Muntakhab al-tawarikh 37
Muntakhabu-t-tawārīkh (Ranking, Lowe, Haig) 37
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Contents
37.1.1
Verse. If thou desirest thy kingdom to be glorious Give not high office to an upstart; Unless thou wishest that thy state should be ruined Entrust not thy affairs to the inexperienced. And Sultan Qutbu-d-Din, inasmuch as he had undergone the affliction of imprisonment, on the very first day of his reign had all the prisoners liberated, and appointed Malik Fakhru-d-Din Juna the son of Ghazi Malik, who eventually was entitled Muhammad ‘Adil, to be Mir Akhor. In the first year of his reign he contemplated the conquest of Deogir otherwise called Daulatabad, but his Amirs opposed and dissuaded him. Verses. It was not deemed expedient, from motives of wisdom, That the Lord of the World should move from his place; Who knows, what are the hidden designs of evil-wishers, Or who, in all sincerity, is well-disposed to the king? In the year 718 H. (1318 A.D.) Sultan Qutbu-d-Din sent Sar Salkhi Kotwal, with orders to proceed to Gwalior and put to death Khizr Khan and Shadi Khan. Having done this he summoned Deval Rani and included her in his haram. With reference to this Mir Khusru writes: Verses.
37.1.2
In short, one who is acquainted with the secret of this mystery In this way opened the door of this treasury of secrets, That when the Sultan Mubarak Shah in cruelty Turned against his own kith and kin with anger and frowning, He considered that the interests of the country demanded their murder, And thought that they deserved the sharp sword. His object was to empty the country of noble men by malicious enterprise. Secretly he sent a messenger to Khizr Khan, Making treacherous protestations of hearty good will, Saying, Oh thou shining light who remainest far from the assembly, Thy body ill at ease and thy countenance without light; Thou knowest that this is none of my doing, The oppressed remains while the oppressor disappears; If thou art imprisoned, by the Lord of the world, When the time comes he himself will loosen these bonds. In this matter haste and anxiety are not fitting, An elephant extricates itself from the mire by patient endeavour; Now, we too are engaged in plumbing this matter So that by clever contrivance we may free you from that captivity. If thou art fitted to become a king We will make thee ruler over a wide kingdom. But the affection for some one which springs in thy heart Is not fitted for the loftiness of thy ambition. Dewal Rani who is but a handmaiden to thee, For whom even were the moon needed as handmaid this were an easy matter, I have heard that she is so dear to thee That thy cypress-like form stoops to kiss her feet.
37.1.3
This is not fitting that from shortsightedness The king should be enslaved by a slave. The gourd is in any case of no account in the garden That it should attempt to raise its head in emulation of the chinar. A straw which places its foot upon the face of the stream Is carried hither and thither by the wind and buffeted by the floods. [My heart’s desire makes this request, that thou should’st give up that mistress of thine.] Since she went from here, send her back hither again Send her to take her place at the foot of my throne. When the infatuation of thy mind is somewhat less We will send her back to thee to be thy handmaid. When the messenger went and took back the message Khizr Khan’s heart no longer enjoyed any rest. First he wept tears of blood which flooded his eyes and lips, Then he sent back an answer mingled with blood Saying, since the Shah has attained his ambition in becoming a sovereign, He must leave Dewal Rani to me. If however you desire to deprive me of this wealth You desire to see me despoiled of wealth and light. Since this heart’s delight holds her head as high as mine Cut off my head, afterwards thou wilt know. When the messenger, from that grief-stricken soul Bore these fiery sighs to the palace of the king, The Emperor waxed wrath from head to foot. From his heart he smiled, as lightning smiles in the cloud, The flame of the fire of tyranny shot forth, He who sought a pretext, was provided with a new one.
37.1.4
In anger he sent for Sar Salahi (the Kotwal) Saying you must travel this day before nightfall a hundred krohs, Go to Gwalior at this moment without delay, And with the sword cut off the heads of the lions of the country, That I may be safe from the nobles of the country, Because this disturbance small as it is, risks the existence of the country. At his order the tyrant set out, The pigeon was tied by the foot and the hawk hungry. In that day and night he travelled several leagues. He arrived and again imprisoned him intending (to kill him). He made known the orders he had received from the throne, The garrison of the fort set about carrying out this severe measure; The ruthless soldiery entered shamelessly into that pure place of chastity, The veiled ladies were thrown into consternation and screamed so that the roof and doors shook with their cries. In that palace every arrow like beam became curved like a bow, The day of resurrection became a guest in that Paradise; From the corners of the rooms in great consternation The male lions leapt forth in wrath. The minds had lost their wit and the bodies their power, Havoc was dealt, and life had sunk to sleep. Shaikh Khatu Wasi waxed wroth, and sought aid from the protection of God most High, Agile he leapt upon the Kotwal and fought with him for a long time, threw him to the ground and sought for a sword wherewith to slay him, Inasmuch as he had lost his sword of victory What did that unattainable strength avail him?
37.1.5
Allies ran up to help him from right and left They fell one after the other and that fallen one rose up. Each fierce (lion) was attacked by ten dogs, See how the dogs vent their wrath upon the lions, Hey for the meanness of the cowardly sky That permits dogs to hunt lions! When they had forcibly bound those two prosperous chieftains, The time bound the hands of fortune and prosperity. Those wondrous men fell into disgrace, Blood-reeking swords appeared on every side When the murderous clashing of daggers was heard, The blood-thirsty murderer appeared from the door, Hard as a rock, source of grief, though his name was Shadi (Joy) As repulsive as the document of a dowry, and the grief arising from debt. Artful enough to depose Dajjal from his place, Hideous enough to make Satan forgetful of his own ugliness. On each side of his face was gathered a dark cloud, From every hair sprang a sword. Fierce wrath as cutting as the executioner's sword, A glance as piercing as the chisel of Farhad. His lips wreathed in an angry smile, Through wrath setting his lips between his teeth. His one desire and wish was revenge and punishment, From head to foot a statue of hatred and scorn.
37.1.6
According to the Dajjal will be the second of the ten signs or tokens which are to precede the resurrection. After three of these signs have occurred, namely, the rising of the sun in the west, the coming of Dajjal, and the appearance of the beast which is to emerge from the mountain of Safah, repentance will no longer avail anything. The coming of Dajjal is to be a time of calamity such as has never before been known. He is of low stature though bulky, with splay feet, blind, with the flesh even on one side of his face without the mark of an eye. His right eye is blind, like the seed of a grape, and the word Infidelity, is written between his eyes; he is to appear from the middle of a road between Syria and ‘Iraq and will mislead on the right hand and on the left. The repetition of the Chapter of the Cave (Qur'an XVIII) will be a means of repelling his wickedness. He will not be able to enter either Mecca or Medinah. His stay upon earth is to last forty days, one day equal to a year, and another day equal to a month, another day like a week, and rest of the days like ordinary days. Dajjal will, it is said, bestow great abundance upon those who believe in him, but sorely afflict those who reject him. He is to perform miracles such as killing a youth by severing him in two with a sword and restoring him to life. Then Jesus will descend from heaven and will destroy Dajjal at the entrance to a village called Lud in Palestine.
37.1.7
The Jews of Isfahan will follow Dajjal, before whose coming there will be three years, during the first of which the sky will withhold one third of its rain and the earth one third of her productions; during the second the sky will withhold two thirds and the earth two thirds; during the third neither sky nor earth will yield rain nor produce, and every animal in the earth will die. He will then come forth upon a white ass, the space between the ears of which is seventy feet.
37.2.1
When he gave the signal and brandished his sword on all sides Not one leapt like lightning from that mass of clouds. May God have mercy! How could anyone draw the sword of revenge upon that crowd of moonlike faces. Whose heart would not be torn with distracting grief In pity for so many young and beautiful men? Oh Lord! may the breast of heaven be rent a hundredfold To think that it has brought so many noble ones to the dust. How can you look for pity for the blood he sheds, in the heart of the butcher? Whose one desire is to see his knife stained with blood. When the bloody butcher binds roses upon his head, Why should he withhold his knife from the rose-like body? Since no one of them desired that the sword should succeed in shedding their blood, There leapt from their midst like a whirlwind A man of low origin, a Hindu by birth Husky of hue, like to Ahriman, Nay! a thousand Ahrimans would stand aghast at his face; Grief-increasing like the pleasure of those in distress, Wrong in judgment like the intellect of young people; Unlucky to look upon as a young owl. Like a morning in Dai at Ghaznin cold and inhospitable; Like the night of sorrow his forehead full of gloom, Like the nature of a wicked man, accursed. A lip like the sole of a ploughman’s foot, A cheek like the mouth of a man with paralysis; That hideous one had a mouth like a helmet. His smile like the yawning of a burst shoe;
37.2.2
Long whiskers twisted over his ears His whiskers taking the place of the ring in the slave’s ear, Lightly he leapt out from the line of warriors, [You would think that waves of blood would burst from him, His skirt tucked up in his wrathful haste, his sleeves drawn back for bloodshed.] He demanded a well tempered sword from his officer, Drew it, and tightened up the skirt of his tunic, [The head of that cypress-like noble fell from his shoulders, He who was renowned for his youth and beauty.] Martyrdom was evident in Khizr in that palace, Just as the tree praises God when its branches put forth leaves. The heaven kept lamenting over his punishment, The angels continually assisted him in his martyrdom, Rizwan threw open the gates of Paradise, All the Huris began to sing his praises. From that martyr’s shout of triumph which came forth from the Shah, The sun and moon joined in the martyr’s song. When the dagger was raised aloft and the Shah’s face was seen amid his clustering locks, Lamentation arose in that assembly like the roll of thunder, The sun made his body a shield to protect him, But Fate turned it on one side from before him. When the sword of Fate severs the cord of Hope, Neither sun nor moon can become a shield for thee, With one blow which that ruthless one struck He made the Shah’s head a guest in his bosom. To wash away the blood, the revolving water-wheel of the sky Required that the spring of the sun should yield all its blood;
37.2.3
But since there was no longer a breath of life in his body, Of what avail was it to wash the blood from the surface of it. Dewal Rani, who was a woman of dignity and beauty, Was the lifespring of Khizr Khan’s existence. When the King of the Sky laid him in ambush to slay him That very well of life of his became the sword of enmity. When we look in this crystal globe carefully Many life-giving springs are also fatal in their freeze. The soul of the lover was poured out with his life-blood, But still was hovering round about the beloved one. A rose from which thou hast tasted a pearl of dew, Thou wilt shed thy blood for it a hundred times. Instead of rose-water they drew his heart’s blood from that rose, See how they (mercilessly) robbed him of his blood! And when the foundation stone of this edifice of the destruction of the family of ‘Alau-d-Din was laid, the question was asked of a devotee, why this should be? His reply was because ‘Alau-d-Din had cast a firebrand into the family of the uncle of his benefactor, and as a consequence similar treatment had been meted out to his own family. Verse. In this full-voiced, re-echoing dome (the world) Whatever speech you utter that same will you hear.
37.2.4
At all events, after the usurpation by Sultan Qutbu-d-Din, all the rules and regulations made by ‘Alau-d-Din, each of which embodied some wise purpose or far-seeing design, were thrown into confusion, and dissoluteness and wickedness, contumacy and rebellion sprang anew to life during the reign of Sultan Qutbu-d-Din, who threw open the doors of license and gratification of desires to the people; and when Malik Kamalu-d-Din Garg, after that Alp Khan had been summoned to the presence and had been executed, proceeded to Gujrat where he attained martyrdom, ‘Ainu-l-Mulk Multani was nominated by the Court, and having quelled the disturbance there regained possession of Nahrwala and all the country of Gujrat, Sultan Qutbu-d-Din married the daughter of Malik Dinar, and having given him the title of Zafar Khan sent him to Gujrat. He performed the important duties of that province better and more satisfactorily than 'Ainu-l-Mulk. In the year 718 H. (1318 A.D.) Sultan Qutbu-d-Din marched for Deogir with a larger army, and the Rais of that country were not able to stand against him.
37.2.5
He flayed Raipul Deo who had rebelled during the time which followed the death of Ram Deo; the country of the Mahattas also fell into the hands of Qutbu-d-Din who, having given Khusru Khan the canopy and staff of office, ordered him to proceed to Ma'bar, and having left Yaklakhi in Deogir as Naib, returned to Dihli. Near Badra-i Sakun, Malik Asadu-d-Din ibn Yaghrash Khan, who was called Malik Khamush, and who was the uncle's son of Sultan 'Alau-d-Din, was smitten with the ambition of chieftainship, and plotted a rebellion against the Sultan, who however was warned of this design by one of his loyal adherents and gave orders for the immediate execution of Malik Asadu-d-Din. He also sent orders that twenty of the relations of Yaghrash Khan who were aware of this conspiracy, some of whom were children, should be executed, and when he reached Jhain he sent Shadi Kath his chief captain to Gwaliur to bring the family and relations of the murdered Khizr Khan and Shadi Khan with the remainder of the haram of 'Alau-d-Din to Dihli, after having killed Sultan Shihabu-d-Din, which he carried out. Sultan Qutbu-d-Din was led by the fact that Khizr Khan had been a disciple of the Sultanu-l-Mashaikh Nizamu-d-Din Auliya, to regard that holy Shaikh with suspicion and distrust, and in opposition to the wishes of the holy saint sent for Shaikh Ruknu-d-Din from Multan, and honoured Shaikhzada-i-Jam, who was one of the opponents of Shaikh (Nizamu-d-Din) with special distinction. Verse.
37.2.6
When God desires to openly disgrace any man He leads him to abuse those of holy and pure nature; And if God desires to hide the sins of any man He leads him to talk little about the sins of other sinners. His habits also underwent great change, and his heart emboldened him to walk in the valley of bloodshed as his father had done, so that rivers of blood began to flow, and he put to death without any cause Zafar Khan Wali of Gujerat. In the mean while Yaklakhi had prepared a rebellion in Deogir, and had arranged to assume the insignia of royalty. At last when Khusru Khan reached Deogir, the men of the army who had been sent to Deogir seized Yaklakhi and made him over to Khusru Khan, who sent him bound to Dihli where he was executed. The Sultan also put to death Malik Shahin who was known by the title of Wafa Malik, without any reason save the representations of some intriguers. In these days the Sultan used generally to array himself in women's garments, and adorning himself like them with gold and jewels, used to give public audience. Moreover he openly indulged in drinking and other forms of vice, inter marem feminamque discrimen nullomodo facere solebat. Verse. Statura cujusvis ut littera Alif erecta, idem quod littera Bal et Nun incurvescebat, adeo Alif in rimam omnium inserebat.
37.2.7
He used to command buffoons and jesters to insult with jest and witticisms his most trusted and eminent Amirs, as for instance ‘Ainul Mulk Multani and Qarabegh who held fourteen appointments, and summoning them for that purpose to the roof of the Hazar Sutun palace, they used to perform low buffooneries, et nudefacti, gestu turpi et obscœno, in vestes nobilium honoratorum mingebant. Thus he prepared everything that was necessary for the downfall of the kingdom. Verse. There was the rose, the leaf adorned it too And the kingdom seemed to say — Oh ! King what can come to pass from wine bibbers What too can come to pass from unrestrained lust The king maddened by lust, the empire ruined, the enemy before and behind It is only too plain in such a case, what must come to pass.
37.3.1
And after the murder of Zafar Khan, he raised Husamu-d-Din who was half-brother to Khusru Khan to succeed to the position enjoyed by Zafar Khan and nominated him to proceed to Gujrat. Husamu-d-Din collected together the Barawar crew from all parts of that country and nursed a scheme of rebellion in his brain. The Amirs of Zafar Khan’s party however seized him and sent him to Dihli. The Sultan led by the feelings he entertained towards Khusru Khan took no steps to punish him but had him set at liberty on the instant and gave him extraordinary privileges. Then he appointed Malik Wahidu-d-Din Quraishi to Gujrat in place of Husamu-d-Din. He it was who was the cause of the arrest of Yaklakhi. Khusru Khan having arrived on the frontier of Telinga, and having blockaded the Rai of that country in one of his fortresses, accepted several head of elephants with treasure and valuables beyond all power of computation as a present from him, and moved his camp towards the Maithili country, and having gained possession of nine hundred and twenty elephants and a diamond weighing six dirams, came into the country of Ma'bar, and relying on that wealth entertained the idea of disobedience and rebellion, and obtaining permission to remain there, put to death several Amirs whom he had with him.
37.3.2
Malik Talbigha Yaghda and Malik Talbigha Nagori and Malik Hajiblaib, with certain other Amirs of the Sultan’s party, becoming aware of his secret intentions threw him by force into a litter, and, marching with all haste by forced marches, conveyed him from Deogir to Dihli in seven days and acquainted the Sultan with his nefarious designs. Khusru Khan however in the private apartment of the palace where he enjoyed the special companionship of the Sultan, gained him over by artful and specious representations, and fully persuaded the Sultan of the villainy of the Amirs. The Sultan took his words as Gospel, so greatly was he influenced and controlled by him, and was incensed against the Amirs, censured them severely and subjected them to many indignities, and although they brought forward many veracious witnesses in support of their allegations it was all of no use, and the wretched witnesses were severely punished. The story of Farazdaq the poet fits in with this, namely when he accompanied by his wife, appealed to the Khalifah of Baghdad, he got Ja'far the Barmecide, to plead for him, and used his wife Zubeida Khatun as an intermediary. Harun the Khalifah was favourably disposed towards Zubeida, and passed orders in accordance with the petition of the wife of Farazdaq. He accordingly wrote these lines— An advocate who appears before thee clothed Is not like one who comes before thee naked.
37.3.3
That is to say an intercessor who comes near thee wearing drawers will not be so influential as she who comes naked. From that day this became a proverbial saying among the Arabs. As soon as Khusru Khan became quite assured in all ways of his predominant influence over the Sultan, he gave orders for the assembly of all his tribe from Gujarat, and began to introduce them into the service of the Sultan. The Sultan reposed entire confidence both in him and in his family, and gave up the reins of Government absolutely into his hands, abandoning himself to rioting and debauchery. Verse. Casting aside the Qur'an and the sword Taking instead to the cup and flagon. The attendants who were loyal to the state were struck dumb and were compelled by the necessity for time-serving to throw themselves upon the protection of Khusru Khan. Verse. If the times give the reins of authority to a wolf, You must save yourself by saying, God save you Sir!
37.3.4
And the family of Barawar gained entire control of the Court of the Sultan, and used to assemble by day and by night at the house of Khusru Khan to plot sedition and rebellion against the Sultan, and when Qazi Ziau-d-Din, who was known as Qazi Khan, made these facts known, the Sultan who was the slave of his lust immediately summoned Khusru Khan in private, and informed him of what had been said, whereupon Khusru Khan said, the people see the great kindness which the Sultan shews me and regard it as excessive, and from motives of jealousy falsely accuse me. The Sultan believed him and made over to him the keys of the royal treasury and of all the other store-houses as well: Khusru Khan regarded this as a proof of his complete ascendency deduced from it a favourable omen for his future:— Verse. When he saw his affairs so prosperous He considered that omen as a proof of victory; From that favourable omen the heart of Khusru Khan, Like a strong mountain, became firmly established. Eventually, one night the Sultan was holding a drinking party in the company of Khusru Khan, and the Amirs of the guards withdrew from their posts. Qazi Khan came down from the roof of the Hazar Sutun palace and was engaged in examining if the doors were safe, and the guards posted.
37.3.5
In the meantime one Randhol the uncle of Husamu-l Mulk with a body of the Barawas, having daggers concealed under their arms came upon Qazi Khan, and kept him engaged in talk on one way and another, till, taking him off his guard, they stabbed him and despatched him as a martyr to his abode in Paradise. There was a great uproar, and the Sultan, who at that moment had no other companion than Khusru Khan, enquired what was the tumult. Khusru Khan rose from beside him and went out to instigate his followers to murder the Sultan, then returned and said that some of the horses of the stud had broken loose, and were fighting among themselves. At this moment Jahiriya the uncle of Khusru Khan approached the Hazar Satun with a party of his men, and having assassinated Ibrahim and Ishaq who were on guard at the palace, made for the Sultan. The Sultan rising, half intoxicated as he was, ran towards the haram, Khusru Khan caught him from behind by the hair of his head, and as the Sultan was begging him to aid his escape Jahiriya arrived, aimed a blow at the Sultan wounding him in the side, then with his sword cutting off the Sultan's head threw it down below from the roof of the palace. Verse. The bed of that dear one was one of thorns For his brocaded bed led to his ruin.
37.3.6
When the populace saw what had occurred, every one of them went into hiding and there was dismay in all quarters. Putting to death some of the Amirs at the door of the palace, the Barawas entered the Sultan’s haram and tore Farid Khan and Mangu Khan, the two infant sons of Sultan ‘Alau-d-Din, from their mother’s arms and cut off their heads, and committed every kind of violence they wished, and in one moment scattered to the four winds all the honour and glory of ‘Alau-d-Din and Qutbu-d-Din. Verse. In one hour, in one moment, in one instant The whole course of the world becomes changed. And when they had glutted themselves with murder and rapine, they sent for certain of the Amirs, namely ‘Ainu-l-Mulk Multani, and Malik Fakhru-d-Din Juna, by whom is meant Sultan Muhammad ibn Tughlaq Shah, and Malik Wahidu-d-Din Quraishi with the two sons of Qarabeg and other notable Amirs, and kept them all that night till morning upon the roof of the Hazar Sutun; and when it was day they made all the ‘Ulama and chief men of the city swear allegiance to Khusru Khan, and read the Khutbah in his name. By craft they got the upper hand of a certain party whom they suspected of being opposed to them, and sent them to the world of non-existence, and made over the family of Qazi Ziyau-d-Din Qazi Khan, all except his wife who fled, to the aforesaid Randhol.
37.3.7
Husainu-d-Din, the brother by the mother’s side of Khusru Khan, was given the title of Khan-i-Khanan and Randhol became Rai-i-Rayan, and the harams of Sultan Qutbu-d-Din and the other princes and relatives they divided among themselves. Khusru Khan took to himself in marriage the chief wife of the Sultan. These events happened in the year 720, H. (1320 A.D.) and the duration of the reign of Sultan Qutbu-d-Din was four years and some months. Verse. Since the world began so it has been, and so will always be, To everyone the end of all things will be as this.
Linked texts (1)
- Muntakhab al-tawārīkh — ʿAbd al-Qādir Badāʾūnī 1590, Persian