Najib Khan's "Islam in Danger" Argument (June 1760)

Marathi History Book Reading Session Summary

The Geographic Situation

June 1760:

• Bhau crossed Chambar River
• Already monsoon season had begun
• Rivers were flooded

The Problem:

• Chambar is relatively small river
• Goes east-west, meets Narmada
• Even small river was flooded
• Armies traditionally don't fight during monsoon

Why Bhau Couldn't Wait:

• No option to postpone
• Had to get there now
• Action was immediate
• Couldn't relax or delay

Bhau's Plan

The Strategy:

• Cross Yamuna River
• Get into the Doab (between Ganga and Yamuna)
• Reach town of Etawa
• Etawa was Maratha stronghold in Doab
• Only one they controlled
• That's where battle would likely happen

The Challenge:

"But nature has to cooperate."

Bhau Waits for Commanders

Why He Stopped:

• Camped on northern banks of Chambal
• Waiting for commanders to join him
• Started with big army from Patadur
• But other Maratha armies supposed to join along the way

Who He's Waiting For:

• Important commanders with knowledge of the area
• People who fought with Abdali's armies before
• Would understand situation better
• Would add to his strength

Bhau's Disadvantage:

• Spent most career in the south (the Dakan)
• Relatively unaware of northern politics
• Knew generally who was who
• But hadn't dealt with these players for any length of time
• Malharrao Holkar still hadn't joined him
• Malharrao was still near Delhi outskirts

Why Malharrao Was Important:

• Had fought with Abdali's army
• Could give feedback on their tactics
• Knew politics of north extremely well
• Had been based there
• His knowledge was crucial

Najib Khan Arrives at Kanauj

The Race:

• While Bhau was crossing Chambal
• Najib Khan had arrived in town of Kanauj
• That's where Suja-ud-Daula had camped

Bhau's Problem:

"Bahu was running behind because already Suja Udola was being met by Najeeb Khan. And he's still hundreds of miles away, presumably."

Najib Khan's Offer to Suja

What Abdali Promised (in writing):

1. Wazir position for Suja-ud-Daula
2. Bring Shah Alam II back to throne as reigning Mughal monarch

Who Was Brought:

"Suja Udola was brought by Abdali with the permission of the Prime Minister and Shah Alam II to Delhi."

Why Suja Would Care:

• Shah Alam II might be more favorable
• More cooperative with Suja's goals
• More "kinder, gentler" to him
• Current guy on Mughal throne was not preferred
• Wanted Shah Alam II instead

Suja's Response: Unimpressed

What Suja Did:

"Suja was not affected by any of this. On the contrary, he showed the letter of the brother to Nazim."

Suja's Argument:

• So what?
• Bahu also promising exact same thing
• What's new?
• Showed Najib Khan Bahu's letter
• Why would I go with you?

The Reality:

• Both sides fighting for him
• Both promising whatever he wanted
• Suja was very important
• Both knew it

Najib Khan's Devastating Counter-Argument

The Accusation

Najib Khan's Response:

"This is all fake promises. It has no fracture. Their real intention of the Marathas is to make sure they keep in control the Muslims of the North."

The Historical Context

The Reality:

• Northern India effectively in control of Muslim power for long time
• Muslims were the ruling class
• Vested interest in maintaining this
• 400-500 years of Islamic control

Najib's Framing:

"This is not the fight between Afghans and non-Afghans, not between Afghans and indigenous powers within India. This is about Muslims versus non-Muslims."

The Core Argument

What Najib Said:

• This is about preserving Islamic control of Northern India
• Been there for 400-500 years
• Marathas want to destroy Muslim influence
• Their real objective: root out Islam from Northern India
• What they're promising is "just pure theatre"
• Has no content, no reality

The Challenge:

"If you do side with Sadashiv Rao Baud, then you are helping to root out Islam from Northern India. And then you will be blamed for that."

Suja's Previous Thinking vs. New Frame

What Suja Thought Before:

• "I'm a Shia"
• "This guy (Abdali) is Sunni"
• "My father and Abdali had fights"
• "This guy is outsider"
• "How do I trust him?"

Najib's Reframe:

"Islam khatre me hai" (Islam is in danger)

The New Frame:

• This isn't about Shia vs Sunni
• This isn't about trusting outsiders
• This is about Muslims being evicted
• Muslims have been in power 4-5-6 hundred years
• Marathas (upstarts) want to completely root out Muslim power
• Do you want to be part of that?

Why This Argument Worked

The Evidence Was Real

Maratha Expansion:

• Marathas were making inroads in northern India
• Holkar and Shinde armies positioned there
• Mughal Empire had steadily weakened

Who Weakened the Mughals:

• Partly Afghans and Iranians
  • Nadir Shah (1739)
  • Abdali himself
  • Been looting and raiding Delhi
  • Raiding prosperous areas
• Partly Marathas
• Outside powers equally important in routing out Mughals

The Decline:

• Aurangzeb's time: everyone afraid of Mughal armies
• They controlled every facet of life
• Now: with another Maratha leader or two, might just get rid of Mughals entirely
• Take over completely

The Cultural Threat

Islam Itself Being Rooted Out:

• Not just about Mughal Empire (that was already gone)
• Mughal Emperor's power only felt in Delhi
• Near Red Fort where he lived
• Outside Delhi: nobody cared about him
• Couldn't exercise power
• Not feared anymore

The Deeper Fear:

• Not allowed to practice religion
• Muslim clergy declining
• Muslim schools declining
• Islamic culture on decline overall

The Funding Problem

Why It Mattered:

• Mughal Emperor traditionally provided funds to:
  • Islamic schools
  • Mosques (building)
  • Islamic priests (salaries)
• Without money: their numbers dwindle
• Can't provide protection either
• Can be attacked by Holkar, Shinde, whoever

The Cow Slaughter Example

The Raghunath Rao Incident

What Happened:

• When Raghunath Rao was there
• Right in front of his camp
• They were slaughtering a cow
• Raghunath Rao tried to stop it

Najib's Interpretation:

"We have our God-given right to slaughter cows. Who are you to tell us not to?"

The Implication:

• If Raghunath Rao or Maratha power exercises control
• Will say "we are Hindus, cannot allow cow slaughter"
• To Najib Khan: "Islam is in danger"
• "This is our birthright to slaughter cow on the street"
• Why would we be told not to?

The Logic:

"That is the way our religion, our way of life is in danger."

Their Mindset:

• Thought it was their birthright to do whatever they wanted
• So far had been doing it
• Now being told not to
• Therefore: Islam in danger

Why Suja Couldn't Deny It

The Truth:

"That statement Suja could not deny because it was true."

What He'd Seen:

• Mughal Empire itself weakening
• Previous decades: couldn't reinforce Muslim clergy
• Couldn't reinforce Muslim schools
• General Islamic culture in decline
• Not just military power (definitely had declined)
• But along with that: Muslim cultural infrastructure crumbling

Suja's Position:

• Could not say "you are talking rubbish"
• Had seen it himself
• That was generally what was happening anyway

The Stakes

What This Meant:

• Najib appealing to Suja-ud-Daula as fellow Muslim
• Using religious identity over political interests
• Suja had to decide:
  • Muslim side?
  • Hindu side?
  • Or stay neutral?

The Framing Success:

• Changed from political calculation
• To religious/civilizational conflict
• From "who offers better deal"
• To "which civilization will you defend"

Key Players

Timeline

Geographic Details

Chambar River:

• Goes east-west
• Meets Narmada
• Narmada goes to Gujarat
• Then to Arabian Ocean
• Even small river was flooded in monsoon

The Doab:

• Area between Ganga and Yamuna
• Where Abdali was positioned
• Where battle would likely happen

Etawa:

• Town in the Doab
• Maratha stronghold
• Only one they controlled
• Bhau's destination

Kanauj:

• Town where Suja-ud-Daula camped
• Where Najib Khan met him
• Hundreds of miles from Bhau's position

Major Themes

1. The Race Against Time

Bhau's Disadvantage:

• Stuck crossing flooded rivers
• Waiting for commanders
• Hundreds of miles away
• While Najib already there with Suja

The Implication:

• Proximity matters
• Being there in person > letters
• Najib had the advantage

2. The Power of Reframing

Political Frame (didn't work):

• Who offers better deal?
• Who can deliver promises?
• Suja: both promising same thing, so what?

Religious Frame (worked):

• Islam itself in danger
• 500 years of Muslim rule ending
• Civilizational stakes
• Can't deny the evidence

3. The Shia-Sunni Divide (Overcome)

Suja's Original Objection:

• I'm Shia, Abdali's Sunni
• Can't trust him
• My father fought him

Najib's Answer:

• Not about Shia vs Sunni
• About Muslim vs non-Muslim
• About Islam's survival
• Bigger than sectarian differences

4. The Historical Reality

Why Argument Worked:

• Based on observable facts
• Mughal power was declining
• Muslim institutions were weakening
• Maratha power was expanding
• Cultural changes were happening

The Evidence:

• Mughal Emperor powerless outside Delhi
• Muslim schools/clergy declining
• No funding for Islamic institutions
• Marathas restricting practices (cow slaughter)

5. The Short-Sighted Weakening

Who Weakened Mughals:

• Abdali himself (raids, looting)
• Nadir Shah (1739 devastation)
• Other Afghans and Iranians
• Also Marathas
• Irony: Abdali now claiming to defend what he helped destroy

The Political Calculation:

• Abdali partly responsible for Mughal weakness
• Now using that weakness as reason for Suja to join him
• Classic political manipulation

6. The Birthright Mentality

The Cow Slaughter Issue:

• Not just about practice
• About who has right to decide
• Muslims: "God-given right"
• Marathas: "We're Hindu, no cows"
• Really about: who rules?

The Deeper Question:

• If Marathas can stop cow slaughter
• What else can they control?
• Way of life itself at stake
• Not just political power = cultural dominance

7. Bhau's Southern Background (Weakness)

The Problem:

• Spent career in the south (Dakan)
• Didn't know northern politics
• Didn't know these players
• Needed Malharrao (who wasn't there yet)

The Disadvantage:

• Fighting on unfamiliar terrain
• Against someone (Najib) who knew everyone
• Who understood local dynamics
• Who could deploy local arguments

8. The Timing of Nature

Monsoon Season:

• Armies don't traditionally fight then
• Soil soggy
• Rivers block movement
• Can't easily cross
• Not good time for war

But Bhau Had No Choice:

• Had to move now
• Couldn't wait for better weather
• Action was urgent
• "The action was now"

The Fighting Season:

• Typically started after monsoon
• Late October or mid-October
• After Sankrant festival
• But Bhau couldn't wait that long

Critical Insights

The "Islam in Danger" Formula

Why It's Powerful:

• Appeals to identity over interests
• Makes conflict existential
• Not about money or power
• About survival itself
• Can't be negotiated away

How Najib Deployed It:

1. Started with political promises (didn't work)
2. Shifted to religious frame
3. Pointed to real evidence
4. Made it about civilization
5. Put burden on Suja: "Which side?"

Why Suja Couldn't Refute:

• The evidence was real
• He'd seen the decline
• Couldn't call it rubbish
• Had to take it seriously

The Propaganda Technique

Najib's Method:

• Mix of truth and exaggeration
• Real decline (true)
• • Maratha intentions (assumed)
• • Religious framing (strategic)
• = Powerful argument

The Omissions:

• Doesn't mention Abdali's own role in weakening Mughals
• Doesn't mention his raids and looting
• Doesn't mention Afghan outsider status
• Just frames as defender of Islam

The Cultural Control Question

What Was Really at Stake:

• Not just military power
• Not just political control
• But cultural dominance
• Who decides:
  • What practices are allowed?
  • What gets funded?
  • Who gets protected?
  • What religion dominates public space?

The Schools and Clergy:

• Needed imperial funding
• Without it: decline inevitable
• This was already happening
• Najib just made it explicit

The Proximity Advantage

Why Najib Won This Round:

• Right there with Suja
• Could make argument in person
• Could gauge reactions
• Could adjust approach
• Bhau: hundreds of miles away
• His letters: just paper

The 800 Pound Gorilla:

• Abdali's army nearby
• Physical presence matters
• Hard to say no to someone right there
• Especially with army backing him

Bhau's Structural Disadvantages

Geographic:

• Stuck crossing rivers
• Monsoon flooding
• Far from action
• Can't get there fast enough

Informational:

• Doesn't know northern politics
• Waiting for commanders who do
• Malharrao still not there
• Fighting blind essentially

Temporal:

• Najib got there first
• Already making his case
• Bhau playing catch-up
• Time working against him

What's Coming

The Situation:

• Najib made his argument
• Suja heard it
• Can't deny the evidence
• But also has Bhau's promises
• Both offering same political deal
• But Najib offering civilizational frame

The Questions:

1. Will Suja join Abdali?
2. Stay neutral?
3. Join Marathas despite "Islam in danger"?
4. Can Bhau counter this argument?
5. Will Malharrao arrive in time?
6. How long to cross Yamuna when they get there?

The Stakes:

• If Suja joins Abdali: becomes Hindu vs Muslim
• If stays neutral or joins Marathas: remains Afghan vs Indian
• The framing itself matters as much as the outcome

June 1760: While Bhau struggles to cross a flooded Chambar River during monsoon season, hundreds of miles away Najib Khan sits with Suja-ud-Daula and deploys the nuclear argument: "Islam khatre me hai" — Islam is in danger. It's not about Shia vs Sunni. It's not about trusting Afghans. It's about 500 years of Muslim rule ending. It's about Marathas controlling whether you can slaughter a cow on your own street. It's about schools closing, clergy disappearing, culture dying. And Suja can't say he's wrong, because he's seen it happening. The evidence is everywhere. Mughal power gone. Muslim institutions crumbling. Maratha influence rising. Both sides promise the same political deal. But only one side offers to save your civilization. And that side is right there, 100km away with an army, while the other side is stuck crossing a flooded river in the rain, waiting for commanders who haven't arrived yet. The race isn't even close.