For the first time in India, land was systematically divided into different categories for revenue assessment by taking into account the quality of soil and its productive capacity during the reign of which ruler?

Introduction / Context:
This question focuses on the evolution of land revenue administration in medieval India. A major development was the systematic classification of land into different categories based on quality and productivity, which allowed the state to assess revenue more rationally. Understanding which ruler first introduced such a system helps you trace the roots of later, more refined revenue settlements under the Mughals.

Given Data / Assumptions:

• The issue is land classification for the purpose of revenue assessment.
• The classification took into account both the quality of land and its productive capacity.
• The question specifies that this was done for the first time in India in a systematic way.
• The options include Alauddin Khalji, Sher Shah Suri, Firuz Shah Tughlaq, Akbar and Muhammad bin Tughlaq.

Concept / Approach:
The key concept is the administrative legacy of Sher Shah Suri, who ruled for a short period in the mid sixteenth century but introduced many lasting reforms. He reorganised land revenue administration by measuring land, classifying it according to fertility, and fixing a fair share for the state based on average produce. Akbar, with his finance minister Todar Mal, later developed a more elaborate system on similar lines, but Sher Shah is widely credited with pioneering such systematic classification and assessment. Therefore, when a question asks about the first time land was divided into categories for revenue using quality and productive capacity, the answer points to Sher Shah Suri.

Step-by-Step Solution:
Step 1: Recall the main administrative reforms of Sher Shah Suri, including roads, sarais, coinage and land revenue improvements.Step 2: Recognise that he introduced regular land surveys and classification of land according to fertility and crop yield.Step 3: Understand that Akbar and Todar Mal later refined this system into the famous Dahsala or Zabti system, but they built on the earlier foundations laid by Sher Shah.Step 4: Compare the reigns of Alauddin Khalji and the Tughlaqs, who had important revenue measures but are not specifically noted for first systematic land classification.Step 5: Select Sher Shah Suri as the correct answer.

Verification / Alternative check:

Why Other Options Are Wrong:

• Alauddin Khalji: Introduced strict revenue demands and market control, but he did not pioneer the specific kind of land classification described.
• Firuz Shah Tughlaq: Known more for irrigation works and concessions than for the first systematic land categorisation.
• Akbar: Played a major role in perfecting land revenue administration, but he followed and refined earlier experiments of Sher Shah.
• Muhammad bin Tughlaq: Attempted several innovations, many of which failed; he is not credited with this specific reform.

Common Pitfalls:
Students often confuse the pioneer with the perfectionist. Because Akbar and Todar Mal are so strongly associated with Mughal revenue systems, some candidates select Akbar when they see words like land classification and productivity. The safe approach is to remember that Sher Shah Suri came slightly earlier and laid the groundwork that Akbar later improved. Thus the first systematic classification belongs to Sher Shah, while Akbar is known for refinement and expansion.

Final Answer:
The first systematic division of land into categories for revenue assessment based on quality and productive capacity was carried out during the reign of Sher Shah Suri.