Pakistan is a paradigm example of a failed state that has undergone an extremely dangerous form of radical Islamisation.
Slave Kings
The success of slaves such as these has made many scholars praise the
medieval Muslim slave system as being marvellous, asserting that it provided
unlimited scope for rise so much so that a slave could even become a king. This
is not a correct assessment. Slaves were not captured to be made kings; they
were not purchased to be made kings. They were abducted, captured, or purchased
to serve as domestics, guards, troopers etc. They were sold to make money.
‘Slave’ and ‘king’ are contradictory terms. If a few slaves could become kings,
it was not because the system provided them with such opportunities but mainly
because of their ability to indulge in unscupulous manipulations, muster armed
band of followers, and strike for the throne at an appropriate moment. The Delhi
Sultanate ruled by the kings after Muhammad of Gaur upto 1296 has been called
the "Slave Dynasty" as many rulers were former slaves. But having freed
themselves to rule independently, this term is historically incorrect.
The Reign of Qutub-ud-din (Qutbuddin Aibak / Qutabuddin Aibak)
Qutbuddin Aibak, who rose to be the first slave-sultan of Hindustan, was
purchased, early in life, by Fakhruddin, the chief Qazi of Nishapur who appears
to have been a great slave trader. Through his favours and along with his sons,
Aibak received training in reciting the Quran and practising archery and
horsemanship. Expenditure on such instructions used to be regarded as an
investment by slave merchants: a trained slave fetched a better price in the
market. After the Qazi’s death his sons sold Aibak to a merchant who took him to
Ghazni and sold him to Sultan Muizzuddin. Though ugly in external appearance,
Aibak’s training had endowed him with “laudable qualities and admirable
impressions”. He cultivated his compatriots by being most liberal with the
“Turkish guards, the slaves of the household.” Thereby he won their affection
and support. Merit raised him to the position of Amir Akhur (Master of the Horse
Stables). He was deputed to campaign in India extensively, a task he
accomplished with determination and success. In course of time, loyalty and
signal services to Sultan Muizzuddin secured him the post of vice-regent in
Hindustan. In accordance with Muizzuddin’s desire, Tajuddin Yaldoz, another
slave of the Sultan, married his daughter to Aibak. Aibak extended Muslim
dominions in India by undertaking expeditions on behalf of his master. The
Sultan seems to have desired that Aibak should succeed him in Hindustan, and
after the death of the Sultan, he ascended the throne of Hindustan at Lahore in
1206 and ruled up to 1210.
Qutbuddin, had however, commenced his architectural career even before he
chose to become the sultan. The mosque was essential to the Islamic emphasis on
cong regational prayer, while the burial of the dead, as opposed to cremation,
introduced the tomb to India.
The earliest of these Islamic structures are to be seen in the Qutub complex
and the incorporation of many Hindu elements is due to the ready availability of
building material and the use of local craftsmen. Qutbuddin raised the
Quwwat-ul-Islam (might of Islam) mosque, which is the earliest extant mosque in
India. Within its spacious courtyard he retained the 4th century Iron Pillar,
probably the standard of an ancient Vishnu temple. The pillar has puzzled
scientists, as its iron has not rusted in all these centuries.
| AD 1206 - 1290 |
| 1206 - 1210 |
Qutbuddin Aibak |
| 1210 - 1211 |
Âram Shah |
| 1211 - 1236 |
Iltutmish Shams ad Din |
| 1236 |
Fîruz Shah I |
| 1236 - 1240 |
Radiyya Begum (Razia Begum) |
| 1240 - 1242 |
Bahram Shah |
| 1242 - 1246 |
Masud Shah |
| 1246 - 1266 |
Mahmud Shah I |
| 1266 - 1287 |
Balban Ulugh Khan |
| 1287 - 1290 |
Kay Qubadh |
| 1290 |
Kayumarth |
Foundation of the Qutab Minar
The great monument of Qutab Minar got completed by the Sultan in 1231-1232
AD. However the work on Minar was started by Qutabuddin in 1199, celebrating the
advent of Muslim dominance in Delhi. To Qutabuddin, the tower marked the eastern
extremity of the Islamic faith, casting the shadow of God over east and west.
