[Pramāṇa](https://indike.org/pramana/) › [Indian literature](https://indike.org/pramana/in) › [Dark Ages](https://indike.org/pramana/in.darkages) › [General histories](https://indike.org/pramana/in.darkages.general) › [Muntakhab al-tawārīkh](https://indike.org/pramana/in.darkages.general.muntakhab-al-tawarikh) › [Muntakhabu-t-tawarikh (Ranking, Lowe, Haig)](https://indike.org/pramana/in.darkages.general.muntakhab-al-tawarikh~en-ranking-lowe-haig) › 65.1 # Muntakhab al-tawarikh 65.1 Muntakhabu-t-tawārīkh (Ranking, Lowe, Haig) 65.1 - **Language:** English ### [65.1.1](https://indike.org/pramana/in.darkages.general.muntakhab-al-tawarikh~en-ranking-lowe-haig.65.1.1) The world is a juggler decrepit and bowed, It brings to pass one thing but promises another, It calls you with kindness but drives you away with rancour, All its dealings are invariably of this nature. If it calls you know not whither it calls you, If it drives you forth you know not whither it drives you. All of us, old and young are destined to death, No one can remain in the world for ever. Inasmuch as everyone liked Ibrahim Khan who was considered by all to have a wonderful fortune in store for him in a short time large numbers gathered to him from all parts. He fought with the army of Ram Chand, the ruler of Bhatta but was forced to flee and was taken prisoner. Raja Ram Chand, in accordance with the customs of landholders, made him a present of a bow, and treated him with the utmost honour and respect, and in a personal interview presented him with a royal tent, with the apparatus of royalty, and attendants: then seating him upon the throne, standing humbly as a servant, performed the offices of attendance. ### [65.1.2](https://indike.org/pramana/in.darkages.general.muntakhab-al-tawarikh~en-ranking-lowe-haig.65.1.2) Ibrahim Khan spent some time there, till Baz Bahadur the son of Sazawal Khan, Ruler of Malwa, who eventually read the in that country, became involved in a quarrel with the Miyani Afghans, who summoned Ibrahim Khan and raising him to the supreme command, sent him against Baz Bahadur. Rani Durgawati the ruler of the country of Kara Katanka also, who was embroiled with Baz Bahadur on account of the proximity of her kingdom, rose up to assist Ibrahim, and went out to fight against Baz Bahadur, who made overtures for peace and dissuaded the Rani from assisting Ibrahim. She, accordingly, returned to her own country, and Ibrahim, not considering it advisable to remain there any longer, went off bag and baggage to Orissa, which is the boundary of Bangala, and lived on good terms with the zamindars. Suleiman Karrani, when he took possession (of Orissa), made terms with the Raja, and sending for Ibrahim with assurances of safety, slew him treacherously in the year 975 H. Verse. Fix not thy heart on this world, for it has no foundation, Speak not of life, for that too is ruined. The tent of life which thou placedst at first. Death will surely uproot, were it of solid steel. ### [65.1.3](https://indike.org/pramana/in.darkages.general.muntakhab-al-tawarikh~en-ranking-lowe-haig.65.1.3) Himun proceeded by rapid marches till he joined ‘Adli. ‘Adli and Muhammad Khan Gauria were at that time sitting down over against one another, with the river Jamna between them, at a place called Chhappar Ghatta, fifteen krohs from Kalpi. Gauria, confidently relying upon his superior force to overcome the forces of ‘Adli, had drawn up his cavalry and infantry and elephants to a number surpassing all computation, and was every moment expecting victory, when suddenly the scale turned against him, and Himun swept down upon him like a comet, and no sooner did he reach the ranks of the picked elephants after crossing the river Jamna, than he swooped down upon the army of Gauria, taking them unawares as does the array of Sleep, and making a night-assault gave no one time so much as to lift his hand. They were in such utter confusion that no man knew his head from his heels, nor his turban from his shoes. The greater part of his Amirs were slain, while the remnant who escaped chastisement took to flight. The wretched Gauria was so effectually concealed that up to the present not a trace of him has been found, and all that retinue and paraphernalia of royalty and grandeur became ‘like the scattered moths and like flocks of carded wool,’ and became in a moment the portion of the enemy. The kingdom is God’s, the greatness is God’s. Verse In one moment, in one instant, in one breath, The condition of the world becomes altered. ### [65.1.4](https://indike.org/pramana/in.darkages.general.muntakhab-al-tawarikh~en-ranking-lowe-haig.65.1.4) After this heaven-given victory and unforeseen triumph, ‘Adli proceeded to Chunar and appointed Himun, who was the commander-in-chief of his army, with abundant treasure and a countless host, elephants of renown, an ornament to the array and a terror to the enemy, to repel the forces of the Mughal which had taken possession of the country as far as Itawa and Agra, as will be presently related if God Most High so will it. Just at this juncture Khizr Khan, the son of Muhammad Khan Gauria, who had been killed, succeeded his father in Kor, issuing the currency and reading the khutba in his own name, with the style and title of Sultan (Muhammad) Bahadur, and collecting a huge army to revenge his father’s death, came up against ‘Adli, who notwithstanding his distress fought bravely on that field, and contrary to expectation met with fierce resistance. After fighting manfully ‘Adli was killed, and joined Muhammad Khan whose life-blood was yet freshly spilled, fighting in hot blood. This event occurred in the year 962 H. and Gauria bikusht was its chronogram. Verse. ### [65.1.5](https://indike.org/pramana/in.darkages.general.muntakhab-al-tawarikh~en-ranking-lowe-haig.65.1.5) My soul, do thou look at the world and take what it gives to thy heart’s desire; Live at thine ease therein a thousand years like Nuh. Every treasure and every store which kings have laid by, That treasure and that store seize and take for thine own. Every pleasure which the world contains do thou consider as made for thee; Every fruit which grows in the world do thou taste and take. In the final round which brings the end of thy life, A hundred times seize the back of thy hand with thy teeth and gnaw it (in despair). ‘Adlī was so highly skilled in and dancing that Miyān Tānsīn, the well-known kalāwant, who is a past master in this art, used to own to being his pupil, and Bāz Bahādur, son of Shujāwal Khān, who was also one of the most gifted men of his age and had no equal in this life-wasting accomplishment acquired the art (of music) from ‘Adlī. Verse. They owned no rival, but surpassed them all, May God, be He exalted and glorified, pardon them. One day a performer from the Dakhan brought into his assembly an instrument called which is in length equal to the height of a man, so large that the hands of no man could reach the two ends of it, as a sort of challenge to those who were present, and all the performers of the kingdom of Dihlī were unable to play it; ‘Adlī, however, found out by his knowledge of other instruments how to play it, and placing a cushion on the floor beat the drum now with his hand and now with his foot; ### [65.1.6](https://indike.org/pramana/in.darkages.general.muntakhab-al-tawarikh~en-ranking-lowe-haig.65.1.6) the assembled people raised a shout and all the skilled musicians owned their allegiance to him, and praised him exceedingly; and at the time when he was an Amīr, and as a commander of twenty-thousand held a jāgīr, a Bhagat boy, handsome and comely who had acquired perfection in his art, used to come to his assembly from some of the villages near Badāon, and used to play. ‘Adlī was so fascinated by his beauty and skill that he kept him in his own service and took pains to educate him, giving him the name of Mujāhid Khān. When he attained to kingly power he made him a commander of ten thousand. His natural elegance and refinement were such that one day upon returning from the polo ground of Badaon he said, “I am hungry.” Ghazi Khan Sur whose tent was at the head of the road said “What I have ready is at your service.” ‘Adli, for politeness sake, felt constrained to accept his hospitality; first they brought some fried sheep’s liver. No sooner had he smelt it than he leapt from his seat, and was so disgusted that he left the company and drew rein nowhere till he reached his house; they say also that the sweepers used to gather up the remains of camphor of the finest quality two or three times daily from his dressing-room, and whenever a necessity arose he would first grow red, then pale and livid, and would faint while his countenance changed. In spite of all this leisure and luxuriousness, his fasts and prayers were never duly performed; ### [65.1.7](https://indike.org/pramana/in.darkages.general.muntakhab-al-tawarikh~en-ranking-lowe-haig.65.1.7) he had entirely given up the use of intoxicants, and the day he left the world the treacherous time even grudged him two yards of cloth, and it was never known where his corpse went. Verse. Oh ye lords of wealth beware! beware! And you, ye lords of state, beware! beware! After him, the kingdom fell away from the race of Afghans and returned to its original holders, and right once more became established. In this year, 948 H., Humayun married Hamida Banu Begam, and coming to Patar returned to Lohri. Mirza Hindal started for Qandahar in answer to the summons of Qaracha Beg, the governor of that district, and Yadgar Nasir Mirza, who had encamped at a distance of ten krohs from (Humayun’s) camp also intended to proceed to Qandahar. Humayun thereupon sent Mir Abul-Baqa, who was one of the most distinguished of the learned men of the time, Persian commentator on Mir Saiyyid Sharif, and author of other compositions, to advise him and dissuade him from his purpose. At the time of crossing the river a party sallied out from the fortress of Bakkar and rained showers of arrows upon the people in the boats. The sainted Mir was struck by the soul-melting arrow of Fate, and was drowned in the ocean of martyrdom. This event took place in the year 948 H. and the chronogram Surur-i-kainat was invented to commemorate it. --- Source: [https://indike.org/pramana/in.darkages.general.muntakhab-al-tawarikh~en-ranking-lowe-haig.65.1](https://indike.org/pramana/in.darkages.general.muntakhab-al-tawarikh~en-ranking-lowe-haig.65.1) · Pramāṇa