Palai James - Great Muslim Scholar and Traveller Ibn Battuta

Prior to reaching lndia, Ibn Battuta had travelled through most of the known Muslim world at that time : N. Africa, E. Africa, West Asia and the Central Asia. It had been nearly an eight year long journey from Tangier (1325) to Delhi (1333).

He had heard about Muhammad bin Tughlaq, the Sultan of Delhi. The latter was renowned as the wealthiest man in the Islamic World at that time. Ibn Battuta was lured by the Sultans reputation as a generous patron of arts and letters. He patronised various scholars, Sufis, qadis, viziers and other noted persons in order to consolidate his rule. We know that the Turkish warriors had conquered, a century earlier, the Hindu farming people of India and established the Sultanate of Delhi. The Muslim Sultans were not safe. They faced continuous opposition from various sources including the Mongol invasion from Central Asia. But the armies of Muhammad bin Tughlaq in Delhi had chased them back across the Indus River.

The Sultan was impressed by his scholarship on the strength of his years of study in Mecca. Ibn Battuta was appointed the qazi or judge of Delhi by the Sultan. He found it difficult to enforce Islamic laws beyond the Sultans court in Delhi, due to lack of Islamic appeal in India. He visited many places. Upon his arrival in Sind, he saw rhinoceros living on the banks of the Indus.

Muhammad bin Tughlaq was an erratic, eccentric and a crazy ruler. In spite of being whimsical, he was described as very bright, learned and good in calligraphy. He could debate legal and religious issues. But his some disastrous decisions tarnished his image. Ibn Battuta spent several years in that position in the court of the Sultan. He began living the high life of a trusted subordinate and then falling under suspicion of treason for a variety of offences. He was thrown into prison. Once the misunderstanding was cleared, Ibn Battuta was again restored to imperial service. Realizing the uncertainty of his stay in the Sultans court, he planned to leave India on the pretext of taking another Hajj. It was not to be. Instead, he was ordered in 1342 to proceed to China as the Sultans envoy or ambassador to the Mongol ruler (Yuan Dynasty) of China. Ibn Battuta readily accepted this new job as he was waiting for an opportunity to get away from the Sultan and visit new lands.

With the new assignment, he proceeded to the Malabar coast in Kerala. From there, he went to Maldives where he served as the Qazi for some time. He visited Sri Lanka; went once more to the Malabar coast and then returned to Maldives. He now resumed his mission to China.. On the way, he visited Bengal and Assam. He took a ship to Sumatra and then another ship for the Chinese port of Quanzhou. On the way, he visited the Malay Peninsula, Vietnam, Philippines and many other lands.