islamic-jihad-legacy-of-forced-conversion-imperialism-slavery

Propagation of Islam: By Force or Peacefully?Chauhan was defeated in Ajmer. In his Jihadi zeal, Chisti ascribed the credit for the victory to himself, saying:‘We have seized Pithaura (Prithviraj) alive and handed him over to the army of Islam.’’ 258Amir Khasrau (1253–1325), Shaykh Nizamuddin Auliya’s exalted disciple, is lauded as the greatestliberal Sufi poet of medieval India. His coming to India, deem many modern historians, as a blessing for thesubcontinent. He had the good fortune of working at the royal court of three successive sultans. Regarded asone of India’s greatest poets, he is also credited with being a great contributor to Indian classical music andthe creator of Qawwali (Sufi devotional music). The invention of the Tabla (an Indian drum) is usuallyattributed to him.There is little doubt about Amir Khasrau’s achievements in music and poetry. But when it came tothe fallen infidels and their religion, his bigoted Islamic zeal was very much evident. In describing Muslimvictories against the Hindu kings, he mocks their religious traditions, such as "tree" and "stone-idol" worship.Mocking the stone-idols, destroyed by Muslim warriors, he wrote: ‘Praise be to God for his exaltation of thereligion of Muhammad. It is not to be doubted that stones are worshipped by the Gabrs (derogatory slang foridolaters), but as stones did no service to them, they only bore to heaven the futility of that worship.’ 259Amir Khasrau showed delight in describing the barbaric slaughter of Hindu captives by Muslimwarriors. Describing Khizr Khan’s order to massacre 30,000 Hindus in the conquest of Chittor in 1303, hegloated: ‘Praise be to God! That he so ordered the massacre of all chiefs of Hind out of the pale of Islam, byhis infidel-smiting swords… in the name of this Khalifa of God, that heterodoxy has no rights (in India).’ 260He took poetic delight in describing Malik Kafur’s destruction of a famous Hindu temple in South India andthe grisly slaughter of the Hindus and their priests therein. 261 In describing the slaughter, he wrote, ‘…theheads of brahmans and idolaters danced from their necks and fell to the ground at their feet, and bloodflowed in torrents.’ In his bigoted delight at the miserable subjugation of Hindus and the barbarous triumphof Islam in India, he wrote:The whole country, by means of the sword of our holy warriors, has become like a forestdenuded of its thorns by fire? Islam is triumphant, idolatry is subdued. Had not the Law grantedexemption from death by the payment of poll-tax, the very name of Hind, root and branch,would have been extinguished. 262Amir Khasrau described many instances of barbaric cruelty, often of catastrophic proportions, inflicted byMuslim conquerors upon the Hindus. But nowhere did he show any sign of grief or remorse, but only gloatingdelight. While describing those acts of barbarism, he invariably expressed gratitude to Allah, and glory toMuhammad, for enabling the Muslim warriors achieve those glorious feats.Other Sufis: Another great Sufi saint to come to India was Shaykh Makhdum Jalal ad-Din binMohammed, popularly known as Hazrat Shah Jalal, who had settled in Sylhet, Bengal (discussed later). Apartfrom these highly revered Sufi saints, there were other great Sufi personalities, namely Shaykh BahauddinZakaria, Shaykh Nuruddin Mubarak Ghaznavi, Shaykh Ahmad Sirhindi and Shaykh Shah Walliullah et al.,who have often been condemned by some modern historians for their relatively orthodox views. For example,Shaykh Mubarak Ghaznavi—a great Islamic scholar and Sufi saint of the Suhrawardi order—had utterdisrespect and violent hatred of non-Muslims (kafirs) and their religion, as he reminded the sultans that‘‘Kings will not be able to discharge their duty of protecting the Faith unless they overthrow and uproot kufrand kafiri (infidelity), shirk (associating partners to God, polytheism) and the worship of idols, all for the258. Ibid259. Elliot & Dawson, Vol. III, p. 81–83260. Ibid, p. 77261. Ibid, p. 91262. Ibid, p. 545–4692