Medieval Indian History

Arab and Turkish Invasions

Prophet Muhammad (570-632 A.D)

  • He is the founder of Islam.
  • He grew up in the deserts of Arabia.
  • His first converts were the Arabs.
  • Sind and Multan were conquered by the Arabs by 712 A.D.

Arab Invasion in India

Muhammad-bin-Qasim

  • Al-Hajjajj, the Governor of Iraq sent Muhammad-bin-Qasim to India
  • He Conquered Sind with the permission of Caliph Walid

Battle of Rewar

  • Fought between Muhammad-bin-Qasim and Dahir the ruler of Sind
  • Dahir was defeated. Sind and Multan was captured.
  • Muhammad-bin-Qasim called Multan as ‘The City of Gold’

Administrative System

  • Sind and Multan were divided into number of Iqtas or districts by Muhammad-bin-Qasim and Arab military officers headed the Iqtas.
  • The sub-divisions of the districts were administered by the local Hindu Officers.
  • Jizya was imposed on non-Muslims.

Muhammad bin Qasim’s Army

  • 25,000 troops with 6000 Camels, 6000 Syrian horses, 3000 Bactrian Camels and an artillery force with 2000 men, advanced guards, and five catapults.

End of Muhammad-bin-Qasim

  • Caliph Walid was succeeded by Caliph Sulaiman.
  • He was an enemy of Al-Hajjaj, the Governor of Iraq.
  • Muhammad-bin Qasim was the son-in-law of Al-Hajjaj, so he dismissed him and sent to Mesopotamia as a prisoner where he was tortured to death.
  • For more than 150 years, Sind and Multan continued to remain as the part of the Caliph’s Empire.

Effects of Arab Conquest

  • The subjugation of Sind made way for Islam into India.
  • The art of administration, astronomy, music, painting, medicine and architecture were learnt by Arabs from our land and they spread astronomy, Indian Philosophy, and numerals to Europe.