The Institutes of Akbar 325: 95. Sháh Muhammad Khán of Qalát.

325

As Qalát belongs to Qandahár, he is often called Sháh Muhammad Khán i Qandahárí. The Maásir says, that the name of the town of Qalát is generally spelt with a Q; but that the Hazárahs pronounce Kalát, with a K.
Sháh Muhammad Khán was a friend of Bairám, and was with him in Qandahár, which Humáyún had given Bairám as jágír. Bairám, however, left it entirely in S. M.’s hands. Bahádur Khán (No. 22) was then Governor of Dáwar, and had bribed several grandees to hand over Qandahár to him; but S. M. discovered the plot and killed the conspirators. Bahádur then marched against Qandahár. S. M. knew that he could expect no assistance from Humáyún, and wrote to Sháh Tahmásp of Persia that it was Humáyún’s intention to cede Qandahár; he should therefore send troops, defeat Bahádur, and take possession of the town. Tahmásp sent 3000 Turkmán troopers furnished by the jágírdárs of Sístán, Faráh, and Garmsír. Their leader, ’Alí Yár, surprised Bahádur and defeated him so completely, that Bahádur could not even keep Dawar. He therefore fled to India. S. M. had thus got rid of one danger; he treated the Persian Commander with all submissiveness, but would not hand over the town. Shah Tahmasp then ordered his nephew, Sultan Husain Mirza, son of Bahram Mirza (vide No. 8, p. 313), Wali Khalifah Shamlu, and others, to besiege Qandahar. The siege had lasted for some time, when Sultan Husain Mirza felt disgusted and withdrew. Tahmasp felt annoyed, and sent again Sultan Husain Mirza with ‘Ali Sultan, Governor of Shiraz, to Qandahar with positive orders to take the town. ‘Ali Sultan was shot during the siege, and Sultan Husain Mirza remained encamped before the town without doing anything. At this juncture, Akbar, who in the meantime had succeeded to the throne, ordered S. M. to hand over Qandahar to the Persians, according to Humayun’s promise, and come to India.
This account of the cession of Qandahar, observes the author of the Maasir, differs from Munshi Sikandar’s version in his great work entitled ’Alamara-i Sikandari. According to that history, Tahmasp, at the very first request of Shah Muhammad, sent Sultan Husain Mirza with Wali Khalifah and other nobles to Qandahar. They defeated Bahadur; but as S. M. would not hand over Qandahar, Tahmasp sent ’Ali Sultan with a stronger army, and appointed Sultan Husain Mirza governor of Dawar and Qandahar. Shah Muhammad held out for six months; but as he got no assistance from India, he capitulated, and withdrew to Hindustan.
Be this as it may, S. M. arrived in the end of the third year of Akbar’s reign in India, was made a Khan, and gradually rose to the rank of a Commander of Two Thousand. In the beginning of the 6th year (968), he led the van in the battle near Sarangpur, in which Baz Bahadur lost Malwah, and served, in the 9th year, in the war against ‘Abdullah Khan Uzbak (No. 14). In the 12th year, he was made governor of Kot’ha. In the 17th year, he was among the auxiliaries of Mirza ’Aziz Kokah, and was wounded in the battle of Patan (p. 396).
Regarding ’Adil Khan, S. M.’s son, vide below, No. 125.