The Institutes of Akbar 387: 159. Khwajah Shamsuddin Khawafi.

387

Khawafi means ‘coming from Khawaf,’ which is a district and town in Khurasan. Our maps have ‘haf’ or ‘Khaf,’ due west of Harat, between Lat. 60° and 61°. According to the Mu’jamulbuldán, “Khawaf is a large town belonging [at the time the author wrote] to the revenue district of Nishapur. Near it lies on one side Bishanj which belongs to the district of Harat, and on the other Zúzan. Khawáf contains one hundred villages and three towns (Sanqan, Sirawand, and Kharjard).” Amin Razi in his excellent Haft Iqlim says that the district of Khawaf is famous for the kings, ministers, and learned men it has produced. The dynasty called A’l i Muzaffar, of whom seven kings ruled for 59 years over Fars and Shiraz, were Khawafis. The author of the Zakhiratulkhawanin says that the people of Khawaf were known to be bigoted Sunnis. When Shah ’Abbas i Çafawi, in the beginning of his reign, came to Khawaf, he forced the inhabitants to abuse, as is customary with Shi’ahs, the companions of the Prophet (sabbi çihabah) ; but as the people refused to do so, he had seventy of the principal men thrown down from a Masjid. Although then no one was converted, the Khawáfis are now as stanch Shi’ahs as they were formerly bigoted Sunnis.
Khwajah Shamsuddin was the son of Khwajah ‘Alá uddin, who was a man much respected in Khawáf. Shams accompanied Muzaffar Khan (No. 37), his countryman, to Bihar and Bengal. At the outbreak of the Military Revolt, he was caught by the rebels, and Ma’çúm i Kábulí had him tortured with a view of getting money out of him. Shams was half dead, when at the request of ’Arab Bahadur he was let off and placed under ’Arab’s charge, who lay under obligations to him. But Shams eluded his vigilance, and fled to Singrám, Rajah of K’harakpur (Bihar). As the roads were all held by the rebels, Shams could not make his way to the Imperial army. He collected men, attacked the rebels, and carried off some of their cattle; and when some time after dissensions broke out among the mutineers, he found means to escape. Akbar received him with every distinction, and appointed him, in the same year (26th), to superintend the building of Fort Atak on the Indus, near which the Imperial camp then was.
After this, Shams was for some time Diwan of Kabul. In the 39th year, when Qulij Khan (No. 42) after the death of Qásim Khán (No. 59) was made Çúbahdár of Kabul, Shams was made Diwan of the empire (Diwán i kul), vice Qulij. When Akbar, in the 43rd year, after a residence of fourteen years in the Panjab, moved to Agrah, to proceed to the Dak'hin, the Begums with Prince Khurram (Shahjahan) were left in Lahor, and Shams was put in charge of the Panjab, in which office he continued, after Akbar’s mother had returned, in the 44th year, with the Begums to Agrah.
Shams died at Lahor in the 45th year (1008). The family vault which he had built near Bábá Hasan Abdal having been used for other purposes (p. 425), he was buried in Lahor in that quarter of the town which he had built, and which to his honour was called Khawáçpúrah.
He is said to have been a man of simple manners, honest and faithful, and practical in transacting business.
Like Shaikh Farid i Bukhari (No. 99), whom he in many respects resembles, he died childless.
His brother, Khwajah Mumin Khawafi, was made, on his death, Diwan of the Panjab. Mumin’s son, Abdul Khaliq, was a favourite of Asaf Khan IV. (p. 369). He was killed by Mahabat Khan, when Asaf had been removed by Mahabat from Fort Atak and imprisoned.