MEHRAN UNIVERSITY OF ENGINEERING AND TECHNOLOGY KHAIRPUR MIR’S

NAME: ZUBAIR AHMED

ROLL NO: K-19SW01
SUBMITTED TO: SIR JALIL AHMED CHANDIO
SUBJECT: PAKISTAN STUDIES
DATED: 6/25/2020
 ETYMOLOGY

The word Sindh is derived from the Sanskrit term Sindhu (literally meaning "river"), which is a reference to
Indus River. Reference: Phiroze Vasunia (16 May 2013), The Classics and Colonial India,
Oxford University Press, ISBN 978-01-9920-323-9
Southworth suggests that the name Sindhu is in turn derived from Cintu, the Proto-Dravidian word for date,
a fruit commonly found in Sindh. Reference: Southworth, Franklin.
The Reconstruction of Prehistoric South Asian Language Contact (1990) p. 228
The official spelling "Sind" (from the Perso-Arabic pronunciation ‫ند‬BB‫ )س‬was discontinued in 1988 by an
amendment passed in Sindh Assembly. Reference: "Sindh, not Sind". The Express Tribune. Web Desk. 12
February 2013. Retrieved 16 October 2015.
The Greeks who conquered Sindh in 325 BC under the command of Alexander the Great rendered it as
Indós, hence the modern Indus. The ancient Iranians referred to everything east of the river Indus as hind.
 HISTORY
• Sindh's first known village settlements date as far back as 7000 BC. Permanent settlements at Mehrgarh, currently in

Balochistan, to the west expanded into Sindh. This culture blossomed over several millennia and gave rise to the

Indus Valley Civilization around 3000 BC. The Indus Valley Civilization rivalled the contemporary civilizations of

Ancient Egypt and Mesopotamia in size and scope, numbering nearly half a million inhabitants at its height with

well-planned grid cities and sewer systems.

• The primitive village communities in Balochistan were still struggling against a difficult highland environment, a

highly cultured people were trying to assert themselves at Kot Diji. This was one of the most developed urban

civilizations of the ancient world. It flourished between the 25th and 15th centuries BC in the Indus valley sites of

Mohenjo Daro and Harappa. The people had a high standard of art and craftsmanship and a well-developed system

of quasi-pictographic writing which remains un-deciphered. The ruins of the well planned towns, the brick buildings

of the common people, roads, public baths and the covered drainage system suggest a highly organized community.

• Reference: "Archaeological Ruins at Moanjodaro". The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural

Organization (UNESCO) website. Retrieved September 6, 2014.

 ARRIVAL OF ISLAM AND THE MUSLIM
CONQUEST
• The connection between the Sindh and Islam was established by the initial Muslim missions during the Rashidun Caliphate. Al-
Hakim ibn Jabalah al-Abdi, who attacked Makran in the year AD 649, was an early partisan of Ali ibn Abu Talib. Reference:
MacLean, Derryl N. (1989), Religion and Society in Arab Sind, pp. 126, BRILL,

• During the caliphate of Ali, many Jats of Sindh had come under the influence of Shi'ism and some even participated in the
Battle of Camel and died fighting for Ali. Reference: S. A. A. Rizvi, "A socio-intellectual History of Isna Ashari Shi'is in India", Volo.
1, pp. 138, Mar'ifat Publishing House, Canberra (1986).

• Under the Umayyads (661 – 750 AD), many Shias sought asylum in the region of Sindh, to live in relative peace in the remote
area. Ziyad Hindi is one of those refugees. Reference: S. A. N. Rezavi, "The Shia Muslims", in History of Science, Philosophy and
Culture in Indian Civilization, Vol. 2, Part. 2: "Religious Movements and Institutions in Medieval India", Chapter 13, Oxford
University Press (2006).
• The conquest of Sindh, located in Pakistan, happened in stages. During the Caliphate of Omar ibn al Khattab
(r), Muslim armies approached the coast of Makran, but Omar (r) withdrew the troops in response to reports
of a harsh and inhospitable terrain. Emir Muawiya subdued eastern Afghanistan and the Northwest Frontier
areas. However, it was not until the reign of Walid I (705-713) that much of what is today Pakistan was brought
under Muslim rule.

• From pre-Islamic times, there was a brisk trade between the eastern coast of the Arabian Peninsula and the
western coast of India and Sri Lanka. Ships rode the eastern monsoons to the coast of Malabar and Sri Lanka to
pick up spices and returned home riding on the western monsoons. Spices were in great demand throughout
West Asia, North Africa and southern Europe and transactions were extremely profitable. This trade continued
to thrive and expand with the advent of Muslim rule in West Asia and North Africa. It was through these
merchants that Islam was first introduced into Kerala in southwestern India and Sri Lanka, located near the tip
of India.

• Reference: Taken from my notes.

• Sindh was notorious for its pirates in those times. These pirates would wait in ambush for merchant ships on the
coast of Sindh and would raid them for booty. In the fateful year 707, these pirates attacked one of the Muslim
merchant ships sailing back from Sri Lanka to the Persian Gulf. The men, women and children on board the ship
were captured and taken inland to Sindh, where the Raja imprisoned them. Due to shortage of river water in Sindh
Indus our agriculture is disturbed and Arabian Sea is occupying the space of Badin.

• Hajjaj bin Yusuf Saqafi was the Omayyad governor of Iraq. When reports reached him of this incident, he wrote to
Raja Dahir demanding that the captives be released and the responsible pirates punished. Dahir refused. This
refusal set the stage for the onset of hostilities. It was the responsibility of the Caliphate to protect its citizens and
to fight against injustice no matter what quarter it came from. Hajjaj bin Yusuf had that responsibility as a
governor representing the Caliph. He sent an expedition under Ubaidullah bin Binhan to free the captives but
Ubaidullah was defeated and killed in combat by troops of the Raja. Now America holds the power of Iran, Iraq
and Syria. But the Iran is doing his best.

• Reference: Self Written.

• In 711 AD, Muhammad bin Qasim led an Umayyad force of 20,000 cavalry and 5 catapults. Muhammad bin Qasim defeated the

Raja Dahir and captured the cities of Alor, Multan and Debal. Sindh became the easternmost State of the Umayyad Caliphate and

was referred to as "Sind" on Arab maps, with lands further east known as "Hind". Muhammad bin Qasim built the city of Mansura

as his capital; the city then produced famous historical figures such as Abu Mashar Sindhi, Abu Ata al- Sindhi, Abu Raja Sindhi and

Sind ibn Ali. At the port city of Debal, most of the Bawarij embraced Islam and became known as Sindhi Sailors, who were

renowned for their navigation, geography and languages. After Bin Qasim left, the Umayyads ruled Sindh through the Habbari

dynasty.

• In 712, Muhammad bin Qasim conquered the Sindh and Indus Valley, bringing South Asian societies into contact with Islam. Dahir

was an unpopular Hindu king that ruled over a Buddhist majority and that Chach of Alor and his kin were regarded as usurpers of

the earlier Buddhist Rai Dynasty,a view questioned by those who note the diffuse and blurred nature of Hindu and Buddhist

practices in the region,especially that of the royalty to be patrons of both and those who believe that Chach may have been a

Buddhist. The forces of Muhammad bin Qasim defeated Raja Dahir in alliance with the Hindu Jats and other regional governors.

• Reference: Nicholas F. Gier, FROM MONGOLS TO MUGHALS: RELIGIOUS VIOLENCE IN INDIA 9TH-18TH CENTURIES,

presented at the Pacific Northwest Regional Meeting American Academy of Religion, Gonzaga University, May 2006 [1]. Retrieved

11 December 2006.
 STEP TOWARD DEBAL

• After capturing Panjgore and Armabel, Muhammed bin Qasim advanced towards the port of Debal, which was
located near the modern city of Karachi. The Raja of Debal closed the city gates and a long siege ensued. Once
again, the means for offensive warfare proved to be more powerful than the means for defense, enabling the Arab
armies to continue their global advance towards military and political centralization. As was the pattern with Arab
conquests, the minjaniques threw heavy projectiles at the fort and demolished its walls. After a month, Debal fell.
The local governor fled and the Muslim prisoners who had been held there were freed. Now a days “Debal” Refers
as “Karachi” capital city of Sindh. The most populated and Commercial Area in Sindh Province. Before terror
attacks it was called city of lights.

• Reference: Self Written.

 CONQUEST OF SINDH

• The conquest of Sindh brought Islamic civilization face to face with the ancient Vedic civilization of the
Indo-Gangetic Plains. In later centuries, there was much that Muslim scholarship would learn from India
—mathematics, astronomy, iron melting-to name but a few subjects. (Muslim scholarship has focused
more on the interaction between Islam and the West and has neglected the interaction between Islamic
civilization and the East. This is a surprise considering that until the 18th century, there was little that the
West had to offer the more advanced Islamic civilization. The flow of knowledge was almost away from
Islam to the West. By contrast, the Muslims learned a great deal from India).

• Reference: Contributed by Prof. Dr. Nazeer Ahmed, PhD

 END OF MUHAMMAD BIN QASIM

• After the death of Caliph Walid I, the end of Muhammed bin Qasim was even more tragic than that of Musa bin
Zubair. Muhammed bin Qasim was a nephew of Hajjaj bin Yusuf, also known as Hajjaj the Cruel, the governor of
Iraq. The new Caliph Sulaiman had a personal dislike of Hajjaj but Hajjaj died before Sulaiman could punish him.
So, Sulaiman turned instead against Hajjaj’s relatives. Muhammed bin Qasim was dismissed and sent back to Iraq.
The new governor of Iraq, Saleh bin Abdur Rahman hated Hajjaj because the latter had killed Saleh’s brother. But
since Hajjaj had died, Saleh also turned against Hajjaj’s relatives. Muhammed bin Qasim was arrested and sent to
prison for no fault but that he was a nephew of Hajjaj. In prison, Muhammed bin Qasim was blinded, tortured
and killed. Thus ended the life of two of the most brilliant generals of the 8th century.

• Reference: Contributed by Prof. Dr. Nazeer Ahmed, PhD