Administrative and economic reforms of Firoz Shah Tughlaq.
What steps did Firoz Shah Tughlaq take to strengthen the Sultanate?
How reasonable is it to call Firoz Shah Tughlaq the "Akbar of the Sultanate"?
How reasonable is it to call Firoz Shah Tughlaq the "predecessor of Akbar"?
Firoz Shah Tughlaq (1351 - 1388 AD) :-
Firoz Shah Tughlaq ascended the throne in 1351 AD at the age of 46. After that, he took many reformative steps to secure his throne and strengthen the Sultanate. The administrative and economic reforms taken by Firoz Shah Tughlaq are discussed below.
(A) Establishment of the ideal of religious monarchy:-
Since Firoz's mother was a Hindu woman and Firoz himself was not a military strategist, he established the ideal of religious monarchy immediately after ascending the throne. He gave importance to the Ulema and Sharia in the administrative system; gained the recognition of the Caliph and declared himself the "servant of the Caliph".
(B) Policy regarding the nobles and Ulema:-
Firoz Shah Tughlaq abandoned the policy of the previous sultans towards the nobles and Ulema as soon as he sat on the throne. Since Firoz sat on the throne with the support of the nobles, he was especially careful to satisfy the nobles. He reintroduced the jagir system, distributed a lot of wealth among the nobles, and removed the surveillance of spies from the Ulema and the nobles.
(C) Economic Reforms:-
When Firoz Shah Tughlaq ascended the throne, the economic situation of the Delhi Sultanate was in a state of collapse. So, he took some special steps to improve the economic situation. Like -
(i) He freed the people from all the debts given by his predecessor.
(ii) He waived all kinds of taxes during times of famine, epidemic etc.
(iii) He abolished twenty-four types of illegal taxes.
(iv) He paid compensation for the previous wrong plans.
(v) He was vigilant in ensuring that no additional taxes were collected from the subjects except the prescribed taxes.
(vi) By withdrawing intra-provincial duties, he made it possible for free trade to move throughout the empire.
(D) Revenue Reforms:-
Firoz Shah Tughlaq levied four types of taxes mentioned in the Quran. All other types of taxes were prohibited except these four types of taxes. These four types of revenue were -
(i) Kharaj or land tax.
(ii) Khamsa or one-fifth tax on plundered goods and minerals.
(iii) Jizyah or tax levied on non-Muslims.
(iv) Zakat or charity. Zakat was collected only from Muslims and was spent on religious works.
(E) Steps taken for the improvement of agriculture:-
For the improvement of irrigation system and agriculture, Firoz Shah Tughlaq took several steps. For example -
(i) To improve the agricultural system, he dug Firoz Khanal and made irrigation easier. He dug a total of five important irrigation canals - such as - Yamuna to Hisar, Sutlej to Gharghara, Gharghara to Firozabad - etc.
(ii) Apart from the irrigation canals, he dug one hundred and fifty wells.
(iii) He dug many ponds.
(F) Jagir and Currency Reforms:-
The policy of giving jagirs instead of salaries to government employees and soldiers was adopted. At this time, the system of jagirdari became hereditary. In terms of the monetary system, Firoz Shah Tughlaq adopted a completely new monetary policy. Daily life became easier when low-value coins like jital, half-jital, coin-jital etc. were introduced. He made the monetary system reliable by introducing pure gold and silver coins.
(G) Administrative and Military Reforms:-
Firoz Shah Tughlaq made many reforms in the administrative and military fields with the aim of building a strong and centralized administrative system. For example -
(i) Jagirs were given instead of salaries to soldiers and employees.
(ii) The standing army established by Alauddin Khalji was disbanded and more importance was given to the provincial army.
(iii) The 'Dagh' and 'Hulia' systems introduced by Alauddin Khalji were abolished.
(iv) The hereditary system was introduced in the army.
(v) Alauddin Khalji used to examine every soldier and his horse every year. But Firoz Shah Tughlaq abolished this system.
Needless to say, the Sultanate military force became weak and corrupt due to the above measures.
(H) Public welfare activities of Firoz Shah Tughlaq:-
Firoz Shah Tughlaq was most notable for his public welfare activities. He took many steps for the welfare of the people. For example -
(i) He dug many irrigation canals, reservoirs and wells for the development of agriculture.
(ii) He tried to solve the problem of unemployment by establishing employment agencies.
(iii) He established many charitable hospitals for free treatment and medicine for the poor.
(iv) He formed a separate department called Diwan-e-Khairat to help orphans, destitute widows, Sufi saints, dervishes, fakirs and other people.
(v) He formed another department called Diwan-e-Istihaq to provide financial assistance to capable and enterprising people.
(vi) He built about 50 dams and 30 reservoirs for the development of agriculture.
(vii) He established many maktabs and madrasas to spread education. He also built about 30 colleges.
(viii) He spent money from the treasury to patronize scholars.
(ix) He built about 150 bridges to improve the communication system.
(x) He built many cities. He built about 200 cities. For example - Firozpur, Firozabad, Hisar - etc.
(xi) He adopted the policy of renovating and preserving the constructions of previous sultans.
(xii) He built numerous gardens and factories.
Akbar of the Sultanate era / Akbar's predecessors: -
Henry Eliot and Elphinstone have called Firoz Shah Tughlaq the "Akbar of the Sultanate era". Basically, his public welfare activities made him popular. His noble soul can be identified through these activities. Through his public welfare measures, agriculture improved, the problem of drinking water was solved, education spread, scholars were patronized, and many cities were founded. From the point of view of humanity, he was the best Sultan of the Delhi Sultanate.
But Dr. Ishwari Prasad and Dr. Ramesh Chandra Majumdar are not willing to call Firoz Shah Tughlaq the predecessor of Akbar. According to them, firstly - Firoz Shah never adopted progressive policies like Akbar;
secondly, Akbar adopted a liberal attitude towards the Hindus and gained their support and established the Mughal Empire on a solid basis, while Firoz, although he did not oppose the Hindus, imposed a tax on them and did not try to gain their support;
thirdly, Akbar built an efficient centralized government with the help of his organizational talent, but Firoz's governance structure was based on a weak foundation;
Fourthly, Akbar established a pan-Indian empire and made himself acceptable to everyone, but Firoz's focus was centered on Delhi.
However, despite all this, it can be said that Firoz Shah Tughlaq is famous for his reforms and public-welfares in the 300-year history of the Delhi Sultanate. Although he was not Akbar's equal, there is no doubt that his reformist measures were for the welfare of the people.
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