The Administration of the Sultanate of Dehli c13.123

c13.123

The patronage of colleges and schools was in the hands of the ṣadr-u’ṣ-ṣudūr, but he had no *Shaikh-u’l-Islām*. influence over the poets and musicians. Such men, if they happened to be attached to the court, were directly under the control of the royal household. A large number of artists were employed in the establishments of the nobles and provincial governors. The large number of ṣūfīs and faqīrs under the patronage of the state were under a *shaikh-u’l-Islām*.¹ In certain Muslim states he was responsible for the entire activities of the department of religious affairs; but in the sultanate of Dehli he enjoyed no such authority.² Probably it was on his recommendation that the state gave stipends to deserving ṣūfīs and faqīrs. Some shaikhs showed great independence and were not afraid of criticising the sultans; an outstanding example is the saint Niẓām-u’d-dīn whose sturdy independence is suspected by some modern writers who wrongly accuse him of participation in political intrigue.³ Shaikh Quṭb-u’d-dīn openly upbraided Fīrūz Shāh for drinking.⁴ This monarch held the *shaikh-u’l-Islām* in great respect; he was excused from attending the court and whenever he paid a visit to the sultan he was received with great humility.⁵ The *shaikh-u’l-Islām* enjoyed the same salary as the chief ṣadr under Muḥammad bin Tughluq, a stipend of sixty thousand tankahs.⁶ Some sultans bestowed large endowments for the upkeep of hospices and of the tombs of saints and kings; probably the administration of these institutions ultimately rested in the hands of the shaikh-u'l-Islām, because, in many cases, darwishes were included among the beneficiaries.¹ The shaikh-u'l-Islām was under the ṣadr-u'ṣ-ṣudūr.²