Muntakhab al-tawarikh 43

Muntakhabu-t-tawārīkh (Ranking, Lowe, Haig) 43

Language: English

43.1 — 8 parts
43.2 — 7 parts
43.3 — 4 parts

43.1.1

Verse. There where the heart-ravishing one used to toy with her friends in the garden, The wolf and the fox had their home, and the rhinoceros and vulture their abode.

This state of affairs also led to a diminution of the public funds. Among other sources of loss to the treasury was this that the Sultan enacted that the muhar of copper should become current on an equal footing with the muhar of silver, and any one who shewed reluctance to receive it used to be instantly punished severely. This enactment led to many corrupt practices in the kingdom as a matter of course, and unscrupulous and contumacious rascals used everywhere in their own houses to set up mints and stamp coins, and taking them into the cities used to purchase with them silver and horses, weapons and fine things, and thus rose to great wealth and dignity. But inasmuch as copper had no value as a currency in places at a distance and one tanka of gold rose to the value of fifty or sixty copper coins, the Sultan perceived the worthlessness of the copper coinage, and issued an edict to the effect that every one who had in his house a copper tanka should, if he brought them to the public treasury, receive for them golden tankas in equal value. The people profited greatly by this arrangement, till at last copper became copper and silver silver, and those copper tankas were lying in heaps in Tughlaqabad as late as the time of Sultan Mubarak Shah according to the author of the Tarikh-i-Alfi, and had no more value than stones. God knows the truth.

43.1.3

And in the year 738 A.H. (1337 A.D.) he despatched a force of eighty thousand cavalry under eminent commanders to capture the mountain of Himachal, which stands between the country of Chin and Hindustan, and which they also call Qarachal, with orders to leave garrisons in each successive place so that the line of communications for transport and supplies might remain open and the road of return might be easy. After the entry of this army into this country, by reason of the peculiar features of that mountain, on which heavy clouds form and rain pours in torrents at the sound of men’s voices and their shouts and the neighing of horses, in consequence also of the narrowness of the paths and the scarcity of fodder, the patrols were not able to stand to their posts, and the hill tribes getting the upper hand drove back the army, and falling upon the rear of the force killed many of them with poisoned arrows and stone showers, and sending the most of them to the eternal world enabled them to attain martyrdom, taking the rest prisoners. For a long time they wandered helplessly among the mountains, and those who escaped after countless hardships the Sultan visited with condign punishment. And after this calamity so great an army never gathered round the Sultan and all that money expended in their pay was thrown away.

43.1.4

And in the year 739 A.H. (1338 A.D.) Bahram Khan Governor of Sunargaon died, and Malik Fakhru-d-Din Silahdar became rebellious and assumed the title of Sultan, and having fought with Qadr Khan the ruler of Lakhnauti in conjunction with Malik Husamu-d-Din Aburija the Mustaufi, and ‘Izzu-d-Din Yahya A‘zamu-l-Mulk, was defeated, and all his sources of grandeur, his treasure and his retainers fell into the hands of Qadr Khan; and when the rainy season had arrived the horses belonging to Qadr Khan died, and he had collected much money and had stored it up in heaps in his own house with the object of presenting it to the Sultan. In spite of all that Husamu-d-Din Aburija could do to dissuade him from amassing wealth and inducing men to covet it and thus leading to disorder, Qadr Khan would not listen, till eventually the very result predicted by Husamu-d-Din ensued; Malik Fakhru-d-Din returned, and the soldiery of Husamu-d-Din joined him and killed their own master, and all the money fell to the lot of Fakhru-d-Din. The absolute control of Sunargaon was given him; he appointed one Mukhlis a servant of his, to Lakhnauti, and ‘Ali Mubarak Inspector of Troops; Qadr Khan put Mukhlis to death and aspired at independence, writing diplomatic letters to the court of the Sultan. The Sultan appointed Malik Yusuf, but he died by the way, and the Sultan, having other affairs to attend to, omitted to send any one else to that district.

43.1.5

At this juncture ‘Ali Mubarak, by reason of the enmity he bore to Fakhru-d-Din, displayed the insignia of royalty, and assumed the title of Sultan ‘Alau-d-Din, and Malik Ilyas Haji who was a man of family and retinue, after a few days put ‘Alau-d-Din to death with the assistance of some of the Amirs and Maliks of Lakhnauti, and himself assumed the title of Sultan Shamsu-d-Din. And in the year 741 A.H. (1340 A.D.) Sultan Muhammad having left with the object of reducing Sunargaon, seized Fakhru-d-Din and brought him prisoner to Lakhnauti, where he put him to death and returned. Shamsu-d-Din became absolute monarch of that region, and the kingly power and authority over that country descended for a lengthened period in the hands of his sons, and never again returned to the possession of Sultan Muhammad ‘Adil.

43.1.6

And in the year 742 A.H. (1341 A.D.) Saiyyid Hasan Kaithali the father of Malik Ibrahim, a feoffee of the Sultan, who was generally known as Hasan Kangu, and who eventually obtained the sovereignty of the Deccan with the title of ‘Alau-d-Din Bahman Shah, fermented a revolt in Ma‘bar on the grounds of the severity of the Sultan's governors, and the innovations introduced in the laws, and the number of executions, and gained over to his own party nearly all the great men of Dihli who had been appointed to that district. He put to death the leaders of the opposite party. The Sultan proceeded from Lakhnauti to Deogir for the purpose of quelling that disturbance, and on his arrival at Tilang was taken ill, and was forced to return by uninterrupted marches to Dihli. He left Qutlugh Khan in Daulatabad; thus the rebellion in Ma‘bar remained unchecked and Hasan’s influence increased rapidly. And in the year 743 (1342 A.D.) they put to death by treachery Malik Halajun and Kul Chandar Khakhar and Malik Tatar Khani, the Governor of Lahore, and when Khwaja-i Jahan came up against them, they came out to do battle with him, but the scoundrels suffered a severe defeat and were sorely punished.

43.1.7

And in the year 744 A.H. (1343 A.D.) the Sultan passing through Samrati and Samrana gave orders to the Saiyyids and all the Muslims in opposition to the advice of Hasan Kanku, for a general massacre, but he kept the chief men of those districts in their posts, conveyed them to the suburbs of the city, and conferred upon them villages and districts, and bestowing many rich robes of honour, and purses of gold gave them a place of abode there; and when a general famine arose he issued an edict that any one who wished should proceed to the eastern part of Hindustan and spend the days of dearness and scarcity there, without let or hindrance, and in the same way if any person wishing to give up living in Daulatabad should return to Dihli, no one would molest him. Moreover in that year so many people arrived in Hindustan from the countries of Khurasan and ‘Iraq and Samarqand, in the hope of receiving the bounty of the Sultan, that hardly any other races were to be seen in that country. And in this year Haji Sa‘id Sarsari arrived from Egypt bearing the diploma of the Khalifah with a banner and a robe of honour, conferring upon the Sultan the title of Nasir-i-Amir-l-Mu’minin from the Khalifah of the Abbasides who were still extant. The Sultan ordered decorations and illuminations in the city, and proceeded with all the Shaikhs and Saiyyids and his retainers to give him an honourable reception, then, dismounting, he kissed the feet of Haji Sa‘id and joined his retinue.

43.1.8

He then re-established the Friday prayers and the ‘Id, which all this time he had kept in abeyance waiting for the orders and sanction of the Khalifah, he read the Khutbah in the name of the Khalifah, and struck out the names of those kings who had not received authority from the Dar-ul-Khilafah, with the exception of Sultan Mahmud. He then gave largesse of money and valuables to such an extent that his treasury became exhausted, he also despatched to Egypt a precious jewel, the like of which he had not in his treasury, by the hands of Haji Barq'ai, with other rarities and presents, and having become, in his own opinion the rightful Khalifah, and keeping constantly placed before him the Qur'an and the honorary presents and the patent of the Khalifah, would issue commands as though he were the Khalifah, and used to say "The Khalifah says" this or that. He compelled the people to profess allegiance to the Khalifah, and went to Sarkdawan which is in the vicinity of Shamsabad, and on two or three occasions in Bariij and Kanbbayat also he received patents from the Khalifah, and a second time the Makhdumzada Baghdadi came to visit him, and the Sultan went on foot to Palam to receive him, and when he saw him from afar off he advanced to meet him, and seated him upon the throne beside himself and made over to him without reservation, the city of Siri with the garden and the palace and all the buildings.

43.2.1

And in the year 745 A.H. (1344 A.D.) Malik Nizamu-l-Mulk governor of Karra, raised a rebellion, Shahr-ullah the brother of 'Ainu-l-Mulk brought up an army against him from Oudh and took him prisoner, but the rebellion was quelled. Then Shihabu-d-din Sultan waxed riotous in Bidar, and Qutlugh was despatched against him, and Shihabu-d-din coming out with his son to do battle was besieged in the fortress, and Qutlugh Khan inducing him to come out by promises of quarter, sent him to the royal presence. And in the year 746 A.H. (1345 A.D.) 'Ali Sher sister's son to Zafar Khan 'Ala'i gained possession of Gulbarga in strong force, having put to death the ruler of Bidar, and taking much spoil, fought with Qutlugh Khan, but was defeated and obliged to retreat to the fortress of Bidar where he shut himself up, Qutlugh Khan however took him also prisoner, and sent him to Sarkdawari which was the camp of the Sultan’s army. The Sultan in the first instance sent the captives to Ghaznin in exile, but afterwards recalled them thence and put them all to death. And in the year 747 A.H. (1346 A.D.) at the time when the Sultan had made Sarkdawari his camp, ‘Ainu-l-Mulk arrived at the Court, bringing from Zafarabad and Oudh much property and rarities of great value as presents; then the Sultan came to the conclusion that it was advisable to recall Qutlugh Khan from the Dakkan, and send ‘Ainu-l-Mulk to replace him.

43.2.2

‘Ainu-l-Mulk got some idea into his head, and fled by night from Sarkdawari and crossing the river Ganges made for Oudh, and his brother Shahrullah laid hands upon certain of the elephants and horses belonging to the king, which had been left behind to graze, and carried them off. The Sultan went in pursuit of them as far as Qanauj, and ‘Ainu-l-Mulk, at the instigation of his brothers and a party of the followers of Malik Firoz Naib Barbak, who had been placed in charge of the elephants and horses, crossed the river Ganges and coming over to this side attacked the army of the Sultan, and like the thieves and Gawars (of India) took to the woods and fought on foot, but not being able to stand against the elephants and archers of the king took to flight, and Shahrullah and his other brother together with the majority of the sirdars of ‘Ainu-l-Mulk were drowned, and the remainder fell by the swords of the soldiers, and the fugitives were taken prisoners by the who having found ‘Ainu-l-Mulk alive took him on their shoulders and brought him bareheaded to the court and gave him a few days respite, and the Sultan in consideration of his excellent services gave him his freedom, and in accordance with his former custom treated him well, and giving him a district sent him back to Dihli;

43.2.3

then he recalled Qutlugh Khan from the Dakkan, but inasmuch as Qutlugh Khan had reduced that country to excellent order and had gained the good will of the people, his recall was the cause of great discontent (and disaffection); and ‘Aziz Khummar who was one of the canaille, proceeding to Malwa put to death many centurions (or Amirs of a hundred) which is the meaning of the word Yazdahan in accordance with the Sultan’s orders, and thence arose many insurrections. And in the year 748 A.H. (1347 A.D.) the captains of hundreds, stirred up rebellion and sedition in Gujrat against Muqbil the servant of Khwaja-i Jahan who was naib vazir of Gujrat, and was bringing treasure to the Court, and attacked him by night, getting possession of the treasure and horses and property belonging to the king. The Sultan arrived at Gujrat with the object of quelling this rebellion, and sent some of the trustworthy Amirs as for instance Malik ‘Ali Sarjandar, and Ahmad Lachin to Daulatabad to bind the Amirs of hundreds who were there and bring them to Court. As soon as Malik Ahmad Lachin arrived at the pass of Manikganj, the Amirs of hundreds in their alarm came to a common understanding, and put Malik Ahmad Lachin to death; ‘Aziz Khummar who had gone from Gujrat to oppose the Amirs of hundreds of Dabhoi and Baroda, on coming face to face with the insurgents lost his head, fell from his horse and was taken prisoner. This news had reached the Sultan and had augmented his wrath considerably.

43.2.4

And after the defeat of Muqbil and the murder of ‘Aziz, the Amirs of hundreds waxed bold, and sent for their families and relations from all directions, and with one consent turned against the Sultan and having captured the fortress of Daulatabad from the the governors of Malik ‘Alam took possession of it, and raising the rebel, after the arrival of the Sultan at Gujrat ventured a second time to fight with him and was again defeated, and giving himself up to brigandage roamed about from place to place, the Sultan however continued to pursue him and followed him wherever he went. And in this expedition the Sultan having sent for Malik Firoz from Dihli attached him to his Court, and in this year Malik Kabir the son of Malik Qabul Khalifati, to whom the Sultan had delegated the control of all his important affairs, and on whose behalf he had written a letter expressing submission to the Egyptian Khalifah and had sent it by the hand of Haji Barqa'i, died, and Ahmad Aiyar, who is also called Khwaja-i-Jahan, and Malik Qabul Qiwamu-l-Mulk were carrying on the government in Dihli. Towards the end of the reign of Muhammad, disaffection and rebellion, mischief and sedition became increasedly evident day by day, so that if he turned his attention to curing one evil, another was not wanting to supply its place, and matters were past all remedy, and the glory of the kingdom, and prosperity of the country was entirely subverted.

43.2.5

Tyranny supplanted equity, and infidelity flourished in place of Islam. There were many reasons for this, which by their co-operation led to ruin and dissension, and the decline of the kingdom. These causes are given in detail in the original history the Firozshahi, and also in the Mahdiashahi. The results are here given in brief arranged under seven heads. Firstly:—The greater part of the people and inhabitants of the towns and districts were ruined by the rapine of Tarmashirin, and never again recovered their prosperity. Secondly.—The tribute to be paid by the inhabitants of the Doab, which district comprises some of the chief towns of Hindustan, was increased from ten per cent. to twenty per cent., besides which there was the numbering of the cattle, and the house-census, and other taxes over and above these, and in this way the more needy portion of the people left their property and cattle and attached themselves to the richer folk, while the wealthier subjects plotted rebellion and sedition and took to highway robbery, and pillaged the country in all directions so that from all these causes the revenue of the country began to dwindle. Thirdly.—An universal famine, and (consequent) dearness of grain, for it so happened that for seven whole years not a single drop of rain fell from heaven.

43.2.6

It should be remembered that this statement has been copied as it stands from the Mubarak-shahi, but I cannot say whether the author of that work has been guilty of exaggeration or if in reality the facts were as stated. Fourthly.—The desertion of Dihli, and the population of Daulatabad, because after Dihli was laid waste they brought people from the towns and other places into that city and populated it, and then again removed them thence to Daulatabad, so that all their hereditary estates and family holdings, and all the property and effects they possessed were wasted and dissipated, so that they never saw anything more of them; Fifthly.—The massacre of the eighty thousand cavalry in a body in the hills of Himachal, and the consequent desolation of their families. Sixthly.—The daily occurrence of rebellion and mutiny in every place where people were in dread of their lives, some of them fell in battle but the greater number were put to death with their families upon false charges, so that in every way that wretched country was being ruined. Seventhly.—The blood thirstiness of the Sultan, and his system of Government of his people, which made Saiyids, ‘Ulama, Shaikhs, ragamuffins and scoundrels, artisans, peasants, and soldiers, all alike in his eyes.

43.2.7

Moreover there was constantly in front of his royal pavilion and his Civil Court a mound of dead bodies and a heap of corpses, while the sweepers and executioners were wearied out with their work of dragging (the wretched victims) and putting them to death in crowds. So that the people were never tired of rebelling nor the king of punishing (the rebels). At last the Sultan was at his wit’s end what to do, but for all this he did not keep his foot out of the stirrup, nor did his sword rest from punishment, but all to no purpose, till the flood of sedition waxed violent, and the nobles of the kingdom by degrees grew feeble, at length disease overcame him, and the Sultan was freed from his people and the people from their Sultan.

43.3.1

Verse. Of all the people of the world, although most of them Are gone astray, and few of them are in the right path, Do thou so live that when thou diest thou mayest escape (punishment), Not so that when thou diest the people may escape (thy tyranny). They relate an extraordinary story of one of the irregular acts of the Sultan which was that he kept such strict watch over all matters involving punishment, that he used to keep four Muftis to whom he allotted quarters in the precincts of his own palace, and used to see that they kept to their appointed places, so that when any one who was arrested upon any charge, he might in the first place argue with the Muftis about his due punishment, so far as he was able, and had said, Be very careful that you do not fail in the slightest degree by defect in speaking that which you consider right, because if any one should be put to death wrongfully and the oversight should have been on your side, the blood of that man will be upon your head. Then if after long discussion they convicted (the prisoner), even though it were midnight he would pass orders for his execution, and if he himself found for conviction he would refer it to another meeting, and would endeavour to find a means of upsetting their arguments, and would come and make a speech, and when the Muftis were at a loss for a further argument, he would put (the prisoner) to death on the instant or else release him on the spot.

43.3.2

They say that one day Sultan Muhammad wearing his shoes went on foot into the Court of Justice of Qazi Kamalu-d-Din Sadr-i-Jahan and said, The Shaikhzada-i-Jami has called me a tyrant, send for him that he may substantiate his charge of tyranny against me, or, if he fails, that you may pronounce against him the sentence of such punishment according to law as the case may require. When the Shaikhzada was summoned he confessed (to having said it) and the Sultan enquired (what his grounds were). He replied, every one whom you punish (with death) lawfully or unlawfully, that is your prerogative, but that you should hand over his wife and children to the executioners as you do, to do what they will with them, in what religion and under what sacred law do you find this? The Sultan was silent and rose up from the Court, and ordered that the Shaikhzada should be bound; this order was carried out and he was put into an iron cage; then he had him carried in that very way on the journey to Daulatabad on the back of an elephant. When he returned and arrived at Dihli, he brought him before the same Court, and bringing him out of the cage gave orders in obedience to which the poor wretch was cut in two in his presence.

43.3.3

From this it is clear that the Sultan was a mixture of opposites, and for this reason his name has been handed down in tradition, he and even in some books also as "the Bloody," not as "the Just." There are many stories bearing upon this which I have heard, but to relate or speak of them would lead me too far afield. So "Take example from it ye that are endowed with sight." In short, after great havoc had been wrought in the affairs of the state by the excessive tyranny and oppression of the Sultan, which he however regarded as the essence of justice, and great breaches had been which the wise and learned were powerless to repair, by reason of his ruinous toils and his evil designs, the disease of Phthisis found its way to his constitution; notwithstanding this he set himself to follow up Taghi, and in the hope of exterminating him set out for the kingdom of Thatha where Taghi had fled for safety; and in that expedition Qarghan Naib of the king of Khurasan sent Altun Bahadur with five thousand cavalry to assist the Sultan. The Sultan’s illness was at that time slightly less urgent and when he arrived at Thatha he fasted on the day of the ‘Ashura, which was in the very middle of the hot season, and after breaking his fast he ate some fish, whereupon his illness returned, and on the twenty-first of Muharram in the year 752 H, (1351 A.D. ) he took his way to the next world, the duration of his reign having been twenty-seven years.

43.3.4

With the Empire of justice shone with ease, like the sun. The land of Hindūstān came under his sway like that of Khurāsān; A fortress like that of the Haft Khwān he built of Haft Jūsh, which in loftiness Would need the Nasr-i-Tā’ir to be planned, inaccessible as Harūmān. So strong that it registered a vow to last till the Resurrectionday, but by reason of the vicissitudes of time, it became destroyed in many places like the web of a spider. You will find nothing upon the top of its walls but the voice of the owl. In its topmost garden you will see nothing but the ill-omened raven. It befits the duration and pride of Empire that its condition should become in accordance with the words “God most High is far above all that the tyrants of men say of Him.” And among the celebrated poets of the time of Sultān Muhammad is Badr who wrote a Shāhnāma in his honour, of some thousand verses, and for the very reason that it is a history in poetry it is a valuable acquisition.