The Legacy of Muslim Rule in India c11.s6.11

c11.s6.11

The above study points to some hard facts about enslavement of Hindus under Muslim rule. It is not pertinent here to make a detailed study of the Muslim slave system which was an institution as peculiar as it was unique. Examples of men like Iltutmish and Balban are cited to show how well the slaves fared in the Islamic state and society, how well they were brought up and how easily they could rise to the highest positions in life. Iltutmish received nourishment like a son in the house of his master.¹²⁷ Firoz Tughlaq and his nobles too treated their slaves in a similar fashion.¹²⁸ But it is the captured and enslaved victims who felt the pinch of slavery. Here only their sufferings may be briefly recapitulated under three separate sections-the fate of men, of women and of children. Of the men captives, the Muslim regime did not have much use. Male prisoners were usually put to the sword, especially the old, the overbearing and those bearing arms, as had happened during Muhammad bin Qasims invasion, Ghauris attack on Banaras, Balbans expedition to Katehar, Timurs campaign in Hindustan or Akbars massacre at Chittor.¹²⁹