Dr Ambedkar in his book "Pakistan or Partition of India", wrote that when the Chinese traveller Hiuen Tsung visited India in the 7th AD, India was an ancient country and Afghanistan was part of India but something has happened between 1711 and 1914 so that India is no more that country.
The important thing that has happened is the invasion of India by the Muslim hordes from North West. These Muslim invasions were not undertaken merely out of lust for loot or conquest. There was another object behind them. The expedition against Sind by Mahommad bin Quasim was of punitive character and was undertaken to punish Raja Dahir of Sind who had refused to make restitution for the seizure of an Arab ship at Debul, one of the sea-port towns of Sind. But, there is no doubt that striking a blow at the idolatry and polytheism of Hindus and establishing Islam in India was also one of the aims of this expedition. In one of his despatches to Hajjaj, Mahommad bin Quasim is quoted to have said :-
"The nephew of Raja Dahir, his warriors and principal officers have been dispatched, and the, infidels converted to Islam or destroyed. Instead of idol-temples, mosques and other places of worship have been created, the Khutbah is read, the call to prayers is raised, so that devotions are performed at stated hours. The Takbir and praise to the Almighty God are offered every morning and evening."
After receiving the above despatch, which had been forwarded with the head of the Raja, Hajjaj sent the following reply to his general -
"Except that you give protection to all, great and small alike, make no difference between enemy and friend. God says, " Give no quarter to infidels but cut their throsts." Then know that this is the command of the great God. You shall not be too ready to grant protection, because it will prolong your work. After this give no quarter to any enemy except those who are of rank.
Muhammad of Gazni also looked upon his numerous invasions of India as the waging of a holy war. Al Utbi, the historian of Mohammad, describing his raids writes–
"He demolished idol temples and established Islam. He captured ......... cities, killed the polluted wretches, destroying the idolators, and gratifying Muslims. 'He then returned home and promulgated accounts of the victories obtained for Islam and vowed that every year he would undertake a holy war against Hind."
Muhammad Ghori was actuated by the same holy zeal in his invasions of India. Hasan Nizami, the historian, describes his work in the following terms -
"He purged by his sword the land of Hind from the filth of infidelity and vice, and freed the whole of that country from the thorn of God-plurality and the impurity of idol-worship, and by his royal vigour and intrepidity left not one temple 'standing.
Timur has in his Memoir explained what led him to invade India. He says -
"My object in the invasions of Hindustan is to lead a campaign against the infidels, to convert them to the true faith according to the command of Mahammad (on whom and his family by the blessing and peace of God), to purify the land from the defilement of misbelief and polytheism, and overthrow the temples and idols, whereby we shall be Ghazis and Mujahids, companions and soldiers of the faith before God.
These invasions of India by Muslims were as much invasions of India as they were wars among the Muslims themselves.
This fact has remained hidden because the invaders are all lumped together as Muslims without distinction. But as a matter of fact, they were Tartars, Afghans and Mongols. Mahomed of Gazni was a Tartar, Mahomed of Ghori was an Afghan, Timur was a Mongol, Baber was a Tartar, while Nadirshah and Ahmedshah Abdali were Afghans. In invading India, the Afghan was out to destroy the Tartar and the Mongol was out to destroy the Tartar as well as the Afghan. They were not a loving family cemented by the feeling of Islamic brotherhood. They were deadly rivals of one another and their wars were often wars of mutual extermination. What is, however, important to bear in mind is that with all their internecine conflicts they were all united by one common objective and that was to destroy the Hindu faith.
The methods adopted by the Muslim invaders of India are not less significant for the subscquent history of India than the object of their invasions.
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