Muhammad Bin Qasim: The conqueror or Plunderer !
Muhammad Bin Qasim was an Arab commander of the Umayyad Caliphate, not a preacher but a conqueror driven by greed and expansionist ambitions. A mere pawn of his brutal patron, al-Hajjaj ibn Yusuf, he was tasked with extending Arab control through bloodshed and plunder. His conquests in Sindh were not about faith but about wealth, territory, and absolute dominance over the native population.
The Invasion of Sindh by Muhammad bin Qasim
Muhammad bin Qasim’s invasion of Sindh in 711 CE was not an act of justice but a conquest driven by ambition and plunder. Sindh, at that time, was a prosperous and peaceful land, attracting numerous invaders seeking wealth and power. Like many before him, Muhammad Qasim was sent by Hajjaj under the pretext of rescuing kidnapped Muslim women, but his true mission was conquest and subjugation.
As a military commander, he followed orders, yet his actions in Sindh went far beyond warfare. Cities such as Debal, Nerun, and Sehwan were ruthlessly attacked, their people massacred or enslaved. Temples were looted, and the immense wealth of Sindh was systematically stripped away and sent to his Arab overlords.
The bloodshed at Aror, where 6,000 men were slaughtered and their women and children taken as slaves, highlights the sheer brutality of his campaign. Raja Dahir, the Sindhi ruler who bravely defended his homeland, was beheaded, and his sisters and daughters were captured and sent to the court of the Umayyad Caliph.
These actions—looting, killing the innocent, enslaving women, and forcefully taking over a land—cannot be justified under the principles of Islam, which strictly forbids oppression and the harming of non-combatants. The invasion of Sindh and Punjab by Bin Qasim was not a mission of faith but one of imperial expansion and plunder, tarnishing the legacy of true Islamic values.
Betrayal and Conquest of Sindh by Muhammad bin Qasim
Raja Dahir, the last defender of Sindh’s sovereignty, fought valiantly to protect his land from foreign domination. His unwavering resistance against the Arab invasion was not merely a battle for his throne but a struggle to safeguard Sindh’s cultural and religious heritage.
However, his downfall was hastened by betrayal from within—treacherous elements who sided with Muhammad bin Qasim, paving the way for the Arab conquest. Their deceit handed over Sindh’s fate to an empire that sought to exploit rather than liberate. At the fateful Battle of Aror, Dahir was slain, and his severed head was sent as a gruesome trophy to the Umayyad court.
Such an act was not only ruthless but also devoid of honor, a stark contrast to the principles of chivalry and justice. The once-thriving and wealthy Sindh, known for its peace and prosperity, was thrown into turmoil. Its flourishing cities were subjected to ruthless plunder, and its people, who had once lived in harmony, were now forced into servitude under foreign rule.
The famed Sun Temple of Multan, a beacon of Sindh’s spiritual and cultural identity, was looted, its immense treasures confiscated and sent to the Umayyad treasury. Heavy taxation and oppressive governance followed, leaving the native population struggling under an imposed rule that had no regard for their traditions or well-being. The conquest of Sindh was not an act of faith, nor a mission of righteousness—it was a calculated campaign of expansion, fueled by greed and sustained by betrayal.
Rule Through Oppression
Once victorious, Muhammad bin Qasim established a strict and exploitative administration. Non-Muslims were not only subjected to the oppressive jizya tax but were also unjustly forced to pay zakat—an obligation that, according to Islamic principles, is only meant for willing Muslim individuals.
Just as in Pakistan today, where Sunni Muslims contribute zakat while Shia Muslims follow their own system without state enforcement, an Islamic government has no right to impose religious taxes on non-Muslims. Yet, Muhammad bin Qasim disregarded this fundamental principle, coercing the native population into financial burdens that were neither just nor religiously sanctioned.
Under his rule, Hindu and Buddhist traditions faced systematic humiliation. Temples were plundered, and religious practices were openly mocked. Dissent was met with severe punishment, ensuring that any resistance to Arab rule was swiftly crushed. Though some local leaders were allowed to retain minor administrative roles, they were nothing more than figureheads, serving at the pleasure of their new overlords.
The reality remains that pre-oil Arabs were not the prosperous figures seen today. Before the wealth from oil transformed their lands, they relied on conquest, plunder, and forced taxation to sustain their ambitions. Their invasions were not acts of enlightenment but rather campaigns driven by material greed and territorial expansion.
The conquest of Sindh was no different—it was a calculated seizure of land and resources, benefiting the invaders while subjugating a once-thriving and independent civilization.
The Humiliating Downfall of Muhammad bin Qasim
Despite his conquests, Muhammad bin Qasim met a fate as ruthless as his own deeds. Following the death of his patron, al-Hajjaj, the new Caliph, Sulayman, viewed him with suspicion and sought to erase his legacy.
Betrayed by the very empire he had served, he was arrested and condemned to an agonizing death. One account states that he was sewn into an ox-hide and left to suffocate—a slow, humiliating demise that reflected the brutality he himself had inflicted upon others.
If Muhammad bin Qasim had been an ethical and just ruler, why was he discarded so mercilessly by his own overlords? His humiliating end speaks volumes about the nature of his actions. A man who had looted temples, enslaved women, and severed the head of Raja Dahir—a ruler who had fought honorably for Sindh’s freedom—could not expect a noble fate.
His treatment of Sindh’s people, particularly the forced abduction of women and daughters, violated the very principles of justice and morality. In the end, his conquests were rendered meaningless, his name tarnished, and his legacy reduced to that of an expendable pawn in an empire driven by greed and power.
A Legacy of Bloodshed
Muhammad bin Qasim is not remembered as a benevolent ruler but as an invader who ravaged Sindh for greed and power. His short-lived rule left behind nothing but scars—temples destroyed, communities shattered, and an enduring legacy of foreign domination that would take centuries to undo. Far from a hero, he remains a symbol of conquest through deceit and cruelty, his name forever tied to the oppression of the people he sought to subjugate.
Conclusion
No ruler, conqueror, or empire has the right to seize another’s land, plunder its wealth, or enslave its people—neither in the name of religion nor for personal gain. Such actions are neither Islamic nor ethical; they are simply acts of oppression. The forced rule of a foreign minority over the native majority is inherently unjustifiable, as true leadership is built on justice, not coercion.
Had the Arabs not invaded Sindh and imposed their rule through force and exploitation, history might have taken a different course. The British, centuries later, saw how a ruling minority governed the Hindu-majority land under the pretense of Islamic authority. Recognizing this imbalance and the injustice within, they found it easier to take control, exploiting the same weaknesses that had been created through centuries of foreign domination.
The cycle of conquest and subjugation repeated itself because when rule is built on oppression rather than fairness, it is destined to be overturned. Justice and ethical governance alone can sustain a civilization, while tyranny inevitably leads to downfall.
Though Muhammad bin Qasim earned the title of “Sindh Conqueror,” or he may be called the Bab ul Islam by Arabs but he remains an invader in the eyes of Sindh. His rule brought destruction, looting, and oppression, not justice. His legacy is marked by betrayal, forced rule, and ruthless exploitation of Sindh’s people.