Muntakhab al-tawarikh 77.7
Muntakhabu-t-tawārīkh (Ranking, Lowe, Haig) 77.7
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77.7.1
When Fortune wishes to come to a slave, All strangers claim relationship with him. But when the time of prosperity turns away, His very door and wall become a sting to him. Qiyam Khan Kang was the first of the Amirs who arrived at Dihli. And Shahab-ud-din Ahmad Khan, and Mahum Ankah attached each one, as he came, more and more to the cause of the Emperor by holding out promises of high offices and fiefs: and with the greatest care and vigilance they applied themselves to strengthening the fortifications.
77.7.2
The Khan Khanan, who was at Agra with all his devoted adherents, called a council. The advice of Shaikh Gaddi, with several others, was this, that before the balance of fortune should have turned against him he should set out, and get the Emperor into his power, so as to prevent his being accessible to the Khan’s detractors. The Khan Khanan did not approve this advice, saying “Since the heart of the Emperor is alienated from me, any further friendly intercourse in public is out of the question (P. 38), but how could I possibly assume any other guise! for, after spending a lifetime in loyalty to his person, in my old age to put a dishonourable stain on the forehead of my fortune were to cause me an eternal disgrace.” Now he had always had a desire to make a pilgrimage to Mekka and Medina, so he got things ready for his journey to Hijaz, and set off for Biyanah, intending to go by way of N&gor. He told his intention to all his supporters, and gave them leave to go to the court. And Bahadur Khan, who had been sent for from Malwah, he allowed to go as their companion. He then released Muhammad Amin Diwanah from the prison in the fortress of Biyanah, and departed: — “There is no permanence in any prosperity, However much you may have tried it: For lo! ‘Prosperity’ read backwards is ‘transient’, Read it and see for yourself.”
77.7.3
And those, who had the Emperor’s ear, represented to him, that the Khan Khanan intended to go to the Panjab. So the Emperor sent from Dihli a message by the hand of Mir ‘Abd-ul-Latif Qazwini, saying: “Our intention in coming to Dihli was simply, to transact some important State affair on our own absolute authority. But since you have long had a desire to retire, and have taken the resolution of going to Hijaz, it is just as well that you should do so. And now you shall have as many pargannahs in Hindustan as you please, and your agents shall forward the revenues of them to any place at which you may happen to be staying.” When the Khan Khanan heard the wish of the Emperor, he went from Mewat to Nagor; and, with the exceptions of Wali Beg Zu-’l Qadr, and Husain Quli Khan (who became Khan Jahan), and Isma’il Quli Khan his brother, and Shah Quli Khan Muharram, and Husain Khan a relative of Mahdi Qasim Khan, none remained with him. From Nagor he sent to the Court by the hand of Husain Quli Khan his paraphernalia of pomp, consisting of such kettle-drums and standards as he possessed. Also Shaikh Gadai, at last on the confines of Bikanir, chose too to separate himself, and the hidden meaning of the following became manifest: — “Every brother must part from his brother (By thy father’s life!) except the two stars Al-Farqadani.”
77.7.4
The Emperor, on his way from Dihli to the Panjab, had reached the town of Jhujhar, when these insignia of power were brought to him, and their surrender pleased him much. At this halting place Shah ’Abu-l-ma‘ali, who had come to pay his respects to the Emperor, wished, in the madness of his brain, to overtake his majesty on horseback. The Emperor had him arrested and given in charge of Shihab-ud-din Ahmad Khan. And at the same stage Pir Muhammad Khan Shirwani, who was awaiting the proper season [for the pilgrimage] at Gujrat, having received information of the confusion of affairs, and of the causes of the Khan Khanan’s dismissal, set off at once to the Emperor and did him homage, and received the title of Nasir-i-mulk. When he had received the insignia and standards of Khan-hood, he was appointed by the Emperor to go after the Khan Khanan, and pack him off as quickly as possible to Mekka without giving him any time for delay. He started off quickly enough, but remained at his leisure at Nagor, and after a few days’ journey wrote a letter to the Khan Khanan as follows: — “I came, in the heart the foundations of love were firm likewise, My sorrow-laden soul is of sorrow-for-thee the companion likewise.” The Khan Khanan wrote in answer: “Your coming was manly, but your delay, after having come near, is cowardly.” The Emperor, when he had returned to Dihli, sent for Mun'im Khan from Kabul, in order to invest him with the [office of Prime-minister (Vakil)].
77.7.5
The Khan Khanan went from Nagor to Bikanir with the intention of keeping an eye on the proceedings of Maldeo Raja of Jodhpur, who with a considerable force had made himself master of the road to Gujrat. But being very much annoyed, when he became aware of Pir Muhammad Khan’s pursuit of him, he became desperate, and at the instigation of some demon-like men turned to the Panjab. His people, family, and effects, together with his lawful heir Mirza Abd-ur-rahim, (who was then but three years of age, but now holds the post of Khan Khanan, and Commander-in-Chief), he put for security into the fortress of Tabarhindh, which was a fief of Sher Muhammad Diwanah, the reputed son of the Khan Khanan. But news came to the Khan Khanan, whilst at Dipalpur, that the said Diwanah had seized those effects and was behaving most treacherously to his adherents. Upon this he sent to Diwanah one Khwajah Muzaffar ‘Ali Diwanah, (who afterwards became Muzaffar Khan), and Derwish Muhammad Uzbek with sage and soothing words, [thinking] that “may be when he has repented of his base conduct, he will return to rectitude.” But a dog had bitten Diwanah:— “O wise men stand on one side, For Diwanah is intoxicated.”
77.7.6
Sher Muhammad sent Khwajah Muzaffar a prisoner to the Court, and this blow caused the Khan Khanan more despair than all the rest besides, so that starting from where he was, he set off for Jalandhar. Then Shams-ud-din Atkah Khan, and his son Yusuf Muhammad Khan, and Husain Khan the relative of Shahab Khan, and all the Amirs of the Panjab assembled in accordance with a farman, and in the confines of the parganna of Dik’hdar, at a spot called Kanur Phillour, hemmed in the Khan Khanan. There a severe contest took place, in which Husain Khan the relative of Mahdi Qasim Khan distinguished himself; but unfortunately a sword-blow struck him in the eye so that one might say of him that he was “eye stricken.” He fell from his seat in the saddle, and being made prisoner was sent to the Court together with Wali Beg, and his son Isma'il Quli Khan, and several others of the chiefs; as will soon be mentioned, if God (He is exalted!) will. After that blow the Khan Khanan fled, and immense spoil fell into the hands of Atkah Khan and his army. Among these things was a standard worked with pearls and gems, which (P. 41) the Khan Khanan had had made, and intended to have sent to the most holy sepulchre (may mercy and favour rest on its inhabitant!). Of this Imam my lord Moulawi Jami (may his tomb be hallowed!) wrote those laudatory and descriptive couplets:—
77.7.7
“Peace on the family of Ta Ha and Ya Sin! Peace on the family of the Best of the Prophets! Peace on the Shrine, wherein there rests An Imam, in whom sovereignty and religion are preeminent!” “An Imam, yea in sooth an absolute monarch, For the sanctuary of his door is become the Qiblah of kings. King of the palace of Knowledge, Rose of the garden of Bounty, Moon of the mansion of Majesty, the Pearl of the casket of Contingency. [Peace] on Ibn Musa Riza, to whom from God Is the name Riza because doing God's will was his habit.” They say that the banner cost nearly a kror of gold. And Qasim Arslan found the date of the event in the words, “‘alam-i imam-i hashtum,” “banner of the 8th Imam”. Atkah Khan sent it with the rest of the spoils to the Court, and it was put into the imperial treasury. One of the remarkable incidents of this year was that the Khan Khanan published as his own a ghazal of Hashim Qandahari, putting the lines into a different arrangement; he ordered 60,000 tankahs of money to be paid to him by way of compensation, and asked if the sum were sufficient; Hashim by way of an extempore joke said “Sixty is too little,” upon which he increased the sum by 40,000 and gave him altogether a complete lac. From it you would infer that the Khan Khanan’s star was setting, and as a matter of fact his power at this period was on the decline. The ghazal is as follows, of which the Matla‘ is Hashim’s: —