Pramāṇa · Search · About · API

Muntakhab al-tawarikh 61

Muntakhabu-t-tawārīkh (Ranking, Lowe, Haig) 61

Language
English

Contents

61.1.1

Verse. My body bears a robe, surpassing splendid, My hopes for this world and the next are ended. I came yesterday, and have accomplished nothing, To-day my efforts have availed me nothing, To-morrow I depart, having learned no single secret, Better had been non-existence than this vain superfluity. And when one looks into the matter carefully one becomes aware that seeing that the Lord, the repository of the seal of the prophetic office, upon him and his family may the peace and blessing of God rest, says: "Would that the Lord of Mohammad had not created Muhammad,” it is not in the power of a weak-minded mortal (like myself) to draw a single breath in this valley (of desolation), and one fears lest such an attempt should lead to audacity in the way of religion, and lest its fruit should be everlasting destruction. I entreat pardon from God of all that is an abomination to Him. What power has the clay that it should say to the potter Why dost thou make me and why dost thou break me.

61.1.2

After that Shir Shah reached the hill-country of Balnat. He built there the fortress of Rohtas as a protection for the army of Hindustan against the Mughul forces. Then he appointed Khawass Khan to undertake the pursuit, and returned. While on the march he heard that a commander named Khizr Khan Sarak had become infatuated with rebellious notions and was behaving as though he were a Sultan. Shir Shah accordingly bent his course thither, and Khizr Khan hastening to encounter him was taken prisoner. Shir Shah took possession of that country and conferred it by way of jaegir upon several of his Amirs, and appointed to the superintendence of the fort of Rohtas, Qazi Fazilat the Qazi of the army, who was popularly known by the more appropriate title of Qazi Fazihat.

61.1.3

In the year 948 H. he came to Agra, and in the year 949 H. proceeded to Gwaliar with the intention of conquering Malwa. Abul Qasim Beg, one of the Amirs of Humayun Padshah who had entrenched himself in that fortress, came in and had an interview with him, giving up the keys of the fort. Mallu Khan the governor of Malwa, who was one of the slaves of the Khilji Sultans, and held absolute and unlimited power in that province, offered his services to Shir Shah, and was honoured by splendid rewards. Shir Shah also had tents pitched for him close to his own tent, and prepared a hundred and one horses and other apparatus of pomp and dignity in his honour. In the meantime a suspicion arose in Mallu Khan's mind, and one night he tore his tent and escaped alone after the accustomed manner of slaves, and fled. Shir Khan wrote the following: — Verse. You see how the chickenhearted slave Mallu has treated me It is a saying of Mustafa “There can be no good in a slave." Shir Khan then nominated Haji Khan Sultani to the subjugation of the province of Malwa, and Suzawal Khan to administer the affairs of the district of Sawas; Mallu Khan fought with Haji Khan and Suzawal Khan, and suffered a defeat from which he never recovered. Every weakling who fights with one stronger than he, Gets such a fall that he can never again rise.

61.1.4

And Shuja-at Khan Sarwani, who was the permanent Governor of the fort of Ranthambur, yielded up that fortress to Shir Shah and came with his family to the township of Basawar. It is said that some one introduced some poison into his cup. His tomb is in the suburbs of that township, in a pleasant spot, and is well-known at this time; Quatrain. Death, thou hast desolated hundreds of homes, In the kingdom of existence thou makest life thy spoil. No jewel beyond price has come into the world, But thou has borne it away and hidden it beneath the dust. In this year Shir Shah led an army against the fortress of Rai Sen and besieged it, because Puranmal the son of Silhadi, one of the Chiefs of Rai Sen, had attacked the city of Chanderi, which is one of the chief cities of Hindustán, and had put its inhabitants to death, and was keeping two thousand women, Hindus and Muslims, in his own haram. The following couplet was found to record the date of this siege: Qiyám-i-bárgáh báshad mubárak. May the stability of the court be fortunate. After prolonging the siege for some time Shír Sháh entered into a compact, and succeeded in dislodging Púranmal by the intervention of Shahzáda 'Ádil Khán and Qutb Khán Náib, and assigned him a place in his own camp, bestowing upon him a hundred horses, with a robe of honour and a sum of gold;

61.1.5

and eventually by the advice of Mír Saiyyid Rafí'u-d-Dín Safawí of Íj, which was given the title of Muqaddasa (Sacred) by Sikandar Lodí, broke his word, and caused Púranmal together with his family and children to be trampled to death by elephants. Not a single man of those turbulent and rebellious Hindus, who were near ten thousand souls, escaped in that battle. Their women and men either became food for the edge (jauhar) of the sword or fed the flames of the fire called jauhar, a well-known word in the Hindí language. This chronicle, from that day forward, remained as a record upon the pages of Time, may God be merciful to its author. This event occurred in the year 950 H., and after some time he girded up his loins for a holy war to uproot the pestilent infidels of the country of Márwár, and led a vast army against Rái Máldeo the leader of the Rais of Hindūstān, who held sway over the country of Nāgor and Jodhpur, and was a powerful opponent of the Muslims, and inasmuch as one of the maxims of Shīr Shāh, from which he never departed, was to throw up an entrenched position round his army, no matter how few the enemy might be, as soon as Māldeo arrived in the vicinity of Ajmīr with fifty thousand picked cavalry trained and experienced in war, intent upon slaying or being slain, and confronted Shīr Shāh, finding it impossible to make trenches and ramparts because of the sandy soil, held a conference with his experienced and veteran Amīrs.

61.1.6

No one of them however could devise a way to effect that object. Suddenly Maḥmūd Khān, the son of ‘Ādil Shāh, who was grandson to Shīr Shāh, notwithstanding his youth said, “Let Shāh ‘Ālam order the banjāras (grain sellers) of the army to fill sacks with sand and arrange them round the army.” This idea highly commended itself to Shīr Shāh, and he immediately placed his turban upon the lad’s head, and bestowed upon him in perpetuity the treaty territories. In the end Heaven did not favour his designs, and Islām Shāh, after reaching kingly power, made this unfortunate boy the very first of his family, heirs to the kingdom, to have his name blotted out from the page of existence, in accordance with the saying *Al mulku ‘aqīm* (The kingdom has no heir), and that treatment which he meted out to them, vindictive Time measured again to his posterity. Verse If thou hast done evil remain not secure from calamity, For the nature of things brings about requital. In short Shīr Shāh, who would not give the head of one of his soldiers for a kingdom, and to whom the Afghāns were far dearer than can be expressed, was by no means willing to involve his arms in calumniating with the ignorant, boor-natured, currish Hindus.

61.1.7

Accordingly he devised an artifice, and wrote fictitious letters purporting to emanate from the generals of Maldeo’s army, to himself, couched in enigmatical language, the substance of them being that there would be no need for the king in person to superintend the fighting, when the armies were drawn up for battle, because they themselves would take Maldeo alive and deliver him up, upon the condition that such and such places should be given them as a reward. Having done this he so arranged that these letters fell into Maldeo’s hands, with the result that Maldeo became utterly suspicious of all his generals, and, in the dead of night fled alone without looking behind him; and, notwithstanding that his generals denied their complicity with oath upon oath, saying that they never could have been guilty of such dastardly conduct, and that this was all the handiwork of Shir Shah in his desire to raise dissensions between them, it was of no use, and had no effect upon Maldeo’s mind. Kanhaiya, who was his minister and agent, abused Maldeo in violent terms, and taking four thousand resolute men devoted to death, or even more than this number, came down upon the army of Shir Shah, with the intention of surprising them by night, but missed his way, and after marching the whole night, when morning broke became aware that he had left the camp far in rear.

61.1.8

After striving to the utmost of their powers, when they had abandoned all hope of life, at the very moment when the army of Shir Shah came in sight, as a result of their own stupidity, by the good luck of Shir Shah or by the superior good fortune of Islam, the infidels in a body dismounted from their horses, and renewing their vows of singleness of purpose and mutual assistance binding their sashes together and joining hand to hand, attacked the army of the Afghans with their short spears, which they call Barchhas, and with their swords. Sher Shah had given orders saying that if any man ventured to fight with the sword with this swinish horde, his blood would be on his own head. He accordingly ordered the elephant troops to advance and trample them down. In rear of the elephants, the artillery and archers gave them a taste of the bowstring, and admitting them to the banquet of death, gave them the hospitality of the land of extinction. The bright surface of the world’s page was polished, and freed from the dark lines of the land of infidels, and not one of the infidels got off with his life, nor was a single Muslim lost in that encounter. A poet of Gwalior, whose takhallus is Fawrī, wrote this verse on that subject:

61.2.1

Suddenly check to the king happened to Muhleo: It would have been checkmate had not the piece Kenya protected him as ‘Arz.’ It is said that after this victory Sher Shah on several occasions used to say, "I have sold the empire of the whole of Hindustan for a handful of millet." Returning thence and making over the fortress of Rantambhur to his son ‘Adil Khan, he gave him leave for a few days to visit the fort, and put the garrison in order, when he was to follow his father. The writer has heard from a trustworthy source, that one day while on that expedition Mir Saiyyid Rafi'u-d-Din, the renowned and unique traditionist now pardoned and absolved, who has been already mentioned, said to Sher Shah, "All my ancestors were authors of authoritative compositions and used to give instructions in the two sacred cities. I alone of all my family have become so helpless and powerless that in search of the gold and fame of Hindustan I am blindly wandering. I beseech your Majesty to grant me permission to depart, so that at the end of my days I may be able to relight the lamp of those venerable ancestors of mine. Seeing that I was not worthy to succeed those mighty intellects who have gone before me, My hands have spoiled many books, my ignorance has wasted many parchments.

61.2.2

Sher Shah answered, I should have no objections to make on this score, were it not that I have kept you with me for a special object, which is this that I intend in a short time by the help of God, He is blessed and exalted, to clear the heart-delighting plain of Hindustan of the thorns of infidelity, and shortly to reduce the few forts which remain, with very little difficulty, and passing along the seashore to fight with those Qizilbashes who oppose the progress of the company of pilgrims to the holy temple (of Makkah) and have given rise to bigoted interference with the established religion and the orthodox followers of Muhammad, may the peace and blessing of God be upon him, and to send you thence with a mission bearing letters to the Sultan of Rum, in order that, having knitted the bonds of religious brotherhood between us, you may bear to him a request on my behalf to be entrusted with the service of one of the two sacred temples, may God increase their dignity.

61.2.3

Then I coming up from one direction [and the Khwandgar from the other], may clear out the Qizilbash from between us, because as soon as the Sultan of Rum attacks him, he will move with all rapidity in this direction, and when the Sultan of Rum withdraws his forces, he will again return to the place he came from, whereas if we surround him from both directions with this army and the huge following we have in Hindustan, together with that powerful force and its artillery, his resisting power will be nil, and on carefully considering over this matter I can think of no person more fitted to carry this message than yourself, and simply in view of the attainment of this object I cannot entertain the idea of your leave.

61.2.4

It must not be forgotten that it is by no means improbable that this same good intention may be the cause of the salvation of that faithful king from the fire (of hell) although he fell into the fire, in the Day of Reckoning, for the Almighty, may He be glorified and exalted, is satisfied with little and very bountiful, and the story of 'Amr ibnu-l-Lais [who for all his vast army and equipment, which gave him the pre-eminence over all kings of 'Iraq in the four quarters of the globe, was always regretful because he had not been present at the slaughter of Imam Husain, may God Most High be pleased with him, so that he might have smitten and destroyed the followers of Yazid, and of his having a vision in which he was walking in the gardens of Paradise] is well known: say, *every man acts after his own manner*, that is after his own desire. Verse My brother thou art all desire naught else All the rest of thee is but bone and fibre If a rose is thy desire, thou art a rose garden, If a furnace is thy desire thou art its fuel. And in the year 952 H. (1545 A.D.) Shir Shah invested the fortress of Kalinjar, which is one of the strongest and most famous of the forts of Hindustan, and with great energy and skill in a short time prepared galleries, and used to make daily attacks upon the bastions; and by the time that the galleries had advanced near to the walls of the fort, and the mines were ready, attacking on all four sides he made the condition of the garrison very precarious.

61.2.5

Shir Shah from the position where he was standing, gave orders to hurl grenades filled with gunpowder into the fort. This they did, and by chance one of those grenades struck the wall of the fort, and recoiling with great force exploded. Its fragments fell among the other grenades, which exploded, burning Shir Shah severely from head to foot. And inasmuch as he was badly scorched, and Shaikh Khalil the son of his spiritual guide, and the learned Maulana Nazimu-d-Din also were fellow-sufferers with Shir Shah in this explosion, Shir Shah as he ran using his hands to cover his nakedness, took refuge in a tent which they had pitched for him in (front of) a bastion, where he lay unconscious. Whenever he recovered consciousness a little he shouted to his men encouraging them to seize the fort, and if any one came to see him he signed to him to go and fight, so that in his absence the Amirs in command in the trenches worked harder than if he had been present, and behaved with the utmost gallantry, and coming to close quarters with the garrison, brought matters to a fight with knife and dagger and did full justice to the demands of endeavour and manliness.

61.2.6

The writer heard a story from a most trustworthy source, that on that eventful day of assault, in which the deeds of every individual assailant were conspicuous, and the standards and faces could be easily distinguished one from another, "I saw," said he, "a soldier armed cap-a-pie, who had not previously been seen nor was ever after seen, clothed from head to foot in black, wearing a plume of the same colour upon his head, and urging and encouraging our men in the battle. Then he entered one of the galleries and made his way into the fort. I searched for him everywhere after the battle, but in vain; I could find no trace of him." The men in the other trenches also gave the same account saying, we saw several horsemen wearing these clothes who kept advancing in front of us till they entered the fort and vanished. Verse If thou hadst not been on the side of religious law, Heaven itself would have girt its loins. If thou hadst been on the side of the faith, the Genii would have ungirt their sword. A report became current that, in that battle, certain men from the invisible world had come to the aid of the Muslims. And Shir Shah suffering and distressed as he was from time to time enquired for tidings of victory. The air was terribly hot, and although they sprinkled him constantly with sandal and rose water, it was utterly useless to relieve the scorching heat whose intensity increased hour by hour. Verse.

61.2.7

A breast which is consumed by the fire of separation Sandal can afford it no relief. At the very moment of hearing the good tidings of victory he yielded up his life to the Lord, the Giver of life, the Receiver of life. The following stanza was written to record the date of his death; — Shir Shah, he in dread of whom The lion and the goat drank at the same source Left the world; the wise sage pronounced The date of his death. Zi atash murd (he died from the effects of fire). His corpse was taken to Sahsaram where was the burial-place of his fathers, and there buried. The period of his military command was fifteen years, and of his Sultanate five years. It is said that on one occasion when he was looking in a mirror, he exclaimed, “Alas! that I obtained my kingdom at the time of evening prayer.” Verses. My heart! like Khizr take and drink the water of life, Like Sikandar come and conquer land and sea. If thou entertainest any longing for the cup-bearer and wine, Take the cup of Kausar from the hand of the Huri and drink. The fame of thy greatness and glory and majesty Has reached the Koh-i-qaf, go thither and hear its tale. If thou art sitting, for instance, on the throne of Solomon, One day like the ant creep into the recess of a cave and hide there; Two or three days like the spider, spin in the deserted corner of the world the strands of desire and take thy place there.

61.2.8

Every beautiful-faced one, whose beauty is unapproachable With that one, to thy heart’s content, take thy delight. This world is a dream in the opinion of the wise, Do thou at last see this dream and take it. Thy life, O Qadin, is as a fairy-tale of enchantment, Thou hast heard the tale, take the spell of enchantment. When the hand of Death tears the sleeve of thy existence Raise thy hand, Shah, and the son of Mulla Ahmad Junaid, who is well known, found this verse of the sacred word: “And already we have written in the Psalms, after the admonition that ‘the earth shall my righteous servants inherit,’ ” to give the date of his accession. He wrote a despatch to his elder brother ‘Adil Khan and sent it to him in Ranthanbur, of which the following is the substance. “Although the succession was really your right, still as you were at so great a distance there was a danger, nay a certainty of the occurrence of disturbances here before you could arrive. Accordingly with a view to keep down insurrections, I will take charge of the army for a few days as your deputy, and after you arrive I shall have no alternative but to submit to and obey you.” Leaving Kalinjar he made for Agra and in the vicinity of the township of Kura Ghatampur, Khawass Khan arrived from Sihrind which was his jaegir, and yielded a forced allegiance, because he was more inclined to favour the accession of ‘Adil Khan as compared with Islam Shah; a splendid banquet was held and he was anew placed on the throne.

61.2.9

Afterwards when fresh despatches from Islam Shah reached ‘Adil Khan, he referred the question of his coming to the following four persons upon whose advice and opinion as to its expediency he made his action dependent: Qutb Khan Naib, ‘Isa Khan Niyazi, Khawass Khan, and Jalal Khan Jilwani, all of whom were great Amirs, men of eminence belonging to his family. Islam Shah sent this body of men to him bearing an agreement by which he undertook to allow ‘Adil Khan to depart to his jaegir after the first interview, and to deliver to his control any place in Hindustan which he might select. ‘Adil Khan acting upon the advice of these Amirs proceeded from the neighbourhood of Ranthanbur to Fathpur, otherwise called Sîkrî, and Islem Shâh left Agra and came to Shikârpur, where the royal palace is at present, to receive him; and when they met they first fulfilled the duties of condolence, and evinced great cordiality, and after a short time set out together for Agra. Islem Shâh had plotted treachery against ‘Adil Khân, and had consequently made a stipulation that not more than two or three persons should be left in the fort with ‘Adil Khân. This however was not carried out, and a large body of followers accompanied him; accordingly Islem Shâh was constrained, in order to avoid suspicion, to treat ‘Adil Khân with extraordinary fawning and flattery, saying "I have taken care of these unruly Afghâns so far by artful means, now I make them over to you."

61.3.1

Verse. Subject the intoxicated and riotous one to the warning glance of the cup-bearer. Having placed him upon the throne he himself assumed an attitude of submission and obedience, and from motives of worldly wisdom was most punctilious in the observance of courtesy. Although ‘Adil Khân was in the flower of his youth, and of great bodily strength (many well known tales of his strength are told), nevertheless, since he was fond of ease and was well aware of the craft and subtlety of Islem Shâh and his ways of dealing, would not agree to that procedure, rose to his feet and seating Islem Shâh on the throne again with all honour and ceremony, swore allegiance to him, and offered him congratulations upon his accession, with the customary offerings and oblations. Islem Shâh, in accordance with the compact which had been made sent ‘Isa Khân and Khawâss Khân to accompany ‘Adil Khân, and having confirmed Baîâna to him as a jaegîr, permitted him to proceed thither. Two months later he appointed Ghâzî Mahallî, who was one of his confidential attendants, to go and arrest ‘Adil Khân. ‘Adil Khan, however, heard of this, fled from Biana taking refuge with Khawas Khan in Mewat. Khawas Khan then summoned Ghazi Mahalli, and bound him with that same golden chain which he had brought for ‘Adil Khan, and having gained over to his side all the Amirs, set out for Agra with a large army.

61.3.2

Qutb Khan and ‘Isa Khan also, who were two of the chief nobles of the State, with whose concurrence the compact had been made, were annoyed at this breach of faith on the part of Islem Shah, and with great management summoned ‘Adil Khan at a time agreed upon, namely at day break after the Shab-i-barat, so that they might own allegiance to him. It so chanced that ‘Adil Khan and Khawas Khan, having arrived at Sikri on the Shab-i-barat, spent that night as a vigil in the service of Shaikh Salim Chishti, in voluntary prayers and benedictions, so that their departure for Agra was delayed long past the time agreed upon, and it was breakfast time when they reached the outskirts of Agra. Islem Shah who was alarmed, spoke very courteously to Qutb Khan and the rest of the Amirs, and permitted them to go and present themselves before ‘Adil Khan. His object was to get rid of his opponents, and that very instant to start alone into the fortress of Chunar, seize the treasure which was there, and after collecting the necessary equipment for an army to return and again engage in war. ‘Isa Khan Hajjab warned him of the folly and absurdity of this project, and prevented him from sending his Amirs to his enemy and from starting for Chunar.

61.3.3

Eventually Islam Shah, accompanied by a party of his own bodyguard, and two or three thousand old and trusty retainers, left with all haste and came out in force to fight, first recalling those Amirs whom he had sent, saying “I am by no means confident that ‘Adil Khan will not deal treacherously with you: you had better return quickly and rejoin me, because the question between him and me can only be settled by the sword.” Verse. In this case messengers and despatches can avail nothing, The two-edged sword will make this matter clear. The Amirs, however, who were friendly to ‘Adil Khan, on seeing Islam Shah take the field, refused to return to his side and entered the ranks of the more peaceful army; a severe battle ensued before Agra, and ‘Adil Khan was defeated and fled alone toward Bhatta. Khawass Khan and ‘Isa Khan Niyazi, who had a strong regard and unbounded loyalty for each other, took the road to Mewat and the township of Firozpur, engaged the force which had been sent in pursuit of them, and overcame it, but eventually, not having power to resist the army of Islam Shah, proceeded to the hills to the north of Hindustan, which are called (the) Kumaon (hills), and took refuge with the Rajas of that district. Qutb Khan Naib, having been appointed to attack them, kept continually ravaging the country at the foot of the hills.

61.3.4

In the meantime Islam Shah proceeded to Chunhar, and sent the treasure which was there to Gwaliar, and on his return, when he reached the township of Karah Khatampur, while engaged in playing chaugan with Jalal Khan Jilwani, who was one of the married Amirs of the Afghans, and had been an adherent of ‘Adil Khan, and a great object of suspicion to Islam by some treacherous device persuaded him to come to his camp, and cast him into chains together with his brother Khudadad, making them over to an Afghan who had a blood feud with them, and having put them to death under the cloke of vengeance, proceeded to Agra, [and from thence to Gwaliar which he had made his capital], and setting himself to slay and eradicate a party who were favourable to ‘Adil Khan, girded up his loins in enmity against them, and swept them one by one from the board of the world like so many pieces in the game of draughts or chess. Qutb Khan also took fright, and fled from the foot of the Kumaon hills to Lahore, taking refuge with Haibat Khan, to whom Shir Shah had given the title of A'zam Humayun. Haibat Khan in obedience to a summons from Islem Shah, sent Qutb Khan in chains to him. Islem Shah sent him together with Shahbaz Khan Luhani, who was brother-in-law to Shir Shah, and Barmazid Kor who was the Dajjal of that sect, and the Hajjaj of his age, and thirteen or fourteen other Amirs and Amirs’ sons, to the fortress of Gwaliar, where most of them quitted the body in imprisonment.

61.3.5

[Among them was Mahmud Khan, son of ‘Adil Khan, who in his seventh year had counselled Shir Shah to throw up a rampart of sand, in consequence of which Shir Shah had made him his heir-apparent, as has been related. Another was Kamal Khan Ghakkar who will be mentioned shortly.] And in this year Salim Shah summoned A'zam Humayun from Lahor, but he advanced some excuse for not coming in person, and sent Sa'id Khan his brother, who was renowned for courage and sound judgment: Islem Shah received him with the utmost show of favour, and made much of him, advancing him to the highest place of intimacy, but inwardly cherished the intention of putting an end to him; at last one day, having summoned him to a private interview within the palace, he showed him the heads of the Amirs who had been immured alive in the walls, for instance Zain Khan Niyazi and the others, saying Do you recognize these persons, who they are? He mentioned the names of some whom he recognized. Previously to this he had thrown the abovementioned Amirs, men of ability, into a chamber in Gwalior, and setting fire to it with gunpowder had burned them all except Kawal Khan Ghakkar, who remained under the protection of the All-cherisher safe in a corner of the room.

61.3.6

[It is said that the following was the reason of his escaping, the sister of Kawal Khan, who had been united by marriage to Islem Shah, became aware of the conference and sent word to her brother, saying This very night they intend to blow up the prisoners with gunpowder. She also sent from inside (the palace) four quilts stuffed with cotton, and several skins of water. Kawal Khan poured quantities of water upon the quilts, and under pretence of taking a bath betook himself into a corner, apart from his friends, and rolling himself up in the quilts had gone to sleep when they set fire to the room, and all were burned to ashes, but he alone remained alive beneath the quilt. In the morning Islem Shah came to inspect that prison-house, and seeing Kawal Khan alive said It is right for me to release you seeing that fire had no power over you.] Then Islem Shah having made him take an oath that he would never again oppose him, released him, and appointed him to assist the Governor of the Panjab to conquer the country of the Ghakkars [where he arrived with all honour]. In short Sa'id Khan, who had been a witness of this sudden death, gave orders in obedience to which post horses were tied up along the road to Lahor, so that he travelled the distance between Agra and Lahor within three nights. Day by day the scale turned more and more in favour of the Niyazi faction, and A'zam Humayun read the khutbah in his own name in Lahor.

61.3.7

Islam Shah returned from that same camp and came to Agra, and summoning a vast army from all sides marched for the Panjab. Sazawal Khan came from Malwa to join this movement, and was received very graciously, and after bringing forward certain important matters took leave, while Islam Shah, after halting for a few days in Dihli and ordering his army, set out for Lahor. A'zam Humayun and Khawass Khan, and ‘Isa Khan Niyazi as well, (who had come down from the hill country to join him), came from the Panjab with armies strong as the hills to receive Islam Shah. In the early part of the winter time a fierce battle was fought in front of the township of Ambala, and on the evening preceding the day on which the battle was to be fought, A'zam Khan had asked Khawass Khan: After the victory who will be selected as the successor to the throne? He answered: It may be that it will be 'Adil Khan who is the oldest son of Shir Shah and is really fit to rule. It appears that the Niyazi faction said, The kingdom is not by inheritance, but he who conquers, takes the booty. It is a foregone conclusion, what sense is there in this that we should strike with the sword and the kingdom should come to others.

61.4.1

Khawass Khan, who was heart and soul attached to the cause of Shir Shah, was displeased at this claim of theirs, consequently when the battle began to rage, he refused to fight, and standing aloof left the battle field together with ‘Isa Khan Niyazi. The Niyazi faction fought right manfully, without yielding a foot of ground, and were near carrying away the centre of Islam Shah's army, but in the end pluck told, and their efforts were of no avail. Verse The wound which utters presage of thy death When it feels thy salt closes its lips. And Sa‘id Khan, the elder brother of A‘zam Humayun, attended by a body of men fully armed and equipped, disguised in such a way that no one would know him, came in under the pretext of offering congratulations, with the intention of putting an end to Islam Shah, and with that object asked repeatedly, where is the Padshah that I may offer him my congratulations on his victory. An elephant driver of one of those elephants which had surrounded Islam Shah recognised the voice of Sa‘id Khan, and struck a blow at him with his spear, but he made his way in safety through the crowd of elephants, great as it was, and foiled in his purpose made his escape; the Niyazi faction fled and came to Dhankot, which is near Roh, and the remainder were plundered by the Kawars, while some were drowned in the nullahs of Ambala. Islam Shah pursued as far as Western Rohtas, and despatched Wais Sirwani with a large army to oppose the Niyazis, and returned towards Agra.

61.4.2

Leaving Agra he went to Gwaliar, and made it his capital. When Khawas Khan and ‘Isa Khan Niyazi, who had made common cause, left the battle field ‘Isa Khan went to the hill country, [while Khawas Khan with five or six hundred cavalry fled to Lahor], [and (Islam Khan)] Islam Shah appointed Shams Khan Lahor as Governor of Lahor; and at a time when Shams Khan had come out for some undertaking to a distance of thirty krohs from Lahor, Khawass Khan, with three or four hundred cavalry, each individual man of whom could have withstood an army, advanced with the idea of taking Lahor, and encamped in the grove of Kamran Mirza. The inhabitants of Lahor shutting themselves up in the fort held the city till the arrival of Shams Khan, and Khawass Khan, having cut down the lofty trees of Safidar and Chinar of that grove, had set about making Sabat and ladders, when his cavalry brought news that Rai Husain Jilwani and other Amirs of Salim Shah’s party with an army of thirty thousand cavalry had arrived in the neighbourhood of Lahor. Khawass Khan, after a conference with ‘Isa Khan, abandoned the siege, and went out some five or six krohs to meet (his enemy), and with five hundred veteran cavalry well tried in war hurled himself against that wall of steel. Rai Husain said to his men, leave the way open so that this black calamity may pass through our midst.

61.4.3

Accordingly he made a breach in the line of Salim Shah’s army, and attacked them again from the rear and threw them into confusion. At this juncture he received a wound in the knee which bore him from his horse to the ground, but his opponents had not sufficient enterprise to come up to him and take him prisoner, and he was openly borne off the field upon a charpoy. Rai Hasan forbade his men to give pursuit, and Khawass Khan went off in safety towards Nagarkot, whence he proceeded to the foot of the Kumaon hills. The final issue of his affairs will be related shortly in its own place, if God, He is exalted, so will it. The Niyazi faction set their hearts upon the government of Kashmir, but by the craft of the Kashmiris were enticed into bye-ways, and eventually reached their rest in the corner of destruction, as will be mentioned, if God, He is exalted, so will it. And in the year 954 H. (1547 A.D.) an Afghan named Usman, whose hand Sazawal Khan had cut off for some reason, one day laid an ambush in Agra, and at the entrance to a road aimed a blow at Sazawal Khan and wounded him. Sazawal Khan went to the camp, and represented that this attack had been made at the instance of Salim Shah, he then took his way to Malwa. Islam Shah pursued him as far as Banswala, but seeing that Sazawal had taken shelter among the Zamindars of Sarui, Salim Shah left ‘Isa Sur with twenty thousand cavalry in Ujjain, and reached the capital.

61.4.4

In the early part of his reign Islam Shah detailed five thousand cavalry for the chief sarkars of Hindustan. Among them Mubariz Khan, the son of Nizam Khan Sur, who was the cousin and wife’s brother of Islam Shah, and eventually received the title of Muhammad ‘Adili, was appointed as a commander of twenty thousand to the vicinity of Ajawan in the Sarkar of Sambal, in order that Khawass Khan and the other Amirs might not be able to raise disturbances in that province, and he appointed as his deputy Pabandh Kharak. He had also given orders at the beginning of his reign that between every two rest-houses built by Sher Shah which were at intervals of one kroh, another rest-house of the same pattern should be built, with a temple, and a dwelling-place, and a pot of drinking water, and that a buttery and kitchen containing food both cooked and uncooked, for the use of travellers, both Hindu and Musalman, should be always open. Among other commands of his was this, that the madad-i-ma'ash and aimah grants of the whole of the protected provinces of Hindustan which Shir Shah had given, and the rest-houses which he had furnished, and the pleasure-gardens he had laid out, should remain just as they were, and should not be altered in the slightest degree. Another order was, that all the Patars should be taken by force from those Amirs who kept Akharas (these are well known in Hindustan).

61.4.5

He also seized the elephants in the same manner, and did not leave in the possession of any one any but a wretched female elephant fit only for carrying baggage, and gave orders that the red tent was confined solely to his own use. Another order was this, that he brought the whole country under his own personal control, and in accordance with the regulations and custom of the dagh system which Shir Shah had instituted, the soldiery were paid in cash. A further step was to send written orders to all the Sarkars containing comprehensive instructions on all important points of religion, and all political and civil questions, entering into the minutest essential detail, and dealing with all regulations which might be of service to the soldiery and civil population, to the merchants and other various classes, and which the authorities were bound to follow in their jurisdiction. All these points were written in these documents whether agreeable to the religious law or not, so that there was no necessity to refer any such matters to the Qazi or Mufti, nor was it proper to do so.

61.4.6

Also the Amirs of five thousand, ten thousand, and twenty thousand, used every Friday to pitch a lofty tent supported by eight poles, and bring the shoes of Salim Shah together with a quiver which he had given to the sardars in front of the throne, and first of all the commander of the troops, and after him the Munsif, that is to say, the Chief Commissioner (Amin) followed by the others in due precedence, with bowed heads and every expression of respect would take their seats in their appointed places. Then a Secretary would come and read aloud that order, chapter and verse, which occupied eighty sheets of paper more or less. Any question which presented any difficulty was referred by them in conclave to the various provisions and rulings of that document, by which it was finally decided, and if it should so happen that any Amir acted in contravention of that order, the Secretary used to write a report of that action and despatch it to the Court, and the disobedient Amir would forthwith be visited with punishment together with his family and relations. This procedure remained in force to the end of the reign of Islam Shah. The writer of this Muntakhab, in the year 955 H. (1548 A.D.), when he was of tender age, went to the country of Bajwara, one of the dependencies of Biana, with the army of Farid Taran, Commander of five thousand, in the company of his maternal grandfather, on him be the mercy of God, and witnessed these customs and rules of practice. And in the year 954 H.

61.4.7

or in 955 H., God knows which, Khwaja Wais Sirwani, who had been commissioned to proceed against A'zam Humayun [fought a battle with the Niyazis in the vicinity of Dhanljot, and was defeated. A'zam Humayun having taken a strong force pursued him as far as Sihrind. Islem Shah sent a large army against the rebels, and at last they fought another battle in the same country, and on this occasion also the Niyazis suffered defeat, and some of their women were captured and sent to Gwaliar. Islem Shah dishonoured them, and made over to the harlots in his camp the banners and tents and all the tokens of dignity of the Niyazis who had fallen into his hands, and naming one Sa’id Khan, and another A'zam Humayun, and a third Shahbaz Khan, in this way he distributed titles. Moreover he gave them drums which they used to play at their doors at the time of the naubat, and the prostitutes used to give themselves airs and used to say Sag-i-falakam. This class used to come every Thursday evening, in accordance with the custom of the harlots of Hindustan, to pay their respects to Islem Shah, and the heralds and chamberlains used to call out with a loud voice, O King cast a gracious glance hither, for a certain Khan Niyazi, and Bahman Khan are here to invoke blessings on thee. This used to annoy the Afghans who were all of one tribe and of one mind, so that an intense disgust for him had sprung up in their hearts.

61.4.8

Some assert that his conferring the titles of the Niyazis and giving the ensigns and drums was on the first occasion. God knows the truth. And A'zam Humayun, who on the second occasion was defeated, was not able to gird himself again to war, and the Niyazi party being scattered asunder grew daily weaker, and at first took refuge with the Ghakkars in the neighbourhood of Rohtas, making the hill country adjoining the Kashmir territory their asylum. Islem Shah, in order to remove the cause of the mischief, marched with a large army, and reaching the Panjab took up a strong position in the northern hill range, and by way of guarding his head-quarter post built five forts: viz., Mankot and Rashidkot and the others. For a space of two years he kept the Afghans employed in carrying stone and lime, and had such a hatred of the whole tribe that he heaped the dust of infamy and oppression on their heads. At this time he did not give them even the smallest coin by way of recompense. A party of them, however, who had obtained exemption from this labour, he detailed to oppose the Ghakkars, and they engaged in continuous warfare with them.

61.5.1

The Ghakkars in appearance like the tribe of 'Ad, daily fought with the Afghans, and by night entered their camp like thieves, and used to carry off whomsoever they might find, woman or man, freed man or slave, and keep them in bonds with the utmost rigour, and sell them. The Afghans dragged them in the dirt, and gave them the nickname of Ruswai (disgraced), but no one had the power to represent this state of things to Islem Shah till at last one day Shah Muhammad Farmali, who was one of the most noted Amirs for wit and good humour in Hindustan, and was also a specially favoured and forward boon companion said, "My Lord the King! Last night I saw in a dream three bags descend from heaven, in one of which was dust, in another gold, and in the third paper. The dust fell upon the head of a soldier, the gold went to the house of the Hindu daftari, and the paper remained in the royal treasury." Islem Shah was pleased with this speech, and promised that after his return to Gwaliar he would make his accountants draw up an account of the soldiers' pay, and pay them in gold. As it happened that order was never carried out, for in those same days death seized him by the collar. Verse. Attend to my wants to-day for that draught is of no avail Which is given to Sohrab after his death.

61.5.2

In the end, the affairs of the Niyazis came to this, that when their strength was broken, and they came into Kashmir, the Kashmiris, who are born traitors and deceivers, first of all invited the Niyazis from Rajuri after inflaming them with spurious ambition for kingdom, and in the end their guides leading them astray brought the tribes of Kashmir to oppose them, and at a hint from Islem Shah held the head of the pass against them. The women even of the Niyazis in defence of their honour girded on quivers, (among them were the mother and wife of A‘zam Humayun), and fighting with the Kashmiris were attacked by a hail of stones which literally covered them, and not a soul escaped. It is said that in the reign of Shir Shah a body of the Afghans of the tribe of Sanbal invited the Niyazis to Dhankot under treaty, and put two thousand of them to death in obedience to the orders of Shir Shah, putting their wives and children to the sword. Five years later the same thing happened to them, and in this house of retribution they received the reward of their deeds, hand for hand. And in these narrow passes they put all three brothers to the sword, sending their heads as an offering to Salim Shah. They also sent for him a girl from there. A part of this story has been elegantly told in the Tarikh-i-Kashmir, the composition of which is ancient though its arrangement is modern;

61.5.3

and at the time when Islem Shah, had sent troops against the Ghakkars and the Janoha party who were strongly entrenched on the banks of the river Behut, he himself was occupied in building the fortress of Mangarh; and Kamran Mirza, after fighting many battles with Muhammad Humayun Padshah, fled from Kabul and took refuge with Salim Shah, in the hopes that he would give him reinforcements which would enable him to capture Kabul, in the (vain) expectation that the water which had flowed away would return to its source. When Islem Shah heard this tidings, he selected from his army the notorious Hamunil Baqqal, who in those clays, in virtue of this friendly foretokening these, had been promoted from being overseer of the market to a position of confidence, and sent him with another body to the neighbourhood of Rohtas to meet Mirza, and although Islam Shah in his own mind thought this a reason for increased confidence in Mirza, being led to this by the want of confidence he had in the Afghans as a tribe, and the entire trust he reposed in Isa Khan. But Mirza himself made light of this, and recognising that there were dregs in the very first draught of the cup was unwilling to come in person. Verse

61.5.4

Now indeed for Mirza near to his own tent, and bestowed upon him a horse and a robe of honour, and a slave girl and a eunuch so that they might spy into his affairs. He used also to summon the Mirza from time to time, and hold converse with him regarding poetry, but their intercourse was always disagreeable, and the Mirza was worried by these incessant ceremonial visits and show of politeness, till he grew sick of his life, and was watching a favourable opportunity to make his escape. Moreover the Afghans used to make jibes at him in the Hindi tongue, and when he appeared in darbar used to say More mi ayad (Here comes the peacock). The Mirza enquired from one of the attendants, in the presence of Islem Shah, “What do they mean by More?” He answered, “It is the name they give to a man of great dignity.” The Mirza replied, “At that rate Salim Shah is a first rate More and Shir Shah was a still finer.” Salim Shah consequently gave orders that no one was ever to use that word again, nor to indulge in pleasantries at the Mirza’s expense. At last one day Islem Shah called upon the Mirza for a verse of poetry, when the Mirza recited this matla‘ off hand: Gardish-i-gardun-i-gardun gardananra gard kard Bar sar-i-sahib-tamizan naqisan ra mard kard. The revolutions of the circling heaven have brought low the mighty, And have made worthless men to lord it over men of intelligence.

61.5.5

Islem Shah fully caught the meaning of this verse, and gave secret orders to his attendants to keep the Mirza under open arrest. The Mirza, however, by the help of the zamindars, made an arrangement with one of the hill Rajas, and persuaded him, by holding out inducements of various kinds, to station postalong the banks of the river Chinab. One night he emerged from his tent with a woman’s chadar drawn over his head. The guards imagined that it was one of the women of his haram and offered no interference.

61.5.6

The Mirza crossed the river with his horse and saddle and succeeded in reaching the Raja. From there he proceeded alone, clothed in and taking with him, was escorted by some of the Raja’s subjects till he arrived in the vicinity of the village of Ghari Khati on the bank of the river Behat, and rested there one night. Inasmuch as that village is near Sultanpur the residence of Sultan Adam Ghakkar, at a distance of three krohs from the fortress of Rohtas, some one went to Sultan Adam and informed him that a Mughal woman was encamped at such and such a place, attended only by one jilaudar, and that her intention was to proceed on the following morning. Sultan Adam sent messengers to make enquiries, and then proceeded in person, and had an interview with the Mirza, who by persistent entreaty prevailed upon him to give a promise that he would send him in safety to a place of refuge. Sultan Adam accordingly wrote a letter to Muhammad Humayun Padshah, who had recently arrived in that neighbourhood, begging him to spare the Mirza’s life. The Padshah wrote an order in accordance with this request of his, and sent it to him, but eventually, two years later, he again seized the Mirza, and after blinding him with a lancet proposal, and folk began to entertain increased suspicion against him, and both small and great talked openly about him. Shāh Muhammad summoned these two holy men into his own private dwelling for safe custody, and took great pains to entertain them.

61.5.7

One night, not long afterwards, an armed band entered his house by the upper story and martyred both father and son who were engaged in their night’s devotions. They then left the house, and in the morning the governor of the city came and enquired of Shāh Muhammad how this had occurred. He absolutely denied any knowledge of the circumstances, and stated that he had no idea who the murderers were; then he prepared a report of the affair under the Great Seal, and sent it together with a despatch to Islīm Shāh at his camp. Islīm Shāh thereupon sent to Dihlī Makhdūmu-l-Mulk Mullā ‘Abdu-llāh of Sultānpūr, who was Shaikhu-l-Islām and Sadru-s-sudūr, to investigate this matter, and also despatched circular letters summoning the Chief ‘Ulamā of the time, for example Miyān Hātim Sanbalī, Miyān Jamāl Khān Muftī, and others. This conflict lasted two months after this time, and after great argument and enquiry it was with tolerable certainty conjectured that the murderers were agents of Shāh Muhammad. This result was reported to Islīm Shāh, but before any reply could be received Shāh Muhammad, who had sunk from so high dignity to the depths of disgrace, could not endure the anxiety, underwent venesection and took sour milk in addition, and endured voluntarily humiliating penance. Report also says even more than this, but every one knew perfectly well that all these austerities and self-inflictions, were the outcome of hypocrisy and deceit, and not inspired by religious motives.

First 39 of 90 passages. Read on

Linked texts (1)