The Foundation of Muslim Rule in India: A History of the Establishment and Progress of the Turkish Sultanate of Delhi, 1206–1290 A.D. c19.14

c19.14

The third element, *awam o khkalq*, is less easy to distinguish. As the Muslim society was mainly urban at this period it must have included all the indeterminate city crowd, the artisan, the shop keeper, the clerk and the petty-trader. The big merchants, since they are never mentioned separately, would also have to be grouped with this class, but wealthy, much travelled and accomplished merchants, *tajir* and *malikut-tujjar*, the found it easy to be admitted to the nobility. An important section was formed by the slaves owned by the king and the nobility, who, before promotion to *imarat*, were employed in various domestic and technical jobs. They contributed the largest quota to the staff of the different *karkanahs* and the city’s craftsmen included not a few of them. A town’s population would also include non-Muslims; although direct evidence is lacking it will not be far from truth to consider them as contributing the largest number to the city’s trading community. In point of fact the influence born of wealth which the Hindu bankers and traders enjoyed would entitle them even to a position of aristocracy; indeed, Barani complains that they even out did the Muslims in pomp and material comforts¹.