Tārīkh-e Fīrūz Shāhī

work by Baranī

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July 14, 2026

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The Tārīkh-e Fīrūz Shāhī is a historical work written by Ziyā al-Dīn Baranī in 1357. Baranī was the first known Muslim to write a history of India. He served as a boon companion to Sultan Muḥammad ibn Tughluq for 17 years in Delhi.1

Baranī's history covers the period from Ghiyāṣ al-Dīn Balban to Fīrūz Shah Tughluq. It is a didactic work that outlines the duties of an Indian sultan towards Islam. Baranī believed that rulers who followed his guidelines for good Islamic governance prospered, while those who deviated failed. His work is based on hearsay and his personal experiences at court.1

It is important to note that the Tārīkh-e Fīrūz Shāhī is distinct from Tārīkh-e Fereshteh, a later chronicle by Firishtah that covers Indo-Muslim rulers from the 10th century.2

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Ẕiyāʾ al-Dīn Baranī
…Baranī in 1357 wrote the Tārīkh-e Fīrūz Shāhī (“History of Fīrūz Shāh”), a didactic work setting down the duties of the Indian sultan toward Islam. In his Fatawā-ye jahāndārī (“Rulings on Temporal Government”), influenced by Sufī mysticism, he expounded a religious philosophy of history that viewed the events in the…
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…Baranī in 1357 wrote the Tārīkh-e Fīrūz Shāhī (“History of Fīrūz Shāh”), a didactic work setting down the duties of the Indian sultan toward Islam. In his Fatawā-ye jahāndārī (“Rulings on Temporal Government”), influenced by Sufī mysticism, he expounded a religious philosophy of history that viewed the events in the…
Read More