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Book No. – 8 (Political Science)
Book Name – Indian Political Thought (Himanshu Roy/ M.P. Singh)
What’s Inside the Chapter? (After Subscription)
1. Theory of Kingship
1.1. Ideal Sultan
1.2. Nobility
2. Ideal Polity
2.1. Laws
2.2. Army
2.3. Bureaucracy
2.4. Justice
3. Conclusion
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LANGUAGE
Zia Barani: Good Sultan and Ideal Polity
Chapter – 6
Table of Contents
- Zia Barani (1283–1359) was a key political thinker of the Delhi Sultanate during the reigns of Alauddin Khalji, Muhammad bin Tughlaq, and Firoz Tughlaq.
- He represented the idea of political expediency in Islamic history.
- His work Fatawa-i-Jahandari (1357) is a classic on statecraft, comparable to Kautilya’s Arthashastra and Machiavelli’s Prince.
- Barani has been criticized as a conservative, fundamentalist, and bigot, especially for his views on Shariat and Hindus.
- Initially mocked for not following Quranic principles and calling himself an Indian instead of a Turk, he later adopted a politically hardline stance.
- At the age of 68 (1351), Barani was dismissed from court and lived in penury on the outskirts of Delhi.
- At 74 (1357), Barani’s views on religion were seen as political tools for state consolidation, aligning with the Muslim ruling elite.
- Barani emphasized the need for rulers to follow Shariat in both personal and political domains, but allowed flexibility in private matters.
- He stressed the importance of Zawabit (state laws) to strengthen the state and believed the end justified the means for consolidating power.
- Laxity in following Shariat was tolerable until it threatened the stability of the state.
- Barani recommended suppressing rebellious elites (both Hindus and Muslims) and banning education for the underprivileged as strategies for consolidating the power of Muslim rulers.
- He acknowledged that monarchy is anti-Shariat philosophically but accepted it due to political reality.
- Barani sought to widen the Islamic base for political obligation and legitimacy for the monarchy.
- In the absence of civil society, religion was crucial for strengthening political control, along with tyrannical behavioragainst rebels.
- The peasant revolt of 1330 AD led by Hindus in the doab region made Barani focus on the security of the state.
- Barani’s opposition was primarily directed at traders, money lenders, and dominant sections of society like rais, ranas, and rawats who burdened the common people.
- He felt such professions were a threat to the Sultanate and recommended banning or dealing ruthlessly with them.
- He advocated for strict action against Muslims involved in these professions as well.
- Barani viewed Shariat and Hinduism as generic terms, reflecting his conservative and aristocratic worldview, likening his treatment of banya-buqqals to low-born.
Theory of Kingship
Ideal Sultan
- Zia Barani distinguished between the personal life and political role of the Sultan, emphasizing an ideal ruler who was noble-born, wise, just, and followed the Shariat.
- The Sultan was expected to reflect humility, poverty, and helplessness to compensate for the monarchy, which contradicted Islamic principles.
- Barani conceded laxity in following Shariat in the personal realm but opposed it in the political domain to prevent administrative disease.
- Barani advocated for Zawabit (state laws) when Shariat failed to serve the state’s needs, acknowledging flexibility in governance.
- He argued that monarchy was necessary in the current political context, even though Islam opposed monarchy.
- Barani emphasized the Sultan’s need for attributes like terror, prestige, pride, and superiority to maintain domination.
- The Sultan must avoid falsehood, deception, wrathfulness, and injustice, focusing on high resolve, lofty ideals, and fair administration.
- The Sultan’s character and actions were crucial for gaining the respect of both friends and foes.
- The Sultan’s role involved the careful selection and gradations of counselors, army officers, and intelligence officersto ensure harmonious administration.
- Barani emphasized the Sultan’s responsibility to protect old political families from usurpation and ensure they did not live in material deprivation, which could lead to rebellion.
- The supremacy of the Sultan relied on delivering justice, which Barani saw as the foundation of monarchy.
- The Sultan’s first act was to appoint judges, with the Sultan at the apex, ensuring the protection of money, property, women, and children of the vulnerable.
- Justice was meant to prevent the strong from oppressing the weak, maintaining order and avoiding anarchy.
- Barani advised the Sultan on when to offer mercy and when to impose punishment—mercy for repentant individuals and punishment for rebellious or cruel people.
- The rights of the people should be recognized, avoiding excessive impositions and fault-finding.
- Barani’s vision of justice did not distinguish between Hindus and Muslims explicitly, but he favored Shariat-based justice.
- He also advocated for war against zimmis, implying justice based on religious practices.
- However, Barani’s justice was strongly tilted in favor of the rich and powerful, with a bias against the underprivilegedand ganwaran.
- The Fatawa served to consolidate the elite in the Sultanate, using justice as a facade to maintain the monarchy.
- At the panchayat and community levels, caste and religion influenced judgments, but state policies did not typically involve religious discrimination.
- Fatawa contributed positively to the theory of statecraft through concepts like political obligation, the right to lifeand property, and the emphasis on Zawabit.
- Barani’s work reflected incipient secular state policies in areas such as justice, revenue collection, and trade.
- Barani’s ideas were not entirely new but highlighted at a time when different religion rulers had acquired political power, making his public policy emphasis significant.