Inter-faith marriages in India especially Hindu-Muslim marriages are often riddled with unique communal controversies like Love Jihad, forced religious conversions, etc.
Inter-community marriages have been problematic since ancient times with people often making it a matter of their honor and prestige.
There have been cases of communities fighting to death to protect their womenfolk from rival communities, invaders and castes they considered inferior and low-status.
In the framework of Hindu-Brahmanical scriptures, beliefs and practices, all Muslims whether natives or foreigners occupy a very low and mean status perhaps even lower than Bahujan communities (lower & backward caste Hindus) who make over 80% of all Indians.
Muslims have been repeatedly referred to as “Malechhyas” i.e. impure and untouchables by Brahmins. Even the Guru Granth Sahib of Sikhs has referred to this degrading word for Muslims on few occasions.
However, in Medieval India one can also find many pompous Hindu-Muslim marriages between the ruling classes.
And an analysis of these stately marriages shows that at least some ruling classes of those times were not averse to entering inter-faith marital alliances for diplomatic and political gains.
Bahmani Sultan and Princess of Vijayanagar
The Vijayanagar empire ruled South India for over two centuries from 1336 to 1646 CE.
Its rulers often entered into wars with the Bahmani Sultanate in the North for the control of the extremely fertile and resourceful Krishna-Tungabhadra doab region in today’s Karnataka.
Both sides have been recorded to have committed horrific abuses and barbarities in the course of the war (Satish Chandra).
For instance, in 1367 CE, when Bukka I of Vijaynagar attacked a Bahmani fortress of Mudgal, he slaughtered the entire garrison, except one man (Chandra).
50 years later, however, Bahmani Sultan Firoz Shah defeated king Devrai I of Vijayanagar.
And Devrai not only paid war indemnity but also agreed to marry his daughter to the Bahmani Sultan.
This marriage between Bahmani Sultan and the Hindu princess of Vijayanagar was celebrated with great ostentation.
According to noted historian Satish Chandra “when Sultan Firoz Shah Bahmani arrived as a bridegroom near the gates of Vijayanagara, the king Deva Rai personally welcomed him with a show of great splendor.”
“The royal palace was situated at a distance of ten kilometers from the city gates and this whole stretch was rolled with costly carpets knitted with gold, velvet, satin, and other expensive materials.”
“The two monarchs then rode on horseback together from the center of the city square accompanied by their relatives. Prominent persons joined the cavalcade, marching on foot before the two kings.”
The marriage festivities are reported to have lasted for several days. Finally, the king gave a major portion of the Tungabhadra Doab region under his control including the Bankapur fort to the Sultan as a dowry gift to rule out all future conflicts between the two states over the Tungabhadra region.
Bahmani Sultan and Princess of Kherla
Next in line comes the Raja Narsingh Rai of Kherla. He was the Gond ruler of central India who reportedly unified the whole Gondwana into one political entity.
He opposed the Bahmani Sultanat’s expansion towards Berar. But in the ensuing war, he was defeated by the Bahmani forces and forced to surrender.
Like Deva Rai I of Vijayanagar Empire, he also sought to enter into a marital alliance with the Bahmani Sultan. Thus, the princess of Kherla was married to Sultan Firoz Shah Bahmani.
Later on, this beautiful princess became the queen consort of the Bahmani Sultanate.
It is reported that King Narsingh Rai of Kherla also gave 40 elephants, 5 maunds of gold, and 50 maunds of silver to the Sultan as a gift and war indemnity.
In return, the Sultan not only restored his kingdom to him but also made him an honored Amir of his kingdom by bestowing him with regal robes of the state and an embroidered cap (Chandra).
Sultan Alauddin Khilji and Kamla Devi
Next, the case of Sultan Alauddin Khilji of the Delhi Sultanate and Queen Kamla Devi of Gujarat is quite interesting and controversial at the same time.
In 1298, Delhi attacked Gujarat which was at that time ruled by a Vaghela Rajput King Karan Dev II.
The king with his daughters escaped the assault and took refuge in the court of king Ramchandra Dev of Devagiri but his queen Kamla Devi was captured by the Khilji forces and sent to Delhi.
While some historians say that she was treated with respect, others allege that the Sultan forcibly married her.
We do not know if this was a forced marriage but the Queen reportedly exercised great influence over the Sultan and allegedly persuaded him to bring back her daughter Deval Devi from Devagiri.
Khizr Khan and Dewal Devi
Ten years after the Gujarat campaign, Alauddin sent a powerful expeditionary force to Deccan under the command of Malik Kafur (a Maratha convert to Islam).
As a result, Kafur was able to not only subdue Devgiri but also bring back the lost Vaghela princess to Delhi.
In a pompous ceremony, Dewal Devi was married to Khizr Khan, the crown prince and eldest son of Sultan Alauddin Khilji.
The defeated ruler of Devagiri, Raja Ramchandra Dev was, however, treated honorably by the Khilji forces.
After some time, the Sultan not only restored his dominions to him but also conferred on him the title of ‘Rai Rayan’ (possibly Shahanshah or King of Kings).
As a token of friendship, the Sultan also gave him a gift of one lakh tankas along with a golden canopy as a symbol of rulership.
Moreover, he was also given some portions of Gujarat. The king in return married one of his daughters to the Sultan.
According to Satish Chandra, this alliance with Rai Ramachandra proved to be of great value to Alauddin in his further campaigns in the Deccan.
Unfortunately, after the death of Alauddin, a series of misfortune befell Queen Dewal Devi. Her husband Khizr Khan was murdered by his brother and married her but he was also murdered later.
In a brutal war of succession, therefore, this “cultured and high-born Hindu Rajput princess was passed from hand to hand amongst a series of ambitious, power-hungry men” who all wanted to consolidate their rule by marrying her (Mehta).
Sultan Ghiyasuddin and Princess of Jammu
Sultan Ghiyasuddin Zainul Abidin (1420-70) is considered by many to be one of the most famous and respected rulers of Kashmir.
Whereas his predecessor Sultans were quite orthodox who allegedly oppressed the Brahmins, he is known for his liberal policies on matters of religion and public welfare.
He married two Hindu princesses both being the daughters of the Maharaja of Jammu. They were mothers to his sons and successors.
Many policies of the Sultan appear to have been influenced by these Hindu princesses as he took extreme steps (maybe to appease them or Brahmins) in the form of abolition of the jizya tax on non-Muslims.
He even ordered the withdrawal of the ban on Sati (a system where women were burnt to death on the funeral pyre of their husbands) imposed by earlier Sultans and prohibition of cow slaughter.
He also gave permission to those Hindus who had accepted Islam under duress earlier to revert to Brahmanical customs.
Rajput converts to Islam
Though Sultan Firoz Shah Tughlaq of Delhi Sultanate is often presented as a bigot Muslim ruler by many historians, the governor he appointed to Gujarat was so liberal that a Persian traveler by the name of Farishta blamed him for promoting Brahmins and encouraging idols worship.
After him, Zafar Khan was made the new governor of Gujarat. Zafar Khan’s father “Sadharan” was a Rajput convert to Islam who was much honored by Sultan Firuz Tughlaq.
After the death of Firoz Tughlaq, Zafar Khan declared independence and became the 1st Sultan of Gujarat in 1407 AD under the title of Muzaffar Shah.
During his reign, many of his Hindu Rajput relatives and numerous other tribes and communities in Gujarat converted to Islam. According to historians, Gujarat achieved political stability and great prosperity under Shah’s rule.
Later, one of his successors Ahmad Shah founded the city of Ahmadabad which is today a commercial hub of Gujarat State of India.
Sultan Mahmud and Rathore Princess
Rao Maldeo Rathore was the ruler of Jodhpur, Rajasthan from 1511 to 1562 CE. Farishta (a Persian traveler and historian) has referred to him as “one of the most potent ruler of Hindustan”.
He had fought in the battle of Khanwa against Babur and, therefore, was rewarded heavily by the Afghans when they regained their sovereignty after ousting the Mughal Emperor Humayun in the battle of Chausa.
Rao Maldev also entered into marital alliances with several prominent Muslim personalities of that time.
He married one of his daughters princess Kanaka Bai to Sultan Mahmud of Gujarat whose ancestors were Hindu Rajputs and had converted to Islam under the reign of Firoz Shah Tughlaq.
He married his other daughter princess Lal Bai to Islam Shah Suri, the scion of Sher Shah Suri and the crown prince of Delhi Sultanate.
Raja Bhar Mal of Jaipur also betrothed his elder daughter to Haji Khan Pathan, the ruler of Alwar.
Mughals and Hindu Princesses
Mughal Emperors also had a long tradition of marrying Hindu Rajput princesses since the time of Akbar.
The marriage of the Mughal Emperor with Princess Harka Bai (later became famous as Mariam-uz-Zamani) of Amber is well known and also depicted in the famous Bollywood movie Jodha-Akbar and, therefore, does not need much elaboration.
She was also the mother of Jahangir, the next Mughal Emperor who succeeded Akbar.
Jahangir and Jagat Gosai
Jahangir also married a Hindu Rajput princess Jagat Gosai (later became famous as Bilqis Makani),
Jagat Gosai was the daughter of Rana Uday Singh of Marwar (Jodhpur) in 1585 CE.
Satish Chandra writes that “unlike the dola form of earlier marriages, the bridegroom’s party went to the Maharana’s palace in a Baraat (wedding procession), and many Hindu-Brahmin rituals were observed”.
Rajput princesses were treated with respect in the Mughal household and often became the Empress consort of the Mughal Empire. Their sons also went on to become powerful Sultans and Emperors.
Interestingly, some of the most orthodox Muslim rulers of India like Firoz Tughlaq and Aurangzeb also happened to have Rajput and Hindu bloodline at least from their mother’s side.
Shahjahan and his Rajput Wives
Mughal Emperor Shah Jahan whose mother was a Rajput princess continued his ancestral tradition of marrying into Hindu Rajput families
He entered into marriage alliances with a number of notable Rajput dynasties of Amber, Jodhpur, Jaisalmer, and Bikaner, etc.
The Rajput rulers of these houses were bestowed with great honors in the Mughal Empire and often topped the list of Mansabdars with the highest ‘Sawars’.
Even during Aurangzeb’s rule, Mughal armies were commanded by Rajput rulers like Mirza Raja Jai Singh.
Islamic Insights on Interfaith Marriages
Islam allows marriages between a Muslim male and a non-Muslim female if the latter sincerely reverts to Islam before marriage.
However the conversion to Islam is not necessary if the bride is one of the people of the Book i.e. a Jew or Christian (belief in one God and equality of Humankind).
Regarding the Hindu-Muslim marriages referred above, many of the Hindu princesses who married Muslims did convert to Islam but many others like Jodha Bai allegedly did not.
Worse, some even carried idolatry and notions of caste and racial superiority (eg Rajput Pride) even to Mughal households as their arrogant and idolatrous relatives gradually occupied high positions in Mughal court.
According to many Islamic scholars (like Ahmad Sirhindi, Iqbal & Maududi) all this also contributed to the eventual decline of Mughals who had already betrayed the cause of Islamic justice and equity in managing state & public affairs.
Finally, Islam insists on simplicity in marriage ceremonies and discourages such a scale of ostentatious display and show-off under which some of these marriages took place.
And they (servants of the Most Merciful) are those who, when they spend, are neither extravagant nor niggardly, but hold a just (balance) between those (extremes).
Al-Quran 25:67
And give the relative his right, and the poor and the traveler their rights, and do not spend wastefully. Indeed, the wasteful are brothers of the devils, and ever has Satan been to his Lord ungrateful.
Al-Quran 17:26-27
Let the rich man spend according to his means, and the man whose resources are restricted, let him spend according to what Allah has given him. Allah puts no burden on any person beyond what He has given him.
Al-Quran 65:7
A good manner of conduct, deliberation and moderation are a twenty-fourth part of prophecy.
Tirmidhi: 1311
Narrated Abu Musa Al-Ashari: Allah’s Apostle said, “If a person teaches his slave girl good manners properly, educates her properly, and then manumits and marries her, he will get a double reward. And if a man believes in Jesus and then believes in me, he will get a double reward. And if a slave fears Allah and obeys his masters, he too will get a double reward”.
Sahih-al-Bukhari, Volume 4, Book 55, Number 655
Narrated Anas: Allah’s Apostle manumitted Safiyya and then married her, and her Mahr was her manumission, and he gave a wedding banquet with Hais (a sort of sweet dish made from butter, cheese and dates).
Sahih-al-Bukhari, Volume 7, Book 62, Number 98
Works Cited
- Chandra, Satish. History of Medieval India: 800-1700. Orient BlackSwan, 2018.
- Mehta, Nandshankar Tuljashankar. Karan Ghelo. Penguin Books India, 2016.
- Farid, Malik Ghulam. The Holy Quran. Islam International, 1988.
- Bukhari, Muhammad ibn Ismail, and Muhammad Muhsin. Khan. Sahih Al-Bukhari: the Translation of the Meanings of Sahih Al-Bukhari: Arabic-English. Darussalam Pub. & Distr., 1997.
- Tirmidhi, Muhammad ibn Isa, et al. English Translation of Jāmiʻ at-Tirmidhī = Jāmiʻ Al-Tirmidhī. Darussalam, 2007.
