Muntakhab al-tawarikh 124.1

124.1

He was of the tribe. His ancestors came to Sultanpur and settled there. He was one of the greatest sages of his time, and had not his equal in this age, especially in his knowledge of Arabic, Quranic exegesis, scholastic theology, history, and all those branches of learning which depend upon the exercise of the memory. He has left wonderful compositions, worthy of himself, the best known among them being the books known as ‘Ismat-i-Anbiya and Sharhu Shama'ili-n-Nabi (may God bless and save him!). From the Emperor who now has his resting place in paradise (scil. Humayun) he received the title of Makhdumu-’l-Mulk, and also that of Shaikhu-l-Islam. He always strenuously exerted himself to enforce the holy law, and was a bigoted Sunni. Owing to his exertions many heretics and schismatics went to the place prepared for them. He used, owing to his extreme bigotry, to aver of the third volume of the Rawzatu-l-Ahbab that it was not the work of Mir Jamalu-’d-din the traditionist. In the year in which Gujarat was conquered and while Maulana ‘Abdu-’llah possessed great honour and dignity as agent of the exalted Court in Fathpur, I, who had just then returned from my journey to the Panjab, went in company with Shaikh Abu-’l-Fazl, who had not yet entered the Imperial service, and Haji Sultan of Thanesar to see Makhdumu-’l-Mulk.