Cultural Dynamics of upper medieval India ( through the eyes of Ziauddin Barani)

Ziauddin Barani

 

Ziauddin Barani (1285–1357) was a Muslim Political thinker in later Delhi Sultanate Period, during Muhammad bin Tughlaq and Firuz Shah's reign. He was from western Uttar Pradesh, the present day area between Meerut and Bulandshahr. He wrote two famous books, first one 'Tarik-e-Firuz Sahi' and the other second one is 'Fatwa-i-Jahandari'. 

The first book told about the later part of the Mamulak Dynasty of Delhi Sultanate covering from the latter part of Balban reign to first few years of Firoz Shah Tuglaq. His second work showed the cultural dynamics of the Muslim in India particularly and in general with the Muslim Class System in South Asia. Some scholar think the work was inspired by the caste hierarchy of India. However, famous historian Athar Ali denied it to be racialist or even based on the Hindu Caste System at all. But this work was modelled based on aristocracy classification prevalent that time in Sassani Iran. The idea was based on the promotion of aristocracy based on birth which was full accordance with the main thrust of Islamic thought widely popular at that time. Even a similar situation had noted by Ibn Khaldun, note political theorist of the time of whom some people also regard the father of the structural study of society. 

All his work were written in Persian, the language that was part of the cultural milieu of intellectual and kingdom administration. He was very furious on seeing the nature of the cultural mixture of the Muslims. He considered that Muslim were superior to Hindus. And he was against to their intermingling with the Hindus and the other local people of India.

That thing later, Here I want to say about the cultural pattern of the post which is so important at least till the upper medieval part of India. The post called "amir-i- hajib" (Which means Lord of Chamberlin (in Hindi 'khasdar')) which literally means high ranking officer that deals with the personal things of the king. Balban who was initially Gujjar origin (that time a migrant tribe from central Asia) rather than Turk (which was aristocratic class: and generally all the member of highest position came from this class only) started from merely a water carrier but rose to the lord of Chamberlin and make this most highly crucial and never leave this post for other people than the lineage of himself. Balban was 'amir-i-hajib' before becoming the actual ruler of the Sultanate period. This administration post has become very important and it will reflect by the fact that before becoming ruler he was most powerful 'amir' in Delhi. This post means the ceremonial inspector and maintained all ceremony. Any petitioner, the person does not contact to sultan before the permission of 'amir-i-hazib' and his assistants.

The second example can be taken as 'Khan a Jahan' who was Hindu convert Muslim originally from native from somewhere across Yamuna river most probably near the Agra region and rose to the post of 'Sadar-e-wajahat' which are same as 'amir-i-hajib'. Khan a Jahan a Telinga (not to be confused with the Telangana origin. During those times, the term ‘tilanga’ was also used to local and black people) person Hindu Convert in Muslim who was sadar- wajahat and wazir and Firuz Tuglaq occasional on joke said that Khan Jahan virtually is the sultan of Delhi (Tarik-i-firuzshahi)

These two example of upper medieval and pre-Mughal period suggest there were enough pattern existed and dynamics were going on the social structure of the people of north India. One example could be also found in the famous Hindi novel of the same period ‘Hunuz Delhi Durast’ or ‘Kuhre me Yudh’ by Shivprasad Singh.