The Foundation of Muslim Rule in India: A History of the Establishment and Progress of the Turkish Sultanate of Delhi, 1206–1290 A.D. c14.12

c14.12

Next to the Sultan, the chief executive office belonged to the *wazir*. Primarily he was one of the four departmental heads, the "four pillars of state;" but his rank was a little above the others, for he was the chief minister. The officer, who usually was styled the *Nizamul Mulk*, *Muayyidul Mulk*, *Sadrul Mulk*, or *Ainul Mulk*, was recruited from the writer class (*ahl-i-qalam*) as distinct from the fighters (*ahl-i-saif*)². Over other ministers he exercised a general supervisory authority; that he was in a position to override other departmental heads seems to be implied by the *wazir* Muhazzabuddin taking all power out of the hands of the Turks. Normally, every single act of the *wazir* was to have the Sultan's prior sanction. He does not appear to have had any judicial functions, but as the chief minister, his supervisory jurisdiction would include the organization and command of the army¹; as the finance minister he controlled the military pay office. He even occasionally commanded troops in battle². As the Sultan's chief counsellor, he had access to him at all times. Probably he received a fixed salary for there is no mention of any assignment of revenue in his case; Muhazzabuddin is reported to have appripriated the *iqta* of Kol to him self, but this was considered unauthorised as was also his assumption of two of the royal prerogatives, the *naubat* and the elephant³. Qalqashandi and also Shahabuddin Abbas, referring to the time of Muhammad b. Tughluq, however, speak of official appanages—'a province as large as Iraq'—being enjoyed by the *wazir*, whose assistants and clerks also are said to have held towns and villages, besides pay, "the worst paid among them receiving 10,000 *tankah* per year"⁴. Besides the improbability of this being the case in the 13th century, some exaggeration must be attributed to this account. The *wazir* was assisted by a *naib* who was usually promoted to the higher office⁵.