Q. “Raziya was endowed with all the qualities befitting a king, but she was not born of the right sex”. Who is credited with these lines?
(a) Al Beruni
(b) Amir Khusrau
(c) Minhaj Siraj
(d) Ibn Battutah
Ans: (c) Minhaj Siraj
Explanation: The lines “Raziya was endowed with all the qualities befitting a king, but she was not born of the right sex” are credited to (c) Minhaj Siraj.
Minhaj Siraj, also known as Minhaj-i-Siraj, was a Persian historian and chronicler who lived during the 13th century. He is best known for his work “Tabaqat-i-Nasiri,” a historical account of the Delhi Sultanate from the time of Muhammad of Ghor until the reign of Nasiruddin Mahmud.
In his work, Minhaj Siraj mentions the exceptional qualities of Raziya, who was the daughter of Sultan Iltutmish and became the Sultan of Delhi from 1236 to 1240. However, Minhaj Siraj also expresses the sentiment that Raziya’s rule was hindered by the fact that she was a woman, stating that she was not born of the right sex to be a king. These lines reflect the prevailing biases and challenges Raziya faced as a female ruler during that era.
