"After his men had scaled the walls of the fort of Debal, the besieged Indians opened the gates and asked for mercy. Muhammad replied that he had no orders to Spare anyone in the town, and so, no quarter was given, and for three days the inhabitants were ruthlessly slaughtered. The local temple was defiled and “700 beautiful females, who had sought for shelter there, were all captured.” The same tragedy was enacted after the capture of Raor. Muhammad massacred 6000 fighting men who were found in the fort, and their followers and dependents, as well as their women and children, were taken prisoners.2 Sixty thousand slaves, including 30 young ladies of royal blood, were sent to Hajjaj together with the head of Dahar. We can now well under- stand why the capture of a fort by the Muslim forces was followed by the terrible jauhar ceremony (in which the females threw them- selves in fire kindled by themselves), the earliest recorded instance of which is found in the Chach-nima."
Quote Details
Added by wikiquote-import-bot
Unverified quote
0 likes
Original Language: English
Available Languages (1)
Sources
R. C. Majumdar, ed., The History and Culture of the Indian People, vol. 3: The Classical Age (Bombay, 1954), p. 458-9.
https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Muhammad_ibn_Qasim
Revision History
No revisions have been submitted for this quote.
Categories
Muhammad ibn Qasim
Muhammad ibn Qasim (c. 695 – 715) was an Arab military commander in the service of the Umayyad Caliphate who led the Muslim conquest of Sindh from the last Hindu king, Raja Dahir in the battle of Aror. He was the first Muslim to have successfully captured Hindu territories and initiate the early Islamic India in 712 CE.
34 quotes on TrueQuotesView all quotes by Muhammad ibn Qasim →
Related Quotes
"Mahommad bin Qasim's first act of religious zeal was forcibly to circumcise the Brahmins of the captured city of Debu…"
"On the receipt of this letter, Hijaj obtained the consent of Wuleed, the son of Abdool Mullik, to invade India, for t…"
"My ruling is given: Kill anyone belonging to the combatants (ahl-i-ḥarb); arrest their sons and daughters for hostage…"
"I am appalled by your bad judgement and astounded by your policies. Why are you so intent on giving amān, even to an …"
"It is acknowledged that all your procedures have been in accordance with religious law (bar jādah-yi shar‘) except fo…"
"Muhammad took the fort [of Rawar] and stayed there for two or three days. He put six thousand fighting men, who were …"
"He put six thousand fighting men, who were in the fort, to the sword, and shot some with arrows. The other dependants…"
"Muhammad Kasim marched from Dhalila, and encamped on the banks of the stream of the Jalwali to the east of Brahmanaba…"
"When the plunder and the prisoners of war were brought before Kasim, and enquiries were made about every captive, it …"
"[The general religious policy of Muḥammad b. al‑Qāsim is noted by al‑Balāḏurī:] He conquered the city by treaty (ṣulḥ…"