“My principal object in coming to Hindustan… has
been to accomplish two things. The first was to war with the infidels, the
enemies of the Mohammadan religion; and by this religious warfare to acquire
some claim to reward in the life to come. The other was… that the army of Islam
might gain something by plundering the wealth and valuables of the infidels:
plunder in war is as lawful as their mothers’ milk to Musalmans who war for
their faith.”
-
Amir Timur1
So far we know
that the first attack of Arabs to India was a naval expedition. It was sent
against “Thana” near Bombay in A.D. 637 during the Caliphate of Umar(RA)2
(A.D. 634 - 44).
Similar
expeditions were sent against "Broach", a city and district in south
Gujarat state in India and “Debal”, a port of Sind during the next five years
under the same Caliph.
At the time of
invasion of Sind in A.D. 643 their leader was killed by the Governor of Chach
in the battle of Debal.
After this
Caliph Umar and his successor Caliph Uthman(RA)3 (A.D. 644 –
56) abandoned the idea of attacking Sind.
In A. D. 660
during the Caliphate of Ali(RA)4, a well-equipped
Muslim army proceeded against Sind through Kikan, i. e., by the route of Bolan
Pass. But the Muslim army was resisted and routed.
During the
next twenty years Muawiyah(RA)5, the succeeding Caliph (661-80), sent
as many as six expeditions by land to Sind. All of them were repulsed with
great slaughter except the last one which succeeded in occupying Makran6
in 680.
In 664, forces led by Al Muhallab ibn Abi Suffrah7
began launching raids from Persia8, striking Multan
in the southern Punjab, in what is today Pakistan.
In A. D. 708
when eight vessels carrying Muslim women sent by the ruler of Ceylon9
was captured by the pirates of Debal, Al-Hajjaj10 (A.D. 695 –
714), the then Governor of Iraq, requested Dahir, the King of Sind, to secure
the release of these women to which the latter pleaded inability. Having
secured the permission of Caliph Walid11, Hajjaj sent an
expedition against Debal under Ubaid – Ullah12 who was
killed. A second expedition against Debal under Budail13 was
also failed and he was also killed.
In order to
take revenge, Hajjaj sent a new expedition under the command of his nephew and
son-in-law Muhammad-ibn-Qasim14. Advancing through Makran,
Muhammad reached Debal in A.D. 711 and conquered it. That was the foundation of
Muslim power in India.
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