Delhi Sultanate: Administration

Wizarat was an institution which was recognized by the Islamic constitution. Non-Arabic institutions were being repealed, and nomenclature used for Minister for Council under emperor was used as Wizarat. The idea for adopting Wizarat as an institution was inspired from Persia by Abbasi Caliphs. Abbas Fazal-Bin-Ahmad was first Wazir in the reign of Mahmud Ghaznavi who was accomplished in conducting the administration. The prime minister of state was known as Wazir. He headed the finance department called the Diwan-i- Wizarat and had the power not only to supervise the income and expenditure of the state but other departments as well. Tughluq era was the golden period of Indian Muslim Wizarat.

Government of medieval period was a composite structure of Perso-Arabic, Turko-Mongol and Indian elements.

In Islamic traditions, Khuns refers to the historically required religious delegation of the Muslim army to pay one-fifth of the spoils of war, the booty collected from non-believers after a military campaign. This tax was paid to the caliph or sultan, representing the state of Islam. Rest of the other are taxes levied on the land product.

Iltutmish first introduced 'Iqta' system in Delhi Sultanate Period. In the Islamic empire of the Caliph, land granted to army officials for limited periods in lieu of a regular wage. The Iqta system was introduced in the 9th century A.D. to relieve the state treasury when insufficient tax revenue and little booty from wars made it difficult for the government to pay salaries.

'Muqaddam or Chaudhari' were village headman and in this capacity only was the highest revenue authority in the village and not just any revenue official or village accountant.

During the Sultanate period, it was Chaudhary who played an important role in the traditional social structure. If we delineate traditional social structure, it will have at its top the Sultan followed by Sultan's governors, a village headman who happened to be Chaudhary. At the time of the revolt, Sultanate started eliminating the influence of Rais and sought the help of Chaudhary to collect revenue. Hence, Chaudhary was the main revenue collector for villages during the Sultanate period.

Firuz Tughluq determined taxation according to Quran rules. He permitted four taxes approved by Quran: (1) Kharaj (2) Jizya (3) Khums (4) Zakat. He levied irrigation tax 'Haqq-e- sharb' at 10% rate of the crop yield on recommendations of religious scholars. Firuz Tughluq abolished 21 grievous taxes of his time.

Zawabits were related to state laws in the administrative vocabulary of the Sultanate period.

Aurangzeb issued secular decrees, called 'zawabit'.

A collection of his decrees had been collected in a work known as Zawabit-i-Alamgiri.

Aurangzeb (1658-1707):

He was the sixth Mughal Emperor.

He executed the ninth Sikh guru Guru Tegh Bahadur in 1675 AD.

He was a puritan, and he abolished all practices in the court which were not in

conformity with the injunctions of Islam.

He reimposed Jizya in 1679 AD.

Aurangzeb was the son of Shah Jahan.

The 'Bibi Ka Maqbara', a tomb of Aurangzeb's wife is situated in Aurangabad, Maharashtra.

He abolished inland transit duties which were called pandhari.

He forbade the cultivation of Bhang.

He abolished NUROZ (Persian festival).

Mughal Emperor Akbar abolished the pilgrimage tax on Hindus and again reimposed

during the reign of Aurangzeb.

The Hadis (or Hadith) is the collection of biographic reports about the sayings, customs and doings of Muhammad and his companions. They also reflect on what Muhammad enjoined and tolerated in his presence or forbade.

Khareetadar was dispatcher of royal decrees.

In medieval India, the term "Khareetadar" referred to an officer or an accountant who was responsible for dispatiching royal decrees. In his book Tarikh-i Firoz Shahi (written in Persian), Zia ud Din Barani mentions that during reign of Muhammad Tughlaq hundred or two hundred orders arrived daily in the office of the kharitadar for transmission to the walis and muqta's.