The Sultanate of Delhi, 711–1526 A.D. c9.s2.7

c9.s2.7

During al-Hajjaj's governorship of Iraq (696-713 A.D.) *Ubaidullah*, who was sent to Seistan, advanced to a mountainous path in the neighbourhood of Kabul, but his passage was blocked by the Hindus of the land, and he had to retreat, leaving his three sons as hostages in the hands of the king of Kabul. This humiliating treaty caused a split among the Arabs and one of their commanders, named Shuraih, renewed the war. But he was badly defeated and killed and his troops had to beat a retreat to Bust, many perishing of thirst and hunger. Ubaidullah died of grief. To wipe off this disgrace a very powerful force was raised and a special war-cess was levied from Basra and Kufa to equip it. In 699 A.D. it was despatched under Abdur Rahman to take the field against the king of Kabul. But even Abdur Rahman failed to conquer the Hindu kingdom, and the fiery Hajjaj was now obliged to make peace with the king of Kabul, agreeing not to make war for seven (according to another authority, for nine) years on the condition of being paid a tribute of nine lakhs of dirhams in kind. An unsuccessful attempt was made in 710 A.D. to compel the king of Kabul by force of arms to pay the subsidy in coined money. On Hajjaj's death in 714 A.D. the Hindu king refused to pay the tribute. During the reign of Caliph Sulaiman (715-717 A.D.) the ruler of Kabul paid no tribute whatever. The Abbasids who replaced the Umayyaid dynasty 749 A.D. tried to revive the glory of the Caliphate and to conquer Kabul and Zabul. Caliph al-Mansur (754-775 A.D.), the second ruler of this dynasty, conquered Kandhar and made a serious attempt to realise the tribute from Zabul, but although the Arabs recovered control over ar-Rakhkhaj, they failed to establish their firm hold even on Seistan.¹¹ The Arabs continued making attempts periodically to subdue Kabul and Zabul and to compel their rulers to pay them tribute, but these attempts did not achieve any great measure of success. Thus the Hindus of Afghanistan defied the arms of the mighty Caliphate for two hundred and twenty years and retained their practical independence inspite of the repeated onslaughts of the conquerors of the world.