Muhammad ibn Qasim al-Thaqafi

Muhammad ibn Qasim al-Thaqafi (ca. 75–98 AH / 695–716 CE) was the Umayyad general who conquered the Sindh and southern Punjab (in modern Pakistan) at the age of approximately seventeen, one of the youngest major commanders in Islamic military history. He was a cousin of al-Hajjaj ibn Yusuf, who appointed him to lead the Indian campaign in 711 CE.

His campaign began from Makran on the western coast and moved through Debal (near modern Karachi), defeating the forces of Raja Dahir, the Hindu ruler of Sindh. He conquered the cities of Nirun, Sehwan, Brahmanabad, Multan, and the Punjab over a remarkably swift three-year campaign. His administration reportedly followed the dhimma model — Hindu and Buddhist temples were protected, local administrators were retained, and religious practice was generally permitted under the terms of surrender.

The conquest of Sindh opened the Indian subcontinent to Islam for the first time. It introduced Islam to a region that over subsequent centuries would become home to hundreds of millions of Muslims — Sindh, Punjab, Bengal, and eventually the entire Indian subcontinent. Muhammad ibn Qasim's campaign is thus historically significant as the beginning of Islam's presence in South Asia.

He was recalled and executed in 98 AH when Caliph Sulayman ibn Abd al-Malik came to power and systematically removed and punished all of al-Hajjaj's clients and appointees. He was killed at approximately twenty-three years of age, having accomplished one of the most consequential military campaigns in Islamic history. He is remembered as a figure of both extraordinary military talent and tragic early death.