Political Thoughts of Barani Political Science YouTube Lecture Handouts

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Political Thoughts of Barani Political Science

Barani՚s Idea on Kingship

  • Apart from this limitation, Barani՚s ideas related to kingship in medieval period are of immense importance which are as following:
  • “The king as the representative of God on earth is considered as the source of all powers and functions of the state. Barani is of the opinion that whatever Means the king adopts to discharge his duties is justified so long as his aim is the service of religion. In the following passage, we find Barani՚s suggestions to the king as to how to discharge his functions as the head of the state.”

How King Should Perform His Duties

According to Al Barani, “It is the duty of the Sultans before they have made up their minds about an enterprise or policy and published it among the people, to reflect carefully on the likelihood of its success and failure as well as its effects on their position, on the religion and the state, and on the army.”

Idea About Kingship

  • Accepting Barani kingship should be oriented to act within the bounds of Islamic Shari′ah, for the economic prosperity of the people.
  • A particular care is required to be taken to provide basic essentials of life at the lowest possible rates.

Temporal and Spiritual Connection of a King

  • Barani՚s opinion the king should devote himself to governance of his state in such a way that helps him in reaching nearer to God.
  • Welfare of the religion and the state should be the ideal of a good state. A king should be guided by wise men. Bureaucracy is required to run the administration and Barani is an advocate of blue blood aristocracy.
  • Barani՚s Tarikh-i-Firuz Shahi, named after Firuz ShahTughlaq, is the most valuable historical work written during the period of the Sultanate.
  • It begins with the first year of Balban՚s reign (1266) , leaving a clear gap of six years after the close of the Tabaqat-i-Nasiri, and ends with the sixth year of Firuz Shah Tughlaq՚s reign (1357) .

MCQs

According to historian Ziauddin Barani, the ideal Sultan of Delhi was

(a) Firoj Shah Tughlaq

(b) Bahlol Lodi

(c) Alauddin Khilji

(d) Balban

Answer: (a)

According to historian Ziauddin Barani, the ideal Sultan of Delhi was Firoz Shah Tughlaq. The Tarikh-i-Firozshahi (Firoz Shah՚s History) (1357) was an interpretation of the history of the Delhi Sultanate up to the then-present Firoz Shah Tughlaq.

Mayank