Ibn Al-Qasim, Muhammad
(d. 715), Arab conqueror of Sind in India. An Arab military commander from the tribe of Thaqif, Muhammad ibn al-Qasim is famous in Islamic history as the conqueror of the western Indian province of Sind under the Umayyad dynasty (661–750). He won favor with the Umayyad governor of Iraq, al-Hajjaj, who dispatched him to Sind at the head of a military expedition between 708 and 711; Ibn al-Qasim was probably about fifteen or seventeen years old at this time.
He arrived by land in India to punish Dahir, the ruler of Sind, who had failed to curb pirates operating off the coast of his province and who were disrupting Muslim shipping. His forces conquered several Indian cities, among them the Hindu pilgrim city of Multan, and killed Dahir.
In some Arabic sources, Ibn al-Qasim is said to have accorded the Hindus the status of "protected people" (ahl al-dhimma). This status is traditionally reserved under Islamic law for Jews and Christians, who as kindred followers of a revealed scripture, are granted protection by the Islamic state upon payment of a poll tax. On account of this concession to the Hindus, Ibn al-Qasim is regarded by modern Muslims in particular as a paragon of religious tolerance. He is also greatly admired for his youthful military prowess. Ibn al-Qasim's career came to an abrupt end, however, with the death of al-Hajjaj in 715. Under the new administration, he was dismissed from his post and brutally put to death.
Further Reading
Friedmann, Y. (1960) "Muhammad b. al-Kasim." In The Encyclopaedia of Islam, edited by H. A. R. Gibb et al. Leiden, Netherlands: Brill, 7:405–406.
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