The Muqaddam Represented in the pre-Mongol Persian Documents from Ghur

Abstract

This paper addresses the Muqaddam, or the village headman, the relevant fiscal department, and the process of tax collection as represented in pre-Mongol Persian documents found recently in the Ghur region in present day Afghanistan. It argues that “Muqaddam” was the title used for a village notable associated with the fiscal department called the Diwān al-Ikhtiyārī. The Muqaddam collected the ʿushr, or the state's shares of harvests as prescribed under Islamic law. The tax is collected only in the presence of the Muʿtamid, who is the Diwān's trusted agent. Tax collection followed the Diwān's issuance of an edict termed ḥukm-i tafṣīl, which detailed the instructions given to the Muqaddam. The analysis in this article highlights the Ghurid aspect of the Muqaddam's role, which was previously unknown. This is due in part to the scarcity of primary sources about his roles; in part because the Muqaddam mentioned in the medieval north Indian Persian literature overshadowed discussion on the Muqaddam. By analysing the Ghurid documents, this paper thus argues “Muqaddam” was a term specifically used in the Ghur region in a particular agricultural context.