Originally posted by: gatheringstorm
Khilji was not a fanatical Muslim zealot. He was a tyrant and a brutal one at that but most people mistake that for religious zeal. It is very well known that he along with Mohd Bin Tughlaq and Iltutmish to an extent were the only Delhi Sultanate rulers who tried to curb the power of the ulemas. He also followed a policy of separating religion from state and appointment on merit. He even stopped religious gifts to Muslims like inam and took away the waqf lands as well.Now all of this was not driven by a liberal secular outlook but a desire to strenghten his coffers, so that he could fortify Delhi and garrison his north western outposts to defend his empire from Mongol invasions. He was almost obsessive in his militarism to the point that all his reforms and all his conquests were driven by a desire to become militarily undefeatable. He was imperialistic in his outlook and was even called sikander-i-sani as his desire was to to be an all conquerer like Alexander.
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