Causes Of Arab Invasion Of Sindh

[Xeric]

1. The Sindh (were) sided with Makran when the Muslims attacked it and conquered it by defeating the joint army of Sindh and Makran. It caused hostility between Muslim government and Sindh government.

2. Due to strict policy of Hijjaj and the governor of eastern provences, some anti- Hijjaj elements took refuge in Sindh. Dahir not only allowed a Muslim chieftain to take refuge who had murdered a Muslim governor of eastern province (Iraq), but also gave him an important position in his army.

3. Sindh had been a part of the Sasanid Empire of persia which was now captured by the Muslims, so Muslim considered Sindh a part of their empire.

4. One of the Causes of the Muslims invasion of Sindh was thier religious goal. Propagation of Islam was the first and foremost duty of Khalifa as well as the other Muslim.All Muslim Khalifas had been acting upon the policy of Expansionism either for spread of Islam or for wordly gains.

5. The Arabs having trade relations with India knew that India was a rich country. Therefore, the allurement of wealth through conquest was one of the reasons of thier attack on Sindh.

6. Another reason might be the unpopular regime of Raja Dahir whose policies were oppressive especially towards the down trodden sections of the society. The oppressed classes of Sindh were thus seeing towards the Muslims as emancipators and the Muslims who were entrusted by God with the duty to fight against oppression all over the world and to establish a just society, were ready to help the people of Sindh with Qasim against the local ruler was the proof of thier feelings about the Muslims.

7. The period of Walid-bin-Abd ul Malik might be called the period of conquests. It was during this time that Spain and many parts of Africa and Central Asia were brought under the Muslim rule. So the conquest of Sindh may be called the part of general expansionist policy of Walid and mainly Hijjaj, the governor of eastern provinces.

8. Immediate causes of the conquest of the Sindh was the plunder of the gifts of Ceylon’s ruler to Hijjaj by pirates of Sindh. When Hijjaj asked Dahir for compensation, the later refused on the ground that he had no control over those sea-pirates. This behaviour of Dahir influriated Hijjaj and he decided to attack Sindh.He persuaded Caliph who was reluctant to allow the expedition.The first two expeditions under Ubadullah and Budain failed. Family, Hijjaj made extensive preparations to attack Sindh and sent a powerful army under the command of Muhammad bin Qasim in 711 A.D.