History of the Khaljis, A.D. 1290–1320 c14.51

c14.51

The Qāzīs were treated with great respect and consideration, and they could punish even the most powerful officers of the empire. Baranī lays great emphasis on the purity of character as an indispensable qualification for a judge. Not only learning but fear of God and abstinence from all evil things were essential qualities in a Qāzī.²⁵ Sultan 'Alāuddīn was very particular about seeing his high judicial officers behave well even in their private life. He did not hesitate to sentence to death a Qāzī who had taken to drinking.²⁶ The police and intelligence service were so efficient that offending judicial officials could not escape punishment. It may be noted in this connection that in spite of the great respect in which the Qazīs were held, theologians in general did not wield too much power. They were allowed to decide judicial cases only and arbitrate purely on religious matters, while the real power in all other matters was vested in the sultan. The Qāzīs themselves did not maintain a very high standard of character and efficiency. Amīr Khusrau and Ziyāuddīn Baranī, both have to say much against them. In *Matla-i-Anwār* Khusrau observes that the Qāzīs were quite ignorant of the principles of law, while Ziyāuddīn, repentent in his old age, confesses that theologians, a class to which he himself belonged, used to stretch the meaning of the Quranic texts to carry out the wishes of the sultans.²⁷ Even so, the testimony of Maulana Shamsuddīn Turk, a theologian who hailed from Egypt, seems to be too harsh an indictment on the theologians of the day. The Maulana learnt that "illfated wiseacres of black faces" sat in mosques with abominable law books and made money by cheating both the accuser and the accused, and the Qāzīs of the capital did not bring all these facts to the notice of the king."²⁸ It appears that the Maulana wrote all this to 'Alāūddīn only to cast aspersions on the character of Qāzī Humīduddīn of Multan to whom he was deadly opposed and about whom Barani also holds a very low opinion.²⁹ But as the Sultan was not negligent in administering justice to people, it is obvious that the judiciary was in a fairly good condition.