Muhammad Ghori is considered the founder of the Muslim state in India, but who is considered the founder of an independent Muslim state in India?
While Muhammad Ghori opened the path for Muslim rule in India, Qutbuddin Aibak is credited with founding the first independent Muslim state—the Delhi Sultanate—in 1206. After Ghori’s death, Aibak declared independence and ruled from Delhi and Lahore. His rise formally marked the beginning of sovereign Muslim political authority in India. ANSWER: (B) Qutbuddin Aibak
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Muhammad Ghori’s military campaigns laid the groundwork for Muslim political expansion in India, but he ruled from Ghazni, not India. After his death in 1206, his loyal slave and general Qutbuddin Aibak became the effective ruler of the conquered Indian territories. Rather than submitting to rival Ghurid nobles, Aibak declared independence and established his own authority, marking the birth of the Delhi Sultanate. He shifted the political centre to Delhi and Lahore organised administration, distributed Iqtas and began landmark construction projects like the Qutub Minar. His reign represents the formal establishment of an autonomous and enduring Muslim state in India.