The celebrated poet Amir Khusrau was a contemporary of many Delhi Sultanate rulers. He was contemporary of all the following except which one of these sultans?

Introduction / Context:
Amir Khusrau is one of the most important literary and cultural figures of the Delhi Sultanate period. He was a poet, musician, historian, and courtier who served several sultans. Because he lived through the transition from one ruling house to another, he is often used in questions about timelines of Delhi Sultanate rulers. This question asks which ruler among the options was not his contemporary, which means that ruler had already died before Amir Khusrau was born or active.

Given Data / Assumptions:
We are given a list of sultans: Alauddin Khalji, Ghiyasuddin Balban, Iltutmish, and Jalaluddin Khalji, with an additional plausible ruler included as an option. Amir Khusrau is known to have lived from about 1253 to 1325. We assume that the standard chronology of Delhi Sultanate rulers is known, including their approximate dates of reign. Our goal is to identify which ruler belongs to an earlier period so that he could not have been a contemporary of Khusrau.

Concept / Approach:
The main concept is to match Amir Khusrau's life span with the reigns of different sultans. Iltutmish ruled from the early part of the thirteenth century and died in 1236, well before Khusrau was born. Ghiyasuddin Balban ruled later and Khusrau served in his court. Jalaluddin Khalji and Alauddin Khalji ruled during the late thirteenth and early fourteenth century, and Khusrau is famous for his works written during their time. Therefore the ruler who died before Khusrau's birth and could not be his contemporary must be Iltutmish.

Step-by-Step Solution:
Step 1: Note that Amir Khusrau lived approximately from 1253 to 1325. Step 2: Recall that Iltutmish died in 1236, earlier than Khusrau's birth. Step 3: Remember that Ghiyasuddin Balban ruled between about 1266 and 1287, which overlaps with Khusrau's lifetime. Step 4: Recognise that Jalaluddin Khalji and Alauddin Khalji ruled in the late thirteenth and early fourteenth centuries, a period when Khusrau was very active. Step 5: Conclude that Iltutmish is the only ruler listed who could not have been contemporary with Amir Khusrau.

Verification / Alternative check:
A quick timeline check strengthens this conclusion. Khusrau wrote about the reigns of Balban, Jalaluddin Khalji, and Alauddin Khalji in his works. Standard history sources clearly mention that he served in their courts. By contrast, Iltutmish is discussed in those same sources as an earlier ruler of the Slave dynasty, with his death recorded long before Khusrau's life. Since there is no overlap between 1236 and 1253, Iltutmish cannot be considered a contemporary of Amir Khusrau.

Why Other Options Are Wrong:
Alauddin Khalji is wrong because Amir Khusrau was very much present during his reign and wrote about his conquests and policies. Ghiyasuddin Balban is incorrect as an answer because Khusrau served him and is believed to have started his courtly career under Balban. Jalaluddin Khalji is also wrong because Khusrau continued his court life during Jalaluddin's rule. Nasiruddin Mahmud, when included as an extra option, still belongs to a timeframe that overlaps with Khusrau and is mentioned in chronicles of that era.

Common Pitfalls:
Students sometimes loosely treat all Slave dynasty rulers as belonging to the same broad period and may forget the exact sequence of events. They also may assume that anyone associated with early Delhi Sultanate culture could somehow be linked to Iltutmish. To avoid this confusion, it is helpful to memorise a simple chronology of the Slave and Khalji dynasties and to note a few anchor dates such as the death of Iltutmish and the birth year of Khusrau. This way they can quickly eliminate options that fall outside the poet's lifetime.

Final Answer:
The ruler who was not a contemporary of Amir Khusrau was Iltutmish.