Editing Muslim conquests of Afghanistan (section)

=====Invasions of Ghur=====

[[File:MuhammadibnSuriPaintingHistoryofIran.jpg|thumb|300px|Painting of [[Muhammad ibn Suri]] (white-haired) with his men by [[Rashid-al-Din Hamadani]]]]

The conversion of Ghur occurred over a long period and it was mostly pagan until the 10th century, which [[Mohammad Habib]] and [[Khaliq Ahmad Nizami]] say was probably a result of the missionary activities by the [[Karramiyya]] movement established in the region in 10th–11th centuries. Its imperfect conversion is visible by the fact that while the people of Ghur had Muslim names, they led the life of pagans. Muhammad b. Suri, who had acknowledged Sabuktigin as his sovereign, withheld tribute after his death, started plundering caravans and harassed the subjects of Mahmud.<ref name=Nab/> [[Rawżat aṣ-ṣafāʾ]] called him a pagan, and al-Utbi stated that he was a Hindu.<ref>[https://books.google.com/books?id=xd5VonTOppMC&dq=al+otbi+ghor+hindus&pg=PA161] Page 161 from "E.J. Brill's First Encyclopaedia of Islam 1913–1936"</ref>

In 1011, Mahmud dispatched an expedition to conquer Ghur under Altuntash, governor of [[Herat]], and Arslan Hajib, governor of [[Tus, Iran|Tus]]. Muhammad b. Suri, the king, placed himself in inaccessible hills and ravines. The Ghurids were however defeated and Suri was captured along with his son Shith. [[Abu Ali ibn Muhammad|Abu Ali]], who had remained on good terms with the Sultan, was made the ruler of Ghur by him. Eastern Ghur was brought under Ghaznavid control.<ref name=Nab>{{cite book|url= https://books.google.com/books?id=lodSckjlNuMC&pg=PA179|title= History of Civilizations of Central Asia – Volume IV, Part I|publisher=Motilal Banarsidass|editor1=M. S. Asimov|editor2=C. E. Bosworth|page=179|isbn= 9788120815957|year= 1992}}</ref> In 1015, Mahmud attacked Ghur's southwestern district of Khwabin and captured some forts.<ref name=Nizami>{{cite book|title=A Comprehensive History of India: The Delhi Sultanat, A.D. 1206–1526|publisher=[[Orient Longmans]]|year=1970|page=147|editor=[[Mohammad Habib]], [[K. A. Nizami]]}}</ref>

In 1020, Mahmud's son [[Ma'sud I of Ghazni|Ma'sud]] was dispatched to take Ghur's northwestern part called Tab. He was helped by Abul Hasan Khalaf and Shirwan, chieftains of the south-western and north-eastern regions respectively. He captured many forts, bringing the entire region of Ghur, except maybe the inaccessible interior, under Ghaznavid control.<ref name=Nizami/> He also captured the stronghold of the chieftain Warmesh-Pat of Jurwas, levying a tribute of arms.<ref>{{cite book|title=The Medieval History of Iran, Afghanistan, and Central Asia|pages= 142|publisher=Variorum Reprints|year=1977|author=Clifford Edmund Bosworth|author-link= Clifford Edmund Bosworth}}</ref> Minhaj al-Siraj Juzjani praises Abu Ali for firmly establishing Islamic institutions in Ghur. The progress of Islam in this divided region after his death is however unknown.<ref>{{cite book|title=The Medieval History of Iran, Afghanistan, and Central Asia|pages= 138, 149|publisher=Variorum Reprints|year=1977|author=Clifford Edmund Bosworth|author-link= Clifford Edmund Bosworth}}</ref>

Ghur remained a pagan enclave until the 11th century. Mahmud who raided it, left Muslim precepts to teach Islam to the local population. The region became Muslim by 12th century, though the historian [[Satish Chandra]] states that [[Mahayana Buddhism]] is believed to have existed until the end of the century.<ref name= "Satish2">{{cite book|url= https://books.google.com/books?id=L5eFzeyjBTQC&pg=PA22|title= Medieval India: From Sultanat to the Mughals-Delhi Sultanat (1206–1526) – Part One|publisher=Har-Anand Publishers|author=Satish Chandra|page=22|author-link= Satish Chandra|isbn= 9788124110645|year= 2004}}</ref> Neither Mahmud nor Ma'sud conquered the interior. Habib and Nizami say that the Ghurids were gradually converted by propagandists of new mystic movements. The Shansabani eventually succeeded in establishing their seniority in Ghor, if not its unification. By the time of [[Bahram-Shah of Ghazna|Sultan Bahram]], Ghur was converted and politically unified.<ref name=Habib>{{cite book|title=Politics and Society During the Early Medieval Period: Collected Works of Professor Mohammad Habib|pages= 141|publisher=People's Publishing House|year=1977|author=Clifford Edmund Bosworth|author-link= Clifford Edmund Bosworth}}</ref> According to Minhaj, both [[Ghiyath al-Din Muhammad|Ghiyasuddin]] and [[Muhammad of Ghor|Mu'izzuddin]] were Karamis who later converted to [[Shafi‘i]] and [[Hanafi]] Islam respectively.<ref>{{cite book|title= A Comprehensive History of India: Volume Five – The Delhi Sultanat (A.D. 1206–1526)|publisher=People's Publishing House|editor=[[Mohammad Habib]], [[Khaliq Ahmad Nizami]]|page=150}}</ref> ''[[Tarikh-i guzida]]'' however says that the Ghorids were only converted to Islam by Mahmud.<ref>Tarikh -I-Guzida of Hamdu-lla-Mustaufi. Page 65 from ''The History of India told by its own Historians H M Eliot and Dowson'' Volume 3</ref>