Ziauddin Barani

Ziauddin Barani (1285 - 1357) was an Muslim historian and political thinker who lived in India during Muhammad bin Tughlaq and Firuz Shah's reign. He was best known for composing the "Tarikh-i-Firuz Shahi", a major historical work on medieval India, which covers the period from the reign of Ghiyas ud din Balban to the first six years of reign of Firuz Shah Tughluq and the "Fatwa-i-Jahandari" which details the Muslim Caste System in South Asia.

Life

He was born in aristocratic Muslim family in 1285 in which his father, uncle, and grandfather all working in high government posts under the Sultan of Delhi. His maternal grandfather Husam-ud-Din, was an important officer of Ghiyas ud din Balban and his father Muwayyid-ul-Mulk held the post of "naib" of Arkali Khan, the son of Jalaluddin Firuz Khalji. His uncle Qazi Ala-ul-Mulk was the "Kotwal" (police chief) of Delhi during the reign of Ala-ud-Din KhaljiMahajan, V.D. (1991, reprint 2007). "History of Medieval India", Part I, New Delhi: S. Chand, ISBN 81-219-0364-5, pp.174-6] . Barani never held a post, but was a "nadim" (companion) of Muhammad bin Tughlaq for seventeen years. During this period he was very close to Amir Khusro. After Tughlaq was deposed, he fell out of favor. In "Exile" he wrote two pieces dealing with government, religion, and history, which he hoped would endear him to the new sultan, Firuz Shah Tughluq. He was not rewarded for his works and died poor in 1357. Basham p.458]

Works

Fatwa-i-Jahandari

The "Fatwa-i-Jahandari" is a work containing the political ideals to be pursued by a Muslim ruler in order to earn religious merit and the gratitude of his subjectsMahajan, V.D. (1991, reprint 2007). "History of Medieval India", Part I, New Delhi: S. Chand, ISBN 81-219-0364-5, pp.174-6] .

His fatwa would condone segregation of the Muslim "ashraf" upper castes and "ajlaf" low castes, in addition to the "azral" undercastes or the Dalit Muslims who are regarded as "ritually polluted" by the ashraf. [http://www.anti-caste.org/muslim_question/caste/bhatty_article.html Social Stratification Among Muslims in India] by Zarina Bhatty] cite book| last = Aggarwal | first = Patrap | authorlink = Patrap C. Aggarwal | title = Caste and Social Stratification Among Muslims in India | publisher = Manohar
date = 1978 ] cite book | last = Ambedkar | first = Bhimrao | authorlink = B.R. Ambedkar | title = Pakistan or the Partition of India | publisher = Thackers Publishers ] [http://www.columbia.edu/itc/mealac/pritchett/00ambedkar/ambedkar_partition/410.html Web resource for "Pakistan or the Partition of India"] ]

The work delves into aspects of religion and government and the meeting of those two, as well as political philosophy. He notes:

Tarikh-i-Firuz Shahi

The "Tarikh-i-Firuz Shahi" (Firuz Shah's Hisory) (1357) was an interpretation of the history of the Delhi Sultanate up to the then-present Firuz Shah Tughlaq. Then interpretation noted that the sultans who followed the rules of Barani had succeeded in their endeavors while those that did not, or those who had sinned, met the Nemesis.

In the "Tarikh-i-Firuz Shahi", Barani claims that whatever he has written is true and his account is considered as trustworthy by the modern scholars. But, though Barani refers many times to the sources of information, he did not consult his contemporary works. This resulted in the sketchy description of Ala-ud-Din Khalji’s wars in Chittor, Ranthambhor and Malwa and the Deccan campaigns of Malik Kafur. The later medieval historians, Nizam-ud-Din Ahmad, Badaoni, Ferishta and Haji-ud-Dabir depended upon the "Tarikh-i-Firuz Shahi" for their account of history of the period covered in this work. Abdul Haq Dehlvi in his "Akhbar-ul-Akhyar" depended upon the work for the biographical sketches of Nizam-ud-Din Auliya and the other Sufi saintsMahajan, V.D. (1991, reprint 2007). "History of Medieval India", Part I, New Delhi: S. Chand, ISBN 81-219-0364-5, pp.174-6] .

Other works

* Salvat-i-Kabir
* Sana-i-Muhammadi
* Hasratnama
* Inayatnama
* Ma’asir-i-Saadat

Notes

References

*Basham, A.L. Sources of Indian Tradition Volume 1. Columbia University Press 1958. ISBN 0-231-08600-8

ee also

*Caste system among South Asian Muslims