Muslim Slave System in Medieval India c11.5

c11.5

The attitude of what art thou that I am not prevailed not only among some individual nobles but among all nobles, foreigner and Indian, and at all times. Besides the Turks, who were in majority but belonged to many clans, there were Abyssinians, Afghans (of many clans and groups), Tajiks, Persians and Mongols.⁵ All these sections had vested interests as individuals and groups. All sections had among them seasoned veterans, hardened by lifes tough experience. As their names indicate, Malik Qabul Ulugh Khani, the Superintendent of the Grain Market (*Shahna-i-Mandi*) under Alauddin Khalji, Muhammad Bihamad Khami, the historian, Jahangir Quli Khan, the nobleman of Jahangir, and Murshid Quli Khan, the Subedar of Bengal were all slave-nobles. No wonder, intrigue and manoeuvering went on throughout, and tooth and claw, sword and poison, were freely used to destroy rivals.⁶