Muntakhab al-tawarikh 49.1
Muntakhabu-t-tawārīkh (Ranking, Lowe, Haig) 49.1
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49.1.1
Who was his youngest son, ascended the throne on the twentieth of Jumadiu-l-Awwal in the aforesaid year relying upon the allegiance of the Amirs, with the title of Sultan Nasiru-d-Din Mahmud, and having bestowed upon Muqarrabu-l-Mulk the title of Muqarrab Khan, he made him his heir apparent, and confirmed to the Amirs their appointments districts and titles; and with a view to restoring order in the important affairs of State, which had suffered in consequence of the dominance of the perverse infidels, he bestowed the title of Sultanu-sh-Sharq upon Khwaja-i-Jahan, and transferred him from Qanauj to Bihar with full powers and uncontrolled authority, and despatched him thither. He proceeded as far as Jajnagar and took possession of it, acquiring a large number of elephants and much valuable booty, and from that time the Rai of Jajnagar used to send elephants annually as presents to Delhi. He also rebuilt the greater number of the forts which the infidels had destroyed, in the districts of Karra, Oudh, Sandila, Dalmau, Bahraich and Tirhut, and bringing troops to the district of Dibalpur to quell the rebellion of Shaikha Khokhar. And in the month of Zi'l Qa'dah of the year 796 Khokhar fought a sharp engagement with Sarang Khan, at a place called Samothlah which is twelve kuroh from Lahore, but was defeated and retired to the hill country of Jammu. Sarang Khan thereupon left Lahore in charge of his brother Adil Khan, and returned towards Dibalpur.
49.1.2
And in the month of Sha'ban of that year Sultan Mahmud leaving Muqarrab Khan as his viceroy in Delhi, and taking with him Sa'adat Khan, who was commonly known as 'Ali Sarandaz Sultani, marched in the direction of Bayana and Gwalior. In of this came to the city of the a mosque built of stone was built in the town of and is standing at the present time, and when the Sultan arrived near Gwalior, Malik 'Alau-ddin Dharwal, and Mallu Khan the brother of Sarang Khan, and Islam Khan son of Malik Raja conspired against Sa'adat Khan, but he, becoming aware of their designs, arrested 'Alau-ddin and Mubarak Khan and had them put to death. Malloo Khan fled to Muqarrab Khan in Dihli. The Sultan having returned to the Capital, encamped at some distance from the city, and Muqarrab Khan fearing his displeasure because he had given asylum to Malloo Khan, entrenched himself and prepared to fight and remained in his fortified position three months, and war arose between Muqarrab Khan and Sa'adat Khan. And in the month of Muharram in the year 797 H. (Nov. 1394 A.D.) Sultan Mahmud was induced by the deceitfulness of certain friends of Muqarrab Khan to leave Sa'adat Khan, to enter the fort and come to terms with Muqarrab Khan, who thus obtained the assistance he needed. The following day Muqarrab Khan and Sa'adat Khan met on the field of battle, and Muqarrab Khan being defeated again entered the fort.
49.1.3
Sa'adat Khan went to Firuzabad, and acting in concert with some of the Amirs summoned Nusrat Khan son of Fath Khan and grandson of Sultan Firuz Shah from Miwat, and set him upon the throne in the month of Rabi'u-l-Awwal of the aforesaid year, with the title of Nasiru-d-Din Nusrat Shah. Nusrat Shah was nothing more than a puppet, for Sa'adat Khan assumed the whole of the authority in state matters, and some slaves of the Firuzi party and some elephant drivers joined with Sultan Nusrat Shah, and by some clever artifice placed him upon an elephant, and without warning fell upon Sa'adat Khan unawares in full force; Sa'adat Khan was paralysed and helpless, and of necessity took to flight and came to Dihli, where he sought the protection of Muqarrab Khan, and was treacherously put to death by him; then the Amirs of Nusrat Shah’s faction, such as Muhammad Muzaffar Vazir, and Shihab Nahir, and Malik Fazlu-llah Balkhi, and the slaves of Firuz Shah’s party, one and all renewed their declaration of allegiance to Sultan Nusrat Shah, and divided the appointments afresh. Sultan Mahmud was known as King in Dihli, while in Firuzabad Nusrat Shah enjoyed that title; and Muqarrab Khan placed the citadel of old Dihli under the command of Bahadur Nahir Mewati, and bestowed upon Malloo Khan the title of Iqbal Khan; and day by day battles were fought between these two kings, who were like the two kings in the game of chess.
49.1.4
Sultan Nusrat Shah retained possession of the country of the Doab, and Sambhal, Panipath, Rohtak, and Jahjar, while a few old ruined forts, such as Dihli and Siri and the rest, remained in the hands of Sultan Mahmud, and from that time forward this proverb became a common expression: The rule of the Lord of the world (Khudawand-i ’Alam) is from Dihli to Palam. And all over Hindustan there arose various parties, each with its own Malik. Verse. Say, either you rule in the city, or let me rule, For the affairs of the state go to ruin between two rulers. The affairs of the kingdom continued in this state for a space of three years; at one time the Dihli party got the better of the Firuzabad party, and at another time the positions were reversed. Verse. Like the kite which is six months female and six months male. And in the year 798 H. (1395 A.D.) many battles took place between the Masnad-i-‘Ali, Khizr Khan, the Amir of Multan, and Sarang Khan the ruler of Dipalpur, and, eventually, owing to the treachery of certain of the slaves of Malik Marwan, who was the tutor of Malik Suleiman the father of Khizr Khan, and in consequence of their throwing in their lot with Sarang Khan the governor of Dipalpur, Multan passed from the possession of Khizr Khan to that of Sarang Khan, and his party began to grow weaker and weaker every day.
49.1.5
And in the year 799 H. (1396 A.D.) Sarang Khan having overcome Ghalib Khan the governor of Samana, and Tatar Khan the Wali of Panipath, gained possession of the country as far as the outskirts of Dihli. Sultan Nusrat Shah sent Malik Ilys a slave of the Firuz Shahi party with elephants and an army to reinforce Tatar Khan. He accordingly drove Sarang Khan out of Samana and delivered it to Ghalib Khan.
49.1.6
And in the month of Muharram 800 H. (1397 A.D.) a severe engagement took place between the two parties in the neighbourhood of the village of Kotla; Sarang Khan was defeated and fled towards Multan, and Tatar Khan proceeded to the frontier of Tilaundi, and sending Kamalu-d-Din Mubin in pursuit of Sarang Khan, returned. And in the month of Rabi‘u-l-Awwal in the year already mentioned, Mirza Pir Muhammad, grandson of the great Amir Timur Gurgan King of Sintasan and Mawara an-Nahr, had crossed the river Indus, and was besieging the fortress of Uchh. ‘Ali Malik, Sarang Khan's lieutenant, fought and held the fort for a month, and when Malik Taju-d-Din Bakhtyar arrived at the fort of Uchh with a thousand cavalry given him by Sarang Khan, Mirza Pir Muhammad left Uchh, and taking Malik Taju-d-Din Bakhtyar and his thousand sowars unawares in their position on the banks of the river Biah, attacked them. The greater number of Malik Taju-d-Din’s force fell by the sword, while those who escaped the sword were drowned in the floods of destruction, and Mirza Pir Muhammad after gaining this victory pursued them with all speed, and invested the fortress of Multan. Sarang Khan held out against him for six months engaging him frequently, but at last begged for quarter, and had an interview with the Mirza, who took up his station in Multan pending the arrival of the great Timur.
49.1.7
And in the month of Shawwāl in the aforesaid year Iqbāl Khān, who is better known as Malloo, swore many oaths of allegiance to Sultān Nasrat Shāh, whom he deported to the fortress of Jahān-numā, taking him away with elephants and an armed force; and Sultān Mahmūd and Muqarrab Khān and Bahādur Nāhir shut themselves up in old Dihlī. On the third day from this Iqbāl Khān made a sudden attack in strong force upon Nusrat Shāh hoping to take him by surprise; Nusrat Shāh fled from Jahān-numā and came to Fīrūzābād, and leaving there crossed the Jamna and went to join Tātār Khān his Vazīr at Pānīpath. The whole of the army and elephants of Nusrat Shāh fell into the hands of the astute Iqbāl Khān, and for two whole months daily battles were fought between Muqarrab Khān and Iqbāl Khān, until by the intervention of certain Amīrs peace was established between these two leaders; but after a few days Iqbāl Khān proceeded against Muqarrab Khān, and without warning suddenly surrounded him and besieged him; and after giving him assurances of safety raised him to the dignity of martyrdom, and getting Sultān Mahmūd into his power made a puppet of him and took the management of the state into his own hands. Then in the month of Zū Qa'dah of the aforesaid year Iqbāl Khān wrested Pānīpath by force from the followers of Tātār Khān, and seized all his baggage and his elephants and army.
49.1.8
Tātār Khān previously to this expedition of Iqbāl Khān, had left Pānīpath with the intention of attempting to reduce Dihlī but found himself quite unequal to the task, and throwing his country to the winds left Dihlī and went to Gujrāt with a large following to join his father. Iqbāl Khān coming to Dihlī bestowed upon Malik Nasīru-l-Mulk, a relation of Tātār Khān who had joined him, the title of 'Ādil Khān, and placed under his control the district of the Doāb. And in the month of Safar of the year 801 H. (1398 A.D.) Amīr Timur the Great attacked the town of Tulamba, and taking that place, put to the sword the whole of the prisoners of the army of Sarang Khan whom Mirza Pir Muhammad had kept in confinement; proceeding thence by continuous marches he also took the fort of Bhat, and having taken prisoner Rai Jaljin Jihad put him to death together with the garrison and inhabitants of the fort.