The Legacy of Muslim Rule in India c7.s2.7

c7.s2.7

The sack of Somnath in particular came to be considered a specially pious exploit because of its analogy with the destruction of idol of Al Manat in Arabia by the Prophet. This explains the idolization of Mahmud by Nizam-ul-Mulk Tusi,⁴⁰ and the ideal treatment he has received from early Sufi poets like Sanai and Attar, not to mention such collectors of anecdotes as Awfi.⁴¹ It is indeed noticeable that after the Somnath expedition (417H./ 1026 C.E.), a deed which had fired the imagination of the Islamic world, Caliph al-Qadir Billah himself celebrated the victory with great eclat. He sent Mahmud a very complimentary letter giving him the title of Kahf-ud-daula wa al-Islam, and formally recognizing him as the ruler of Hindustan.⁴² It is also significant that Mahmud for the first time issued his coins from Lahore only after his second commendation from the Caliph.