In this video you will know When Muhammad Bin Qasim, a 17-year-old minor, fought with Raja Dahar's 40,000 troops & defeated him
The battle between Raja Dahir and Muhammad bin Qasim was indeed no different than any other battle in history between two powerful personalities. There is no doubt that following the fall of Raja Dahir, the Hindu minority may have been persecuted by not only the new Muslim rulers, but also the Buddhist majority. However, this is no different than what occurred following the fall of the Buddhist Rai dynasty of Sindh and the subsequent persecution of Buddhists (in particular the Jat tribe) from Raja Dahir and his Hindu minority. The sad fact is, this is how war was conducted back then…the victors usually suppressed and tormented the defeated.
Bin Qasim’s conquest of Sindh
Muhammad Bin Qasim led the invasion into Sindh in 712 AD bringing the whole of the Sindh and Multan under Ummayad control. He fought the last Hindu ruler of Sindh, Raja Dahir in the battle of Aror. In this war, Raja Dahir was killed that resulted in the first Arab conquest of any region in India. For many Muslim historians, Muhammad Bin Qasim’s victory against Raja Dahir was the first step in the spread of Islam in India.
Background of the invasions
The attack on Sindh was perpetrated by the Arab intention to ensure a safe passage for trading ships on the Arabian Sea. The Arab traders faced continuous raids and pillage by pirates of Sindh on their ships bound for India, Srilanka, China, etc., and on their way back..
Muhammad Bin Qasim supported by an advanced guard and 6000 Syrian camel cavalries, attacked Debal in 712. In addition to it, extra troops along with 5 catapults had reached Debal for support in the attack. In the ensuing battle, the Arab army succeeded in defeating and conquering Debal. With Debal conquered, Muhammad Bin Qasim marched in the northeast direction taking important places without facing any resistance.
The second and decisive encounter the Arab army faced was at Rohri where it met Dahir’s forces and the eastern Jats in battle. In the battle, Dahir died and his forces were defeated which led to the first Arab conquest of Sindh. The invading army did not stop advancing further and took Multan after a siege of a few weeks.
With the conquest of Sindh and Multan, all fighting men were executed and their wives and children enslaved in considerable numbers and as usual, a fifth of the booty and slaves were sent to al-Hajjaj. As far as the general populace was concerned, it was encouraged to carry on with its trades, and taxes and tributes settled.
From the above discussion, it can be concluded that the Ummayad conquest on Sindh in 712 in the generalship of Muhammad Bin Qasim sowed the seed of Islam in India. Since then the religion Islam has assumed a permanent presence in the Indian subcontinent.
In 711 AD, Muhammad bin Qasim marched upon Debal by way of Shiras via Makran. On orders of Hajjaj, he freed earlier captives and prisoners from the previous failed campaign against Raja Dahir. From Debal, his troops, along with freed prisoners and local tribes of Debal moved on to Nerun (near Hyderabad). The city's Buddhist governor supported the Caliphate’s campaign against Raja Dahir and offered to support Muhammad bin Qasim’s campaign to remove Dahir from power. Qasim's army and allied supporters and defectors then moved on to Siwistan (Sehwan), where again he was received warmly and received allegiances from several tribal chiefs. After securing the surrounding regions, Muhammad bin Qasim’s combined forces captured the fort at Sisam, and secured the region west of the Indus River in Sindh.
Muhammad bin Qasim was very well aware of the need to enlist the support of local tribes, as the campaign would not be successful without them. With the Meds tribe, Jats and Buddhist rulers of Nerun, Bajhra, Kaka Kolak and Siwistan as infantry to his predominantly-mounted army, his next move was to cross the Indus.
Dahir then tried to prevent Qasim from crossing the Indus River to his eastern domain, moving his forces to its eastern banks. Muhammad Harris Alafi served in the capacity of a military advisor to Raja Dahir, but refused to take active part in the campaign against Muhammad bin Qasim. Eventually, however, Qasim crossed and defeated Dahir's forces at Jitor led by Jaisiah (Dahir's son). Qasim then fought Dahir at Raor (near modern day Nawabshah) in 712 AD, killing him. After Dahar was killed in the Battle of Aror on the banks of the Indus River, his head was sent to Hajjaj bin Yousuf. Muhammad Harris Alafi was also captured, however, since he refused to take part in the campaign against Qasim, he would later secure a pardon from the Caliph.
In this series you will know all the details about his Origin early life career Relations with the caliphs & his Death and legacy.
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