Muhammad-Bin-Tughluq

Muhammad-Bin-Tughluq has been the most controversial personality in the history of medieval India. He had a very charming personality and possessed a good physique. His character has given rise to great confusion and complexities. Historians like Ibn Batuta and Barani have expressed contrary views regarding the character and personality of Muhammad-Bin-Tughluq. On the basis of their description modern scholars of history also hold contrary views. Dr. R.C. Majumdar remarks, “No ruler in medieval India has evoked so much discussion concerning his policy and character as Muhammad-bin-Tughluq.” Elphinstone has also remarked about him, “It is admitted on all hands that he was the most eloquent and accomplished prince of his age….. yet him in vain. They were accompanied by a perversion of judgment which after every allowance for intoxication of absolute power leads us in doubt whether he was not affected by some degree of insanity.”

V.A. Smith, Havell and Edward Thomas also agree with Elphinstone. But only Gardener Brown writes in his praise, “That he was mad is a view of which contemporaries have given no hint, that he was visionary, his many-sides practical and vigorous character forbids us to believe.” Dr. Iswari Prasad also praises him in these words, “Muhammad Tughluq was unquestionably the ablest among the crowned heads of the middle ages.”

But close and impartial study of the character and personality of the Sultan reveals that he was a very scholarly person who was quite generous in temperament, tolerant in religious views, a worthy soldier and a dispenser of equal justice. He was an inventor and farsighted statesman but he was an unsuccessful ruler. However, his character and personality can be traced properly as a man, as a commander and as a ruler.

As a commander

Muhammad-bin-Tughluq was a great conqueror and a successful general. Owing to his high ambitions he wanted to establish his control over the entire India. Besides the northern provinces, he conquered the southern provinces like Malabar, Warangal and Dwarasamudra. He was not satisfied just with making them his feudatories but he incorporated their kingdoms in the Delhi Sultanate. Thus he was poles apart from his predecessor Alauddin as regards the aims of his Deccan to accept his suzerainty and did not annex their kingdoms. Some scholars opine that Muhammad-bin-Tughluq was not a successful general as he failed to crush the revolts after A.D. 1335 in various parts of the empire. Hence many provinces became independent. As a commander he, instead of strengthening the empire, contributed o its weakening. But this view is not acceptable. It is just an underestimation of an otherwise worthy soldier. Really, he was the most capable commander. He achieved brilliant success against the Mongols and successfully led expeditions against other rulers. His military power was shattered due to natural calamities, such as, famine, plague and cholera. However, his failures against the rebels were not due to lack of military skill in him but because of natural calamities that were beyond his power to control.

As aRuler

Muhammad-bin-Tughluq was a great administrative genius. As a ruler he was devoted to his duties. He was not a man of narrow tendencies. He allowed everybody to get an appointment in any post in the empire on his merit without any distinction of caste and creed. His attitude towards the Hindus was tolerant in the beginning. Ibn Batuta informs us that he appointed several Hindus on high posts in his empire. He always looked after the interests of the peasants. He set up a new department, called Diwan-i-Kohi for the progress and development of agriculture. Through this department he tried to make land cultivable and to provide all possible help to the peasants at the time of need. He also introduced some revenue reforms and stressed that up-to-date account of income and expenditure should be maintained. Elphinstone has written about his achievements in all spheres, “He was regular in his devotions, abstained from wine, and conformed in his private life to all the moral precepts of his religion. In war he was distinguished for his gallantry and personal activity, so that his contemporaries were justified in esteeming him as one of the wonders of the age.”

The sultan undertook certain administrative experiments due to fertility of his mind, like transfer of capital, issue of token currency and raising of taxation in Doab. These projects were not the Utopian schemes as described by various authors. They had some logic and every scheme was motivated by some definite reasons. T here was a feeling of public welfare behind all his schemes but owing to the ill fate of the Sultan, his schemes started with all good intentions but failed disastrously due to adverse circumstances. There were actually no defects in his projects but the natural calamities made them unsuccessful. The wrong implementation of the schemes was also a significant reason which contributed to its downfall.

Thus Sultan Muhammad-bin-Tughluq proved unsuccessful as a ruler. Different historians have condemned him by saying that he was a mixture of opposites, an unpractical ruler and had a tough of insanity but if we discuss these charges impartially, we shall find that none of the charges proves to be true. It was only the jealousy of the orthodox Muslim class which found expression in their views against the Sultan who was a tolerant king and who treated everybody equally without the distinction of caste and creed. He was the first Muslim ruler who took part in the festival of Holi. The Ulema could not tolerate his generous nature and they condemned him and even called him an infidel, an irreligious person.