During Omar’s Caliphate, Arab forces made numerous unsuccessful attempts to take Bombay. Sindh was conquered by Arabs in 712 AD. Invasion of India began in the 8th century as part of the Umayyad Caliphate’s expansion policy. In 712 CE, Arabs led by Muhammad bin Qasim, a general of the Umayyad Caliphate, invaded India from the northwest region (Sindh). Muhammad bin Qasim led the Arab conquest of Sindh.

Muhammad Bin Qasim

Muhammad-bin-Qasim (December 31, 695 – July 18, 715) was an Arab military commander in the service of the Umayyad Caliphate who led the Muslim conquest of Sindh during the Umayyad campaigns in India. His military exploits resulted in the establishment of Arab Sind and the annexation of the region from the Sindhi Brahman dynasty and its ruler, Raja Dahir, who was later decapitated and his head sent to al-Hajjaj ibn Yusuf in Basra. With the capture of Aror, the then-capital of Arabia, by Arab forces, Qasim became the first Muslim to successfully capture Hindu land, ushering in Muslim rule in India.

Background

• Muhammad bin Qasim was born in the year 695 A.D. He was a member of the Saqqafi tribe, which had its origins in Taif, Arabia.
• He was raised by his mother and quickly proved to be a valuable asset to his uncle, Yemen’s governor, Muhammad Ibn Yusuf.
• His judgement, potential, and skills forced the ruler to appoint him to the state department, leaving many other officers in his wake.
• He was also a close relative of Hajjaj bin Yousuf, and as a result of Hajjaj’s influence, the young Muhammad bin Qasim was appointed governor of Persia while still in his teens, and he crushed the rebellion in that region.
• In addition, there is a popular legend that he is Hajjaj bin Yousuf’s son-in-law.
• He conquered the Sindh and Punjab regions along the Indus River for the Umayyad Caliphate.

Battle of Rewar

• The Battle of Rewar was fought between Muhammad-bin-Qasim and Dahir, the king of Sindh, which is now part of Pakistan.
• Dahir was the last Hindu king of the Sindh Brahmin dynasty, which was then an Indian territory. General of the Arab Kingdom’s Umayyad Caliphate, Muhammad-bin-Qasim
• Dahir lost. Sind and Multan were both taken. Multan was dubbed the “City of Gold” by Muhammad-bin-Qasim.

Administrative System

• Muhammad bin Qasim’s task after the conquest was to establish an administrative structure for a stable Muslim state that included a newly conquered alien land inhabited by non-Muslims.
• He pursued a conciliatory policy, asking the natives to accept Muslim rule in exchange for non-interference in their religious practises, as long as the natives paid their taxes and tribute.
• In exchange, the state protected non-Muslims from foreign attacks and enemies.
• He imposed Islamic Sharia law on the people of the region, but Hindus were allowed to rule their villages and settle disputes according to their own laws, and traditional hierarchical institutions such as village headmen (rais) and chieftains (dihqans) were preserved.
• Muhammad-bin-Qasim divided Sind and Multan into a number of Iqtas or districts, and Arab military officers established their rule in the Iqtas.
• The district subdivisions were administered by the local Hindu Officers.
• Jizya, a type of tax, was levied on non-Muslims.
• A Muslim officer known as an amil was stationed with a cavalry troop to manage each town on a hereditary basis.