PRESENTATION ON WOMEN OF THE SULTANATE

To start my presentation, I have done my research in a horizontal streak in terms of history tracing. What I
mean by that is, before assessing women’s rights and conditions during the period of the sultanate, I have also
tried to understand their treatment offered in the holy book of the Quran, since Islam was the reigning religion
during the time of the sultanate, which acts as a major influence over any kind of ruling empire.

We know that the status of women in Islamic society has been affected by Islam and the patriarchal system,
and naturally, there has been a debate following it regarding whether Islam supports or oppresses
women. Now, this was not carried out as a means to harm or allege something other than pure
research. Also, at the time I started writing about this topic, it felt natural to start with the foundation of the
Islamic regime, which I considered to be the religion. Nothing else than that. Now, continuing, The Quran
contains mixed messages about the position of women in Islam, emphasizing their equality in religious duty
but also containing observations and injunctions that are hard to reconcile with the concept of equality. The
Qur’anic regulations on matters important to women, such as marriage, divorce, and child custody,
discriminate against women, allowing men to have a sexual license forbidden to women. But the issue of
women and Islam is charged with emotion and paranoia, making it difficult to engage in any kind of rational
debate. There are proponents of Islam who argue that it has expanded women's rights, while others blame
Islam for the oppression of women.

However, in my conclusion of this sub-topic, I have found the Quran to be two documents in one: one that
remains eternal and unchanging, while the other is conditional and adjusted to social circumstances. The main
point is that in this context, the actual role of the Qur’an in patriarchalism is of secondary importance, for the
real problem for women is patriarchalism itself, which will exploit any opportunity it perceives to legitimise its
objectives, which is traceable in every religion’s history down to its core facts. I just hope nobody sues me
over this, because that happens a lot these days!

Alright, now the next course of action is to trace the women's conditions in a bottom-to-top way. Hence,
starting with the proletariat women, I have categorised the works that women used to do in no
apparent order, although. The women who were involved as spies proved to be a boon to the royal court when
they acted as state informers, informing the Sultan about the minute details of the day-to-day development of
the Sultanate. Along with that, they also ran shops and sold commodities in the market. They were also
exempted from paying jizya, or the religious tax (since the Muslim jurists required adult, free,
sane males among the dhimma community to pay the jizya while exempting women,
children, elders, handicapped, the ill, the insane, monks, hermits, slaves, and musta'mins—non-Muslim
foreigners who only temporarily reside in Muslim lands)

Regarding the permissibility of music, Muslim jurists have different views. The orthodox school prohibits it,
while liberal thinkers allow it. Muslim rulers in medieval India were very fond of music, and dancing and
singing were especially popular forms of entertainment; hence, women were often hired as performers in
royal courts and trained in different art forms. Festivals and public fairs were organised, which showcased the
essential life of the community, wherein women played a significant role during these events. Mention of the
beautiful bazaar of the time, Tarababad, has also been made, as in turn mentioned by Ibn Batutta during his
travels.

As we are well aware, no study of the life and conditions of women in India during medieval times is complete
without a reference to female slavery. It has been seen that women and children were special targets for
enslavement throughout the medieval period. The slave trade was a very profitable business. There was a
presence not only of Indian slaves but rather a diversity in their origins—Chinese, central Asian, Caucasian,
African, etc. Though abominable, the slave trade had become quite lucrative, and therefore the training and
education of a slave in arts and crafts, no matter whether male or female, was considered a good investment.
Slave women did much of the household work; however, there were two kinds of female slaves. Those
employed for domestic and menial work and others who were brought for the company of their masters under
various forms of concubinage. They could be bought and sold like other commodities and great variation in
their prices was seen due to their nature, beauty, charm, and talent. Besides, there was another regulation
later on that if a slave girl or a concubine of a person had fled away, the administrator of royal affairs should
find them out and restore them to their rightful owner. Additionally, the Sultans of Delhi considered slaves
among the most valuable goods to be utilized in the form of gifts as a diplomatic tool for appeasement.
Therefore, on one occasion, Nasir-ud-din Mahmud gave forty slaves to Sultan Balban. Thus, in the Sultanate
economy, female slaves played an indispensable role and thus could not be kept secluded. There was always
scope for accommodating them in every sphere by allowing them to work under a veil. Their intelligence and
efficient services often enabled them to get emancipation from slavery on various occasions. Question for sir:
Whether there was theatre during the Muslim empire.

Elaborating on The institution of public women was quite active during the Sultanate period. Prostitutes and
courtesans were a crucial source of entertainment and an important profession too. The kings made them an
attraction for their cities, a bait of pleasure for their subjects, for none other than financial reasons. By
generating revenues, which they derived from the business both as fines and taxes, they wanted to recover
the expenses that their treasury had to spend on the army. To improve the moral values of society, it is
said that during the reign of Sultan Alauddin Khalji, he took measures to stop this abominable profession, and
prostitutes had to be lawfully married. Further, some sort of registration was officially done, without which
these women were forbidden to carry out trade in flesh.

The oriental rulers had a large harem, which was a significant segment of the royal household. Large expenses
were incurred to maintain luxury in these quarters. The harem of the Sultans comprised the mother of the
Sultan, his wives, sisters and daughters, concubines, and slave girls. Some of them were daughters of
important nobles or chiefs. Those legally married were few; the number of others was often very large. Some
royal ladies enjoyed high prestige and were endowed with high titles such as Malika-i-Jahan, Makhduma-i-
Jahan, etc. A fascinating feature of the Delhi Sultans' harem existence was their marriage-based alliances with
the royal family, which served to bolster their power. These marriages seem to have been driven by a
diplomatic desire to use their selected contacts with the ruling house as a means of keeping tabs on their
rivals. The women of the royal household enjoyed a privileged position, and sometimes they were able
to change the course of events. Therefore, we intend to analyze their role. Historians of the modern era
mention Khudavanda-i-Jahan Shah Turkan as the first powerful woman of the Sultanate of Delhi. She
was originally a slave girl of Turkish origin, purchased by Iltutmish. She rose to the status of the chief queen of
Sultan Iltutmish because of her beauty and qualities.

An ambitious lady, possessing intelligence and ability, she took over the reins of government in her own hands
after the death of her husband and began to exercise power indirectly under the mask of her son, Ruknuddin
Firoz, who had become neglectful of his duties owing to his overindulgence in pleasure. The influential phase
of Shah Turkan demonstrates that women in the Delhi Sultanate could be powerful. They were able to change
the course of events and win the nobles to their side. She also became influential in the political arena because
of her son’s incompetence. Like Shah Turkan, the Hindu women of princely background also assumed the role
of regent when their son was a minor king. Hence, the influence of the royal harem in the political sphere
during the Sultanate period varied according to their personality, family connections, political situation, and
the character of the Sultan. Those who were successful in manipulating the situation in their interest or the
interest of their sons had to depend on the support of men. Through their tact, intelligence, and diplomacy,
they often strengthened the Sultanate. But sometimes, impelled by their ambition, intriguing nature, and self-
seeking nature, their participation in political issues created more problems for the Sultanate.