During the Mughal days, the society in Punjab was divided into two major sections, the Hindus and Muslims. The Muslims who formed the ruling class of the day was the 'favored children of the state, and the Hindus constituted the general masses.
The Hindus :
The Hindus were regarded as Zimmer and paid a special tax called jizya simply because they were Hindus. They could get exemption from this tax only by embracing Islam. They ha also have to pay pilgrimage tax for visiting their own religious places.
But the worst thing was that the Hindus were divided into high castes, low castes, and untouchables(Sudras). The caste rules and the rules governing th relations between the various castes laid down in the Shastras were not strictly followed. Some Brahmans followed the occupations of the Kshatriyas and some Sudras took up the functions of Kshatriyas, that of ruling and fighting. As the Brahmans could not earn enough by scholarly pursuits, the new smritis laid down that they could pursue agriculture through hired labor, and in times of special distress, they could themselves cultivate the fields. Although the common practice was to marry in one's own caste, inter-caste marriages were not unknown.
The Brahman, quite submissive to his Muslim neighbor, was tyrannical to his Sudra brothers. The hatred of the higher castes with the lower castes is best depicted by Nam Dev, who was pushed out from a temple, where only high castes could worship.
The Muslim Society :
The Muslim population was divided into three sub-divisions are :
- the upper class
- the lower-middle class
- the slaves
The upper class consisted mostly of soldiers of foreign origin and men of the pen. The men of the sword were graded into Khans, Maliks, Amirs, siahsalas, and satchels. The men of the pen were mostly non- Turkish foreigners or their descendants. They supplied recruits to the clerical, educational, and religious services. The most important section in this group was ecclesiastics or theologians, who were called the Ulama. These were clergymen, teachers, and judges who exercised considerable influence on the government and the Muslim society's rank file.
The lower middle class of the Muslim society consisted of artisans, shopkeepers, clerks, and petty traders. The lowest class of the Muslims consisted of slaves, eunuchs, servants, and beggars. Every king and noble and every well-to-do man, whether in state service or business, kept many slaves and retainers in their courts or harems.
Muslims were essentially city people. They disliked village life. Although their main professions were those soldiers and civil officers in state service, some were engaged in trade and commerce. They were employed as artisans because artisans were the first to be converted to Islam and employed by the conquerors. The converted Muslim population consisted mostly of Hindus of low castes admitted into the aristocracy of the conquerors and were not admitted into the aristocracy of the conquerors and were not given a share in their social and economic privileges.
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