The
early days of Islam date back to the time of the Righteous Caliphate King Ernie
Yazdegerd defeated the Muslims and moved to Turkmenistan with his companions. It
was the homeland of the Turks. And a few generations after living here and
marrying the locals, the descendants of Yazdgard were completely abandoned. A
thousand years ago, a Young Turk from the same family was enslaved.
The slave was bought by Alp-Tegin, a governor of the Samanid Empire, the most
powerful empire in Central Asia. The slave's name was Sabuktagin. The same 'Sabuktagin'
whose son you and I know as Sultan Mahmud Ghaznvi. How did this ordinary slave
of the Turkish race and his son become an unforgettable character of history?
The
slave 'Sabuktagin', due to his bravery and ability, quickly became close to his
master 'Alp-Tegin'. Alp-Tegin was the governor of the Samanid Empire. The
Samanid Empire was established twelve hundred years ago today. During its
heyday, Afghanistan, Iran, Turkmenistan, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan, Kyrgyzstan,
Kazakhstan and many parts of Pakistan were part of the empire. The Samanid
Empire was falling apart.
The
Sampan ruler Abu Mansur of 'Alp-Tegin' had also become something. That is why
the Alp-Tegin rebelled and established a government in the Ghaznvi region of
Afghanistan. And declared his independence. The success of 'Alp-Tegin'
benefited his slave Sabuktagin. It so happened that Alp-Tegin promoted Sabuktagin
to general and gave him the task of conquering other territories outside the
empire.
Sabuktagin
repeatedly attacked the provinces of Multan and Lahore. These areas were part
of Raja Jayapal's empire. Sabuktagin also sent thousands of people from these
areas to Ghazni as slaves. When Alp-Tegin died, his son and successor, Isaac,
died just two years later. Now there was chaos in the Ghaznavid Empire. There
was speculation and now a capable ruler was needed to run it.
So
the army and the courtiers, in consultation, installed Sabuktagin, son-in-law
of Alp-Tegin, on the throne of Ghazni. When
Sabuktagin ascended the throne, his eldest son Abdul Qasim or Abul Qasim
Mahmood was only six years old. History knows this child by the name of Mahmud Ghaznvi.
Sabuktagin subjugated the small Ghazni Empire to the Samanid Empire and he
himself became the governor of Ghazni.
His
entire focus was on training his son, Mahmoud Ghaznvi, both militarily and
politically. Maybe he was preparing his son to be the sultan of the future. That
is why Mahmoud Ghaznvi was well versed in his father's 20-year rule. He looked
like a strong young man of appropriate height. According to the books, he was
so powerful that the thunder and spear he used could hardly be picked up by
other people.
He
went to war with his father on every front. The first major test of his life
was in the war with Raja Jayapal of India. Sabuktagin invaded the kingdom of
Raja Jayapal. Jayapal also came out to fight and a fierce battle took place
between the two armies in the Lahore area. Mahmud Ghaznvi fought very hard in
this war. Jay Paul's army also fought hard. But there was a problem with Jayapal’s
army.
He
said that most of his soldiers belonged to Punjab and were not accustomed to
severe cold. So this weakness was used in a strange way. There is a story
written in old books. That is, people told Mahmud Ghaznvi that there was a
spring of water near Jaypal's army if dirt is put in it, it will get very cold.
And then the Punjabi army, which is not accustomed to cold weather at all, will
be left stunned and unable to compete.
So
on the orders of Mahmud Ghaznvi, the soldiers started pouring dirt into the
spring. Now call it a coincidence or something else that shortly after that the
clouds covered the sky. First, it rained and then it started to snow. It snowed
so hard that the cattle in Jay Paul's camp began to die. The soldiers were also
getting sick from the cold. It was a disaster for Jay Paul. So Jayapal asked Sabuktagin
to reconcile with the Raja with 1 million dirhams and 50 elephants.
Sabuktagin
was ready immediately, but Mahmoud Ghaznvi opposed the peace. Seeing his son's
opposition, Sabuktagin also started thinking. He had not yet made up his mind
when an envoy of the king approached him. The envoy warned Sabuktagin that if
he did not make peace with the Rajputs, that is, Jaypal, disaster would break
out on both sides. The reason for this was that he was told that this was a
custom of the Rajputs,
In
such circumstances, they enter the ranks of the enemy by killing their wives
and children and burning their houses and drown themselves in the red storm of
revenge. On hearing this, the 'Sabuktagin' agreed to a truce. But something
else was brewing in Jay Paul's mind. Jay Paul went to Lahore with some of the
officers of Sabuktagin to pay them a ransom of one million dirhams. But as soon
as he reached Lahore, the scene changed.
He
captured the officers of Sabuktagin and began preparations for a new war. This
time, instead of fighting alone, he sought help from other states in the Indian
region, Delhi, Ajmer, Kalinga and Kannauj. With the help of all these states,
Jaypal reached Lahore with an army of one lakh. In response, Sabuktagin also
came out to compete. He stood on a high place and surveyed Jaypal's army.
As
far as he could see, he could see only his head. It was a large army, but Sabuktagin
did not have a large army to compete with. So he made a war move. Instead of
attacking directly, Sabuktagin divided his troops into groups of five or five
hundred. Then he told Jayapal that he searched those places in this large army who
were weak in his eyes. Then these five hundred troops constantly attacked only
these weak places.
Jay
Paul could not cope with this technique and he suffered a humiliating defeat. After
this victory, Sabuktagin also received a large ransom and the whole area from Lahore
to Peshawar was included in his empire Ghazni. Mahmud Ghaznavi's military
training in the battles with Jaypal was brilliant but his father did not forget
to train him morally. It is said that Mahmud Ghaznvi once built a magnificent
house in his garden and he invited his father to a very special feast.
But
when Sabuktagin saw the house, he said to his son "I saw this house as
just a toy which can be built by any of my subjects through wealth. Then he
advised his son that the job of a prince is to build such monuments of fame which
will always be like pillars of glory. The 'Sabuktagin' extended the boundaries
of the Ghazni Empire to the Afghan territory of Balkh. At the same time, about
one thousand and twenty-three years ago today, in the city of Balkh, 'Sabuktagin'
passed away. At the time of his death, he named his kingdom after his son
Ishmael. As soon as Ishmael ascended the throne, he began to amass wealth on
his courtiers. On the other hand, Mahmud Ghaznvi was not with him at the time
of his death. Rather, he was crushing a revolt against the Samanid Empire in
Neshapur.
He
did not even try to snatch the government from his brother. But when he found
out that his brother was lavishing the wealth of the kingdom with both hands,
he could not remain silent. He sent a message to Ishmael and offered If Ismail
left the rest of the kingdom, Mahmud Ghaznvi would accept him as the ruler of
Balkh and Khorasan. But Ismail rejected Mahmoud Ghaznavi's offer.
Now
Mahmud Ghaznvi has revolted with the support of an uncle and a younger brother.
Mahmud Ghaznvi marched with his army and allies towards the fort of Ghazni to
capture the treasures and the fort. Coincidentally, Ismail was not in Ghazni at
the time He also drove to Ghazni to get there before Mahmood. And then look at
this coincidence of history that the two brothers reached near Ghazni at the
same time and now a battle broke out between the two for control of the Ghazni
fort.
Ishmael's
army included elephants, and his weight seemed heavy. But in the face of a
seasoned commander like Mahmud Ghaznvi, his army did not last long. Ishmael's
army retreated quickly in the battle but since the fort of Ghazni was near
them, Ishmael entered the fort with his soldiers. And took up position there. Now
the situation was such that Ismail was occupying the forts of Ghazni and the
royal treasury But Mahmoud Ghaznvi was besieged outside the fort.
But
the problem with Ishmael was that he could not use the treasure while he was
inside the fort. And using this treasure, even a large army from outside could
not be formed. So after a while he surrendered in despair. The keys to the fort
and treasury were also presented to Mahmud Ghaznvi. Now Mahmud Ghaznvi asked
Ismail "Tell me, if you had won the war, how you would have treated
me?"
Ishmael
said, "I would have imprisoned you in a fortress where all the luxuries
were." Mahmoud Ghaznvi did the same. Ismail was imprisoned in a fort in
Ghazgan near Mazar-e-Sharif. He had all the facilities here but he was
imprisoned and that is what happened to him. Mahmoud Ghaznvi ascended the
throne at the age of 30 but like his father, he was the governor of the Samanid
Empire. Mahmud Ghaznvi also sent an ambassador to the Samanid capital, Bukhara,
to show his loyalty to the Samanid Empire.
But
he could not stay under this weak empire for long. In 999 he declared
independence from the Samanid. Samani might have sent an army to crush his
rebellion But Sultan Mahmud Ghaznvi benefited from being a powerful ruler in
Central Asia Alek Khan ran up to Bukhara. He wiped out the Samanid Empire
forever. Mahmud Ghaznvi married Alek Khan's daughter and made her his ally.
He
was now the first official sultan of the Ghazni Empire and he had formed an
alliance with a powerful empire in the neighborhood, and now the star of his
fortune was about to rise. But this lucky sultan did not like his face much. He
had deep smallpox scars on his face. Once he became a sultan, he became sad
when he saw his face in the mirror. He said to his minister, it is said that
seeing the faces of kings makes one's eyes sharp but my situation is such that
the viewers must be hurt. The Minister said that you should think that few
people have seen your face. Most people know you for what you are. So focus
more on your strengths than on your appearance. So that's what he did. He
forgot his form and began to make new plans to expand his empire.
Also, Know about:
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Ojhri Camp
Roman Empire
Shah Wali Ullah
Shaikh Ahmad Sarhindi
