Life and Conditions of the People of Hindustan (1200–1550 A.D.) c5.s1.64.1

c5.s1.64.1

and true successors of the old Persian emperors. Religion and spiritual acquirements were more or less out of place in the new atmosphere.¹ On the other hand the demands of the flesh and the devil began to be cultivated with a fervour and enthusiasm worthy of a better cause.² When the Muslims established themselves in Hindustan, the rich plains and the resources of the country opened up greater opportunities of indulgence than were at the command of the Ghaznawid monarchs in their mountainous country, or elsewhere in the Muslim world. When the Muslim State developed, it incorporated many non-Islamic features apart from the powers and the nature of monarchy. For instance, the Sultanate was based purely on force ; tyranny was essential for its working ; the State treasury was the personal property of the Sultan ; extravagant and wasteful expenditure was the rule ; an indiscriminate shedding of blood irrespective of the distinction of Muslim and non-Muslim was dictated by the policy of the State.³ Even considerations of kinship had no place in the theory of monarchy ;