The Sultanate of Delhi, 711–1526 A.D. c14.s2: Causes of Muhammad's invasions

c14.s2.1

Muhammad of Ghur, ruler of Ghazni, was an ambitious and enterprising prince. He looked upon himself as the heir to the Panjab which had belonged to the empire of Ghazni. A quarrel between his house and that of Ghazni must have prompted him to invade the Panjab, then under a prince of the house of Mahmud, named Khusrav Shah or Khusrav Malik. Moreover, it was necessary to obtain possession of the Panjab in order to fight successfully his chief enemy, the ruler of Khwarizm, with whom, too, the Ghurides had a long-standing conflict. It was not only desirable but necessary to eliminate the enemy in the rear, that is, the Ghaznavide ruler of Lahore and the Karmathians of Multan. That was an age of military glory, and Muhammad of Ghur was fired with the love of conquest and power. Like all able and ambitious men, he wanted to establish a big empire and to acquire wealth and prestige. He was also a pious Muslim and, as such, he considered it to be his duty to bring the message of Muhammad to the Hindus of India and to put an end to idolatry. It must, however, be mentioned that Muhammad of Ghur was more political than religious. His primary aim, therefore, was conquest and not the propagation of Islam, though that was desirable and was to follow as a matter of course.