History of the Khaljis, A.D. 1290–1320 c1.s1.27

c1.s1.27

Neither inheritance, nor election, nor even intrigue had secured the throne to Jalaluddin. It was by a *coup de main* that the throne had passed from the Ilbārīs to the Khaljīs, and it was through sheer force that they maintained it. Neither the support of the people, nor of the nobility, nor even of the clergy was sought. Whatever the Khaljīs did or undid for the country, they at least showed to the Muslim world that the state could not only exist but vigorously function without any religious support,—an unprecedented phenomenon indeed.