THE ARABS IN SIND
The establishment of Arab rule in Sind in 712
A.D. was preceded by a number of efforts to
penetrate India. The view that the Arabs indeed
were not interested in territorial acquisition till
the ruler of Sind in 700 A.D. provoked them, is
not accepted by the book ‘A Comprehensive
History of India’. This book relies on the authority
of baladhuri, who is regarded as the most reliable
authority on the subject. According to the book,
the Arabs made systematic inroads on the three
kingdoms of Kabul, Zabul and Sind. Very often
the first two were united in resisting the
aggression of the Arabs. Baladhuri says that after
650 A.D. the Arabs entered India. One more
expedition was sent by the Caliphate of Ali to
conquer Kabul but was frustrated. Another
attempt was made in 698 A.D., which was still
less successful. The weakness of the Arabs was
undoubtedly due to internal troubles and
weakness of the Caliphate during the last days
of Umayyids, but after the establishment of
powerful Abbasid Caliphate the earlier designs
were repeated. Kabul was conqured but again
escaped from the control of the Caliphate. Zebul
was conquered only in 870 A.D.
Although both Kabul and Zabul succumbed
to Islam the heroic resistance they offered
checked the spread of Islam into the
subcontinent. Few countries in the world, that
too small principalities like these, have defied the
arms of Islam so bravely and for so long 2000
years.
Good number of details are found regarding
the history of Sind in the 7th Century A.D. in
Chachnama, a Persian translation of an old
Arabic history of the conquest of Sind by the
Arabs. An expedition of the Arabs was sent
against Debal some time before 643 A.D.
Baladhuri speaks of Muslim victory but
Chachnama says that the Muslims were
defeated. The conquest of Sind was abandoned
for some time. When then new Calipha Uthman
attempted to conquer, he too left it after a
setback. During the days of Caliphate of Ali, a
well-equipped Muslim Army came along the
land route. According to Baladhuri, the Muslims
were put to rout. After this, a series of expeditions
were sent to conquer an outpost of Sind, which
all ended in failure.
The Arabs resumed their aggression against
Sind only after 705 A.D. An Arab ship fell in the
hands of pirates near Debal. A Muslim governor
demanded their release and also the arrest of the
pirates. It appears, Dehar refused to oblige. As a
matter of fact, the governor for Iraq was
appointed for both the areas of Hindi and Sind.
For long time the Arabs chafed at their failure to
conquer Sind. Thus, the governor Hajja merely
seized the policy as a pretext to defeat and
conquer Sind.
After making elaborate preparation,
Mohammad-Bin-Kasim, the son-in-law of Hajjaj,
was sent with a well equipped army. He
advanced to Makran and laid siege to Debal in
711 A.D. The capital was captured then,
Muhammad advanced along the Indus to
conquer the whole area. It appears that very
often treachery led to the Arab conquest of Sind
Muhammad advanced against Multan and
succeeded in capturing it. According to
Chachanam, Muhammad himself advanced to
the frontier of Kashmir.
The triumph and career of Muhammad was
suddenly cut short by political changes at home.
Since the new Caliph was the sworn enemy of
Hajjaj. Muhammad was taken prisoner, insulted
and tortured to death.
This development made Jaisimha, the son of
Daher, to re-occupy Bahmansbad. The Caliph
sent an army to subdue the rebels. They even
parleyed with Jaisimha. Junaid, the Governor of
Sind, defeated Jaisimha and took him prionser.
Thus ended the dynasty of Daher and the
independence of Sind.
The comperatively easy conquest of
Muhammad, son of Kasim, should not make us
forget the long resistance offered by Sind to the
Arabs.
Later, Junaid sent several expeditions to the
interior of India. They were signally defeated by
the Pratihara king Nagabhatta - I Pulakesin, the
Chalukya chief of Gujarata, and probably also
by Yasovarman. These defeats forced the Arabs
to confine themselves to Sind. The Arabs lost
control of Sind during the last years of
Umayyids. The Abbasid Caliphs once again
started to re-establish their power in Sind. A
claim was made. The Arabs once again
conquered Multan and Kashmir but the evidence
shows that Lalitadiya thrice defeated the Arabs.
It was some time between 800 and 830 A.D. that
the Arabs fully re-conquered the lost areas. It
was during this period that the Arabs forces
probably advanced as far as Chittor but the
resistance offered by Indian kings probably forced
them to retreat.
After the collapse fo the Abbasid power, Sind
became virually independent and was divided
into two independent states. Neither of them
could become powerful
