The Administration of the Sultanate of Dehli c9.87

c9.87

The slaves were an integral part of the royal household and played an important part in the administration of the country. The Abbasids were the first Muslim dynasty to employ large numbers of Turkish slaves; but, in perfecting this organization, they were training their own future masters. The tradition, however, persisted, and the Turkish rulers maintained this method of recruiting new blood to their own ranks; slaves became, in varying degrees, an integral part of the government machinery.⁶ The system had certain obvious advantages. Each slave had to struggle for promotion, and usually rose by sheer merit. He climbed from the lowest rungs of the ladder, thus gaining invaluable experience; the very buffets of fortune made him strong and hardy. Besides, there was a personal bond between the monarch and the slave which was sanctified by sentiment and custom; for slaves were treated kindly and were looked upon as members of the family. They were well provided for and even inherited their master's property. Slavery did not imply any disgrace; it was, on the other hand, a source of pride to belong to a great man's household. The master also took pride in the greatness of his slaves. When a courtier expressed concern at the fact that Muḥammad bin Sām had no sons, the sultan replied, "I have many sons in my Turkish slaves; they will inherit my lands and continue the *khuṭbah* in my name when I am dead and gone." The slaves were first given minor household offices, and if they showed promise, they were gradually promoted to higher posts according to their merit, no office in the state being considered too high for them. Their power, at times, proved dangerous to the unity and stability of the empire. Īltutmish and Balban had to deal with powerful slave nobles of previous reigns and Fīrūz Shāh's last days were clouded by the machinations of some of his slaves whose misdoings ultimately resulted in anarchy; yet monarchy had to rely on its slaves against the high-handedness of nobles. Some of ‘Alā-u’d-dīn Muḥammad Khaljī's success can be attributed to his possession of fifty thousand slaves who not only formed fighting squads of guards and soldiers but were also employed in every branch of the administration.²