most of them believed in Idol
worship. People were given to superstitions and had faith in astrology, magic
and totems. People had high moral principles and repayment of debt was
considered a pious responsibility and in case It was not paid by the father, it
was supposed to be the duty of son or grandson to clear the debt.
In all, the Turkish rule over India
was painful for the Hindus and whenever any natural calamity fell on the
people, they often carried out in agony that they were being oppressed by ‘God
and the Turks” simultaneously. Comparing the Muslim rule with the British rule,
Dr. A.L. Srivastava has remarked, “The British rule was bad because it
exploited the people economically, the Turkish rule was worse as it made
unbecoming inroads into the people’s religion and honour.”
Economic Condition
India was famous for its riches during
the medieval period. The greed for gold tempted Mahmood Ghaznavi to make an
invasion over India and he plundered the wealth stored in the places of the
Hindu king and in the temples. As Mahmood got a lot of booty during his
invasion, the estimate of the Muslims was confirmed that India was a ‘Bird of
Gold’. The early Muslim invaders failed to collect the entire wealth of Indian
or could they destroy the economic prosperity altogether. They spent the amount
lavishly on the maintenance of their armies, on invasions, in crushing the
rebellions and in leading a life full of comforts and luxuries. They also built
palatial buildings, but even then Timur could gather enormous wealth during his
one invasion and that too from only one corner of India. Hence, it is quite
evident that the economic condition of our country was quite sound and wealth
was flowing.
Agriculture was the most important
source of income in our country. Besides agriculture, trade and industry were
also a source of income in our country. There were several industries in the
villages and towns of India during this time and prior to the advent of
Muslims. The Turkish rulers did not pay
much attention to the economic prosperity of the people.
Amir Khusrau has aptly remarked,
“Every pearl in the royal crown is but the crystallized drop of blood fallen
from the tearful eyes if the poor peasants.”
Undoubtedly, India was rich and
prosperous and there was a great abundance of all necessities of life but the
chief defect was that they were not equally distributed and a greater portion
thereof was plundered by the foreign invaders. However, the economic life of
the people was satisfactory. This fact is also supported by the foreign
visitors of India, such as, Marco Polo, Ibn Batuta and the Chinese travelers in
A.D. 1288, 1334 and 1342 respectively.
Hi. I’m Designer of Blog Magic. I’m CEO/Founder of ThemeXpose. I’m Creative Art Director, Web Designer, UI/UX Designer, Interaction Designer, Industrial Designer, Web Developer, Business Enthusiast, StartUp Enthusiast, Speaker, Writer and Photographer. Inspired to make things looks better.
0 टिप्पणियाँ:
एक टिप्पणी भेजें
THANKS FOR YOUR COMMENTS
टिप्पणी: केवल इस ब्लॉग का सदस्य टिप्पणी भेज सकता है.