Q. & A. 711 to 1707 with solved Papers css 1971 to date

The Change of Language of Administration
When Abdul Malik consolidated the much distracted Muslim Empire under his reign, he desired uniformity in the administration. In Persia most of the crucial administrative posts were occupied by the Persians, in Syria by the Greeks and in Egypt by the Copts. Most of these administrators were non-Muslims. Arabic was the language of the Bedouins, and, as such, had not yet possessed the terms necessary for running the administration of a huge civilized empire. IVlost of the Caliphs and their Governors thought and the foreigners

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Political and Cultural History of Islam

saw to it that they so thought that the administration could not be carried on in Arabic.
It is due to the genius of the great intellectual al-Hajjaj, that this apparently insurmountable difficulty was mastered. One day he saw one Salih bin Abdur Rahman, a clerk in his office, writing both in Arabic and in Persian. He observed him and went away. It struck Salih that al-Hajjaj might make him supersede his superior, Zadan Farrukh. He conveyed his apprehension to Zadan who haughtily replied that al-Hajjaj stood in greater need of al-Hajjaj as no one else could carry to the work. Saiih said that he could convert the registers into Arabic. Zadan asked him to try a few lines. Salih accomplished the task marvelously well. Zadan wanted to make sure if Salih’s genius had been really noticed by al-Hajjaj. So he asked Salih to pretend to be ill. Salih did as directed by his boss. Al-Hajjaj immediately sent his own physician to treat the rising genius. At Zadan’s behest, Saiih did not take any active step to further attract the attention of al-Hajjaj. In t!’«e wars connected with the revolt of IbnulAsa’ath, Zadan Farrukh was killed as a civilian casualty. Thereupon al-Hajjaj made Salih secretary in the place of Zadan. Saiih was offered 100,000 dirhams by the interested to change the language of the registers. Salih did not take the bait. He accomplished the difficult task in 87 A.H. and earned the gratitude of the entire Arab community. But he met wiih a ver> tragic end under Yazid. The man incharge of the Syrian Diwan in the days of Mu’awiya was Sarjun (Sergius) bin al-Mansur the Greek, and he was followed by his son al-Mansur. The man who translated the Syrian Diwan from Syriac to Arabic was Sulayman bin Said, Karibu-r Rasail. This translation made in the days of Wai id. The Diwan of Egypt was translated into Arabic in 87 A.H. by Ibn Yarbu’ at-Fazari of Hims during the reign of Walid. Thus ail the records of the Government were translated into Arabic, and the language of Arabia became the medium of administration throughout the Muslim Empire. In spite of this change, Persians, Greeks, and Copts were not completely excluded from the administration. They picked up Arabic and continued in the service of the Government in large numbers,4
4 Muhammad Arsliad, Islamic History. P 154
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