RAS question
The Quwwat-ul-Islam Mosque in Delhi, the first mosque built in India after the Islamic conquest, was constructed by which ruler?
Correct answer: (B) Qutb-ud-din Aibak.
Qutb-ud-din Aibak built the Quwwat-ul-Islam Mosque in Delhi, the earliest extant mosque associated with the Delhi Sultans.
Explanation
Qutb-ud-din Aibak is the builder because the Archaeological Survey of India's Qutb Minar page explicitly says that the Quwwat-ul-Islam Mosque, located north-east of the minar, was built by him and identifies it as the earliest extant mosque built by the Delhi Sultans. The mosque is attributed to Aibak, and its construction used material from demolished Hindu and Jain temples. The attribution matters because later rulers worked on the same Qutb complex: Iltutmish enlarged the mosque and added the arched screen, while Alauddin Khalji is associated with later additions such as the Alai Darwaza. The original construction, however, belongs to Aibak.
Why the other options are wrong
- (A) Iltutmish is linked with enlargement of the mosque and the later arched screen, so he was a contributor to the complex, not the ruler who built the original mosque.
- (C) Alauddin Khalji made later additions in the Qutb complex, including the Alai Darwaza, but the original Quwwat-ul-Islam Mosque is attributed to Qutb-ud-din Aibak.
- (D) Balban is not identified as a builder or later modifier of the Quwwat-ul-Islam Mosque.
Concept
This tests early Delhi Sultanate architecture and the chronology of monument-building in the Qutb complex. It recurs in RAS because patronage, firsts, and later additions are often used to separate closely placed Sultanate rulers.