Muntakhab al-tawarikh 61.8
Muntakhabu-t-tawārīkh (Ranking, Lowe, Haig) 61.8
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61.8.1
On his arrival at Handiya, which is the frontier of the Dakkan, Bihar Khan, who was entitled A‘zam Humayun Sarwani, the governor of that place, kept him for some time in his own family, and having embraced his tenets used to go daily to hear his preaching, and half his army, nay more than half, sided with him; this news was brought to Islam by runners, and roused his indignation. Makhdumu-l Mulk took great pains to paint the event in glowing colours, and misrepresented it to Islam Shah so that orders were issued summoning Shaikh ‘Ala’i. Just at this juncture Islem Shah had left Agra for the Panjab with the intention of quelling the disaffection of the Niyazi faction ; when he arrived opposite to Baiana at the halting-place of Bahrsur, Makhdumu-l-Mulk said to Islem Shah “we have earned a few days respite from the lesser evil” by which he meant Shaikh ‘Ala’i, “but the great evil, that is Shaikh ‘Abdu-llah Niyazi, who is the instructor of Shaikh ‘Ala’i and the spiritual guide of the Niyazi faction, and always remains in the hill country of Baiana accompanied by three or four hundred men fully armed and equipped, and raises disturbances there, is still flourishing.” The fire of the anger of Islem Shah, who was thirsting for the blood of the Niyazis, was fanned into flame by this breath of suggestion, and he ordered Miyan Bahwa Luhani the Governor of Baiana, who was one of the special adherents of Shaikh ‘Abdu-llah, to produce the Shaikh.
61.8.2
Miyan Bahwa went to the Shaikh and said : It seems to me to be the best course for you to hide yourself for a few days in accordance with the saying “one should avoid misfortune” and migrate from this city to some other place, then perchance the king will forget all about you and never make an attempt of this kind again,” and you will have met the emergency, while I for my part shall have a good excuse. Verse. Bear not a misfortune when the night intervenes between it and you. Shaikh ‘Abdu-llah would not agree to this suggestion of his, and said, “this is an arrogant monarch and Makhdumu-l-Mulk is always watching for an opportunity. If they go still further away and then send for me it will cause me great annoyance ; for this reason, seeing that he is only ten krohs distant, I had better interview him now, and as for the question of mastery here and there, it will be all one whether it is to be now or in the future, since whatever is predestined will come to pass.” Man proposes and God disposes. The reins of affairs are not in the hands of one who looks to expediency, Yield the reins into the hands of Fate, this is the advisable course.
61.8.3
Accordingly he set out by night from Biana, and had an interview with Islām Shāh in the morning as he was mounted ready to march, and greeted him with 'Peace be to you.' On the instant Miyan Bahwa seized him by the nape of the neck and bent his head down saying 'My friend the Shaikh this is the way they salute kings.' The Shaikh looked savagely in his direction and replied "The salutation which is in accordance with the sunnat, and which is that which the friends of the Prophet, may the peace and blessing of God be upon him and his family, used to make, and which he, may the peace and blessing of God be upon him and his family, used to give them in response, is this same form of salutation. I know no other." Islām Shāh, with evident aversion asked "Is this the master of Shaikh 'Alāī?" Mullā 'Abdullah who was lying in wait for him said 'The very man.' By order of Islām Shāh he was at once seized and most unmercifully beaten with sticks and kicked and cuffed; the Shaikh as long as he retained consciousness kept repeating this text of the sacred word "Lord forgive us our sins, and our extravagance in our affairs; and make firm our footing, and help us against the misbelieving folk!" Islām Shāh enquired what he was saying.
61.8.4
Mullā 'Abdullah said 'He is calling you and the rest of us misbelievers.' Islām Shāh becoming exceeding wroth waxed still fiercer in his efforts to punish and torture him, and kept his retinue standing for an hour longer while they cudgelled him, and when he thought that the breath had left his body— One single breath was left as a mediator (between Life and Death), That mediator also rose and departed, He desisted, and went on his way. A spark of life however remained (in the Shaikh) so they wrapped him in a raw hide, and kept him warm for a night and a day before a fire, till he recovered. This occurrence took place in the year nine hundred and fifty-five. When he had regained his health he left Baiana, and commenced travelling, and spent some time in Afghanistan (Roh), and some time among the Afghans of Pattan in the Panjab, on the confines of Baiwara between Amber and Amritsar, and was in the habit of saying: 'This was the fruit of consorting with argumentative people. Oh ye lords of contemplation, all my trust is in you, But ye masters of discussion, I'll have none of you.
61.8.5
Finally he came to Sirhind, and giving up all connection with the manners and customs of the Mahdawi party (moreover he turned all the Mahdawi party from that faith) began to deal with all the followers of Islam according to the tenets of the orthodox school, till eventually in the year 993 H., at the time when the Emperor was on his way to Benares, he summoned Shaikh 'Abdullah and granted him a portion of madad-i-ma'ash land in Sirhind with remainder to his children. And in the year 1000 H., he bade farewell to this transitory world at the age of ninety or thereabout. Ruba'i. If the courser of the sky give the reins into your hand, And if the world gives you wealth as the dust under your feet — If your wisdom surpasses the wisdom of Aflatun, These are all as nought, at last you must die. After that Islam Shah had overcome the Niyazi faction, and had returned to Agra, Mulla 'Abdu-llah set about inciting him, and giving him a song which reminded him of former intoxications, again induced him to summon Shaikh 'Ala'i from Hindia, and to order punishment to be executed upon him, and spared no pains to remind him in the ripest possible way, that Shaikh 'Ala'i had been condemned to banishment, whereas now Bihar Khan had become his disciple and follower, and the whole army had shewn their leaning towards him. Seeing that his own relations had sought absolution from him and had adopted his faith, there was great probability of disturbance in the kingdom.
61.8.6
Accordingly Islam Shah summoned Shaikh 'Ala'i thence, and used still more strenuous exertions than before to bring matters to a satisfactory settlement, and knowing as he did the ambitious nature of Shaikh 'Ala'i, and recognising that there was no other man among the learned men of Dehli and Agra capable of settling this dispute, he therefore directed Shaikh 'Ala'i to be sent to Bihar to Shaikh Budh the learned physician, in whom Sher Khan had the very utmost confidence, and who is renowned for the authoritative commentary which he wrote upon the and bade him act in accordance with his directions. When Shaikh 'Ala'i went thither, he heard the sound of singing and musical instruments proceeding from the rooms occupied by Shaikh Budh the physician, and saw in his assembly certain other things repugnant both to the natural feelings and to religious law also, the very mention of which is disgraceful, so felt constrained to enjoin what was lawful and to forbid what was prohibited. Since Shaikh Budh was very infirm and aged, and was not strong enough to speak, his family answered for him that certain customs and observances which have obtained vogue in Hindustan are of such a nature that if one should forbid them in any way whatever, worldly injury, and loss both bodily and spiritual would inevitably result to the prohibitor, also that the women of Hindustan who as a class are worthless, consider that loss as the result of restrictive measures, and for that reason become infidels.
61.8.7
In any case legalising incontinence was probably a less sin than legalising infidelity. Shaikh ‘Alā'ī said that this is an iniquitous conjecture, as is proved by the fact that, whensoever worldly loss according to their belief is the result of the interference with some prohibited pleasure, and the injunction to obedience is held by them to be the cause of personal dearth and injury to their property and position, they have not even the fundamental properties of Muslims, so that their conformity to Islam need not even be considered. Seeing that the argument concerns the validity of Nikāḥ, why should one regret the fact of their not being Muslims? for it is said, That which is based upon iniquity is most iniquitous of all. That class therefore stand condemned. Shaikh Budh the physician however, having regard to equity became their apologist and entered a plea for them, praising Shaikh ‘Alā’ī and treating him with the utmost courtesy and respect.