The Administration of the Sultanate of Dehli c10.119

c10.119

Under the caliph a'r-Rāḍī, the wazīr was supplanted by the amīr-u'l-umarā. This change upset the legal theories, though the jurists could say with some justification that the chief noble now enjoyed the authority of the wazīr-u't-tafwīḍ.³ The office soon found a place in the hierarchy of Muslim states. In the Sultanate of Dehlī, a noble was generally selected to be the nā'ib-u'l-mulk or lord lieutenant of the realm, but his authority varied according to the character of the monarch. Sometimes it was an empty title; at other times it invested the holder with practically absolute authority.⁴ He was the head of the military organization and was entrusted with the government of the centrally administered areas.¹ A noble was selected to act as *nā'ib-i-ghaibat* during the absence of the sultan.² This official was the representative of the sovereign at the capital and dealt with all emergent and routine business. Powerful though these two deputies were, they were not ministers in the strict sense of the word; yet, except for the *wazīrs* with unlimited powers, no minister enjoyed so much authority. The ordinary ministers were only strong as heads of departments.