Muntakhab al-tawarikh 32.2
Muntakhabu-t-tawārīkh (Ranking, Lowe, Haig) 32.2
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32.2.1
In the kitchen of love, they slay naught but the good: The weak natured, and evil disposed they kill not. If thou art a sincere lover, flee not from slaughter, He whom they slay not is no better than a corpse. And just at this time, on the very day of his murder, a whirlwind black with dust arose, and the world was darkened; there was a scarcity of rain in that year, and such a famine occurred that the Hindūs, from excess of hunger and want, went in bands and joining their hands threw themselves into the river Jumna and became the portion of the alligator of extinction. Many Muslims also, burning in the flames of hunger, were drowned in the ocean of non-existence, while the rest of the world took these signs and events as proofs of the verity of Sidi and as evidence of his sincerity. Although no inferences can be drawn from facts of this kind, since they may finally prove to be only coincidences, still I myself have seen with my own eyes examples of such incidents, as shall be related in their proper places if God so will it. God has never cursed any nation Until the heart of a holy man has been grieved.
32.2.2
The remainder of the accused, at the intercession of Arkali Khan, were delivered from the danger which threatened their lives, and from the punishment intended by the Sultan; and in this same year the Sultan for the second time marched against Ranthambhor, and destroyed the country round it, and overthrew the idols and idol-temples, but returned without attempting to reduce the fort. Arkali Khan went to Multan without his permission, at which the Sultan was very vexed.
32.2.3
In the year 693 H. the Mughuls under Chingiz Khan came up against Hindustan with a very large army, and fought a very severe battle with the Sultan’s victorious forces in the neighbourhood of Sanam. When the Mughuls became aware of the size of the army of Hindustan they began to make overtures for peace. The Sultan thereupon summoned their leader, who was very closely related to Halaku Khan, and also his son, who called the Sultan his father. They accordingly had an interview and exchanged gifts and presents and each returned to his own country: and Alghu the grandson of Chingiz Khan, embraced Islam, and several thousand Mughuls besides followed his example and having learnt to repeat the sacred and blessed formula, elected to remain in the service of the Sultan. Alghu was selected for the honour of becoming son-in-law to the Sultan. The Mughuls took up their abode in Ghiyaspur in which is now the sacred tomb of the Prince of Holy men Nizamul Auliya may God sanctify his resting place. It is commonly known as Mughulpur and those Mughuls were called the “new Muslims.” At the close of this same year the Sultan having gone up against the fort of Mandawar ravaged and pillaged the country round it and then returned.
32.2.4
‘Alau-d-Din the Governor of Karra, obtained permission in that year to proceed to Bhilsa and attacked that country and brought much booty thence to present to the Sultan, and the idol which was the object of worship of the Hindus, he caused to be cast down in front of the gate of Badaon to be trampled upon by the people. These services of ‘Alau-d-Din being highly approved, the jagir of Oudh also was added to his other estates; and since ‘Alau-d-Din was very angry and incensed against the Sultan’s consort, who was his mother-in-law, and against the daughter of the Sultan, because she always made a practice of speaking ill of him to her father, he was anxious, on any pretext whatever, to leave the Sultan’s dominions and go to a distance, and find some place of refuge for himself; accordingly he provided himself with new servants, and making all preparations as to personal clothing and furniture, he asked the Sultan to bestow upon him the district of Chanderi, and leaving Dihli came to Karra, and from there under the pretence of attacking Chanderi, he went by way of Illichpur, and made for the frontiers of the country of Deogir; leaving Malik ‘Alau-l-Mulk who was one of his friends, as his deputy in Karra, and having instructed him to temporise with the Sultan, went off somewhere unknown to anyone, and when no news could be obtained of Malik ‘Alau-d-Din’s whereabouts for a considerable time, the Sultan was exceedingly sorry.
32.2.5
Suddenly news arrived that ‘Alau-d-Din having gone up against the rebel Deo Gir, had conquered the whole of his country as far as the confines of the country of the Deccan, and had taken as spoil much treasure, and elephants and property, several thousands of horses, together with valuables; silk and cloth goods, and jewels, beyond the limits of computation, and that he was making for Karra. This was a source of great gratification to the Sultan, but the wise men of those times knew very well, both from analogy and inference, that ‘Alau-d-Din had gone to that country without permission from the Sultan, and had suffered much annoyance at the hands of Malika-i-Jahan who was the consort of the Sultan, and also from his own wife, and had accordingly faced the world, always nursing in his breast sinister intentions. Now that he was in a position perfectly to put his rebellious ideas into execution, and had not the access to the Court, it was strange that the Sultan seemed to suffer no apprehension as regarded him; but no one dared represent these views to the Sultan, who was wholly and entirely ignorant of the annoyance which ‘Alau-d-Din had suffered at the hands of the Queen-mother and his own wife, and if by chance they ventured to speak of the possibility of the revolt and treachery of ‘Alau-d-Din, the Sultan attributed it to jealousy, and would never allow the idea of his contumacy or rebellion to enter his head.
32.2.6
In short, at the time when the Sultan was in the neighbourhood of Gwaliar he summoned a council of his Amirs to deliberate about ‘Alau-d-Din and said, “What in your opinion is ‘Alau-d-Din’s object in coming hither with so great display and circumstance, what will he do and what ought I to do? shall I go to meet him by way of Chanderi or shall I remain where I am, or again shall I return to Dihli?” Malik Ahmad Chap who was a Vazir of sound judgment and ripe experience and loyal to the backbone, did all he could to warn the Sultan by adducing logical arguments and quoting precedents, reminding him of the revolt of Malik Chhaju and the mutiny of the inhabitants of Karra, events which were of recent occurrence, as testifying to the probabilities of the present position, and urged him to go out to meet ‘Alau-d-Din on the way by which he would arrive, and to put an end to his ostentatious display and pompous arrogance, to seize his elephants and property, and all the things which were likely to be of use;
32.2.7
but the Sultan would not listen to his advice, and launching forth into extravagant eulogy of ‘Alau-d-Din declared that his mind was perfectly at ease on his account in every possible way, “for is he not” (said he) “my protege and foster child, he can never harbour any evil designs against me.” Malik Fakhru-d-Din, and the other Amirs also went with oily speeches to the Sultan, and brought forward all sorts of absurd arguments simply to suit the humour of the Sultan, and adducing weak examples induced him to return to Dihli; Malik Ahmad Chap rose up in wrath from that assembly, and spoke as follows: “If Malik ‘Alau-d-Din with all this pomp and royal display has arrived at Karra and crossing the river Saru makes for Lakhnauti, I do not know what can be done by any one to oppose him,” and lamenting exceedingly the condition of the Sultan he repeated the following lines— A foeman, though small, one should never despise, For a mountain is made up of stones of small size. The Sultan then came from Gwaliar to Dihli, and ‘Alau-d-Din having reached Karra wrote despatches full of craft and cunning to the Court, and worked upon the avarice of the Sultan by presents of elephants and endless wealth, and begged for a kindly-worded letter summoning him to the Court, while all the time he was engaged in preparations to start for Lakhnauti; and having sent his brother Zafar Khan to Oudh, ordered him to hold in readiness all the boats on the river Saru.
32.2.8
The simple-minded Sultan Jalalu-d-Din wrote a command with his own hand in accordance with 'Alau-d-Din's request, and sent it by the hand of two confidential and trusted body-servants, one of whom was named Imadu-l-Mulk and the other Ziau-d-Din. These men when they arrived soon perceived by his manner and bearing that the face of affairs was altered: and ‘Alau-d-Din having prepared the dish for the Sultan, and having arranged for its service at a given signal, handed over those two messengers to sentries who were charged to keep them so closely guarded that not even a bird should be able to flap its wings near them;
32.2.9
then he wrote a letter to Ilmas Beg his brother, who was also a son-in-law of the Sultan, and sent it to Dihli couched in these words: “Inasmuch as in the course of this expedition, I have committed many unwarranted acts, in that without taking the orders of the Sultan I proceeded to Deogir, for this reason certain persons have aroused fear in my heart and anxiety—but seeing that I am the loyal servant and son of the Sultan, if he will march lightly equipped and by rapid marches come and lay hands upon me, and carry me off, I have nothing to urge against imprisonment, and if, as they have said the current rumours are true, and the Sultan’s mind is in reality turned against me, I must perforce lay violent hands upon myself and efface myself from the World.” When Ilmas Beg laid that letter before the Sultan, he on the instant sent Ilmas Beg to reassure ‘Alau-d-Din and gave him a promise that he himself would follow. Ilmas Beg embarked in a boat, and going like the wind over the surface of the water, on the seventh day joined Malik ‘Alau-d-Din, and urged him to proceed to Lakhnauti, but certain of the wise and far-seeing companions of ‘Alau-d-Din said, “What need have we to go to Lakhnauti when the Sultan by reason of his excessive greed for the wealth of Deogir, and the elephants and horses of that country will come here lightly equipped in the very height of the rainy season.
32.2.10
At that time we will take any steps that may be necessary, and whatever has to be done to meet the emergency, we have it all stored up and we will put an end to him on the spot.” Since the cup of the life of Sultan Jalalu-d-Din was full and his heart was brim full of lust and greed for that fancied and ill-omened treasure, and Fate too had rendered him deaf and blind, not one of these evil designs was perceived by him: