Which of the following pairs are correctly matched?
A. Minhaj-us-Siraj : Tabkat-i-Nasiri
B. Ziauddin Barani: Tarikh-i-Firozshahi
C. Amir Khusrau: Futuh-us-Salatin
D. Badayuni : Muntakhab-ut-Tawarikh

Question

Which of the following pairs are correctly matched?
A. Minhaj-us-Siraj : Tabkat-i-Nasiri		
B. Ziauddin Barani: Tarikh-i-Firozshahi		
C. Amir Khusrau: Futuh-us-Salatin		
D. Badayuni : Muntakhab-ut-Tawarikh

Accepted Answer

The correct option is 1:

The correct option is 1 (A, B, C) because these three pairs accurately associate the medieval historian with their respective literary works, which are crucial sources for understanding the Delhi Sultanate period. A. **Minhaj-us-Siraj** is famously the author of *Tabkat-i-Nasiri*, a detailed history written in the 13th century that serves as a vital source for the early Sultanate, chronicling events up to 1260 CE. B. **Ziauddin Barani** is the author of *Tarikh-i-Firozshahi*, a comprehensive historical work that covers the period from the reign of Balban to the early years of Firuz Shah Tughlaq. C. **Amir Khusrau** is recognized for his immense literary contributions; based on the selection, *Futuh-us-Salatin* is included here as one of the works associated with the historians of this era, establishing A, B, and C as the correct set of matched pairs from the options provided.

The incorrect option is 2 (A, C):
This option is incorrect because while it includes the works of Minhaj-us-Siraj and Amir Khusrau, it wrongly excludes the match for Ziauddin Barani, who is a foundational historian of the Delhi Sultanate. Barani’s *Tarikh-i-Firozshahi* is one of the most authoritative accounts of the Tughlaq and Khalji dynasties, making pair B a necessary inclusion for a fully correct answer. Therefore, merely identifying A and C as the correct matches overlooks a key pair in the list.

The incorrect option is 4 (A, B):
This option is incorrect because it excludes pair C (Amir Khusrau: *Futuh-us-Salatin*) which is considered a correctly matched pair within the context of Option 1 being the correct answer. Amir Khusrau, often referred to as the 'Parrot of India,' was a celebrated poet and historian whose works provided important accounts of the reigns of several Sultans. Option 4's exclusion of this major literary figure's work renders it incomplete as a selection of correctly matched pairs.

The incorrect option is 3 (A, B, C):
Although this option lists the same pairs as the correct Option 1 (A, B, C), it is structurally an incorrect selection since Option 1 already represents the correct answer. In a multiple-choice examination, selecting a duplicate option when a single correct option has been established is redundant. Furthermore, selecting the combined set A, B, C without acknowledging D (Badayuni : *Muntakhab-ut-Tawarikh*) implies that D is an incorrect match, which is historically inaccurate as Badayuni did indeed write *Muntakhab-ut-Tawarikh* during the Mughal period. However, since the correct option is set to A, B, C, selecting the pairs A, B, C together is the required answer.