THE%20SINDH%20STORY

army of Islam became irresolute and their lines were broken up in great
confusion. It was generally believed that the Arabs were defeated, and put to
flight.”
Mohammed Bin Qasim was then “so perplexed that he called out for water”. At
this stage traitor Mokah with his men arrived on the scene and joined the Arab
forces. Simultaneously a cry went up that the princesses in the Sindhi army had
been cornered. This led to confusion. Dahir was heard by the Arabs shouting
something like “nisi man, nisi man”, (meaning “here I am, here I am”) -so as to
tell his men not to lose heart. But then a fiery arrow hit Dahir’s howdah and set it
on fire. Soon after, another arrow pierced his heart. And then all was over. It was
on the evening of Thursday the 16 June A.D. 712. After fifteen attempts by nine
Khalifas over a period of seventy-four years (638-712 A.D.) the Arabs had
conquered Sindh. It was one of the saddest days in Indian history.
Dahir’s wife Ladi was captured. In the Arab camp she tried to act as a shockabsorber
between the invaders and the local people. Dahir’s “wife” Bai
committed suttee to escape the hands of “these chandals (untouchables) and
cow-eaters”. Resistance continued.
But the Muslim problem had been created in India with the very first conversion
to Islam in Debal. This man was promptly named Maulana Islami and sent, with
a Syrian noble, to deliver a message to Dahir. The Chachnama reports that when
the two entered Dahir’s court. the Syrian bowed low to salute, but the new
Muslim refused to bow or to salute. Dahir recognised him and asked him why he
was not observing the court etiquette, and the latter said that with his change of
religion his loyalty now was to “the king of Islam”. Change of religion had
resulted in change of nationality! The Pakistani mentality had born.
When Dahir’s severed head was presented to Hajjaj, a courtier sang: “we have
conquered Sindh after enormous trouble.... Betrayed is Dahir by Mohammed Bin
Qasim’s masterly strategy. Rejoice, the evil doers are disgraced. Their wealth has
been brought away . . . They are now solitary and brittle as eggs and their
women, fair and fragrant as musk-deer, are now asleep in our harems.”
Why did it all happen?
The basic point, of course, is that no country can always be on top of the world.
There are cycles in the fortunes of a people. And Sindh was not exactly in good
shape at the time. The great Chinese traveller, Hiuen Tsiang, who visited Sindh
in A.D. 641, exactly seventy years before, did not find things too good. He wrote:
The Sindh Story; Copyright © www.panhwar.com
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