[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) › 78.10 # Muntakhab al-tawarikh 78.10 Muntakhabu-t-tawārīkh (Ranking, Lowe, Haig) 78.10 - **Language:** English ### [78.10.1](https://indike.org/pramana/in.darkages.general.muntakhab-al-tawarikh~en-ranking-lowe-haig.78.10.1) Mirza Sulaiman pursued Mirza Muhammad Hakim as far as Kotal-sanjad-darra, and took prisoners some stragglers of his army, and having plundered his baggage, still remained on that spot. Meanwhile during his prolonged absence Muhammad Ma'sum of Kabul attacked Sulaiman’s camp, and spoiled it, and defeated his general Quli Shaghali, and after this decisive victory proceeded to lay seige to Chaharbagh. Then Mirza Sulaiman sent Qazi Khan Badakshi as ambassador to incite Muhammad Ma'sum to terms of peace. This Muhammad Ma'sum at first refused, but he could not withstand the persuasions of Qazi Khan, because he had been his tutor, and so Mirza \[Sulaiman\] received from him a small bribe, for mere form's sake, and returned to Badakhshan. Now, before Mirza Muhammad Hakim's messenger could arrive at the Court, the Emperor had received news of the disturbances at Kabul, and had sent by the hand of a state-messenger Khushkhabar Khan a saddle, a bridle adorned with jewels, and precious things of Hindustan, and a substantial sum of money to Mirza, together with a reassuring farman promising him the assistance of the Amirs of the Panjab. Mirza \[Muhammad Hakim\] hastened to meet the envoy, and fully intended to come \[to Court\], when Faridun Khan, his maternal uncle whom the Emperor had sent from Nagarchin to bring the disturbance to an end, suddenly arrived, and immediately on his arrival tried to seduce the Mirza into rebellion, and so changed the aspect of affairs:— ### [78.10.2](https://indike.org/pramana/in.darkages.general.muntakhab-al-tawarikh~en-ranking-lowe-haig.78.10.2) "When the medicine is the cause of the disease, what hope is there Of the cure of the disease, or of the recovery of the sick man?" And Hasan Khan, brother of Shahab Khan, who was at Kabul and one Sultan ‘Ali, a scribe who had fled from Hindustan and was waiting for something to turn up, joined with Faridun Khan in representing to the Mirza that it would be very easy to capture Lahor. Then, when he agreed to their rebellious proposals, they tried to induce him to seize the person of Khushkhabar Khan. But the Mirza through that generosity, which was inherent in his nature, sent privately for him, and dismissed him. But eventually this very year, when the Emperor was qamurgha-hunting in the neighbourhood of Lahor, Khushkhabar Khan was drowned in the river Rawy and a clever fellow extemporised this verse: — “Khushkhabar is bad news, for never was there In the world such an ugly fellow as he, He died in the water, although they say: And from the water all things live.” But Mirza Muhammad Hakim with rebellious intentions went into the neighbourhood of Behra, and set his hand (which was never ready for political affairs) to spoiling and plundering the district. Then, setting out for Lahor, he came by forced marches, and encamped in the garden of Mahdi Qasim Khan, which was situate outside the city on the banks of the river Rawi. And Fate in an impromptu of his, said: — Since at this point I leave you as you are, It hardly matters that we came so far.” ### [78.10.3](https://indike.org/pramana/in.darkages.general.muntakhab-al-tawarikh~en-ranking-lowe-haig.78.10.3) And Mir Muhammad Khan, and all the Atkah-khans with their forces came into the fortress, and how much soever Mirza Muhammad Hakim attacked it, they so repulsed him that they gave him no opportunity to formally invest it. Now, when the reports from the Amirs reached the Emperor, he, leaving Agrah in charge of the Khan Khanan, on the third of the month of Jumada-l-awwal of the year nine hundred and seventy-four (974) marched on the Panjab. “He that cannot seize the skirt of Fortune by might, His bootless effort is like dyeing the eyebrows of the blind.” And Qutb-ud-din Muhammad Khan, and Kamal Khan G’hakkar were appointed to go from Lahor in pursuit of Mirza Muhammad Hakim. They went a certain distance and then turned back to Behra. At this time a letter came from Muhammad Baqi Tarkhan bin Mirza Muhammad ‘Isa, ruler of the district of Sindh, containing assurance of his own loyalty, and complaints of the attacks of Sultan Mahmud, the governor of Bakkar, on the province of Sindh and Lahor. Accordingly a farman was sent to Sultan Mahmud touching the complaints of Muhammad Baqi. During the stay at Lahor a letter came from the Khankhanan saying that Ulugh Mirza and Shah Mirza, in whose jagir were the parganna of Nahtnur (?) a dependency of Sambhal, and A‘zampur, had, in conjunction with their uncles Ibrahim Husain Mirza, and Muhammad Husain Mirza, with rebellious designs seized some of the government pargannas; but that, on his going in pursuit of them, they had fled to Malwa. ### [78.10.4](https://indike.org/pramana/in.darkages.general.muntakhab-al-tawarikh~en-ranking-lowe-haig.78.10.4) At this time the Emperor held a Qamurghahunt at about five cosses from Lahor. For a space of 40 cosses in every direction they drove the wild game together in a circle, and day by day they contracted the circle, till it became as narrow as the mouth of the lair:— “The compass drew so narrow the figure of that mouth, That the circumference of the circle coincided with the centre.” About 15,000 wild animals of various kinds were counted in that arena. The nobles, and afterwards the people generally, were permitted to join in the sport. Afterwards the whole party gave rein to their horses, and dashed into the river Ravvi to swim across, and all the courtiers, with the exception of one or two, of which number was Khushkhabar Khan (as has been already mentioned), got safely across. Now, while the Qamurgha-hunt was going on, Muzaffar Khan arrived with Vazir Khan from Agra, and the Emperor wrote a farmān entrusting to A'çaf Khan and Majnūn Khan the joint guardianship of the districts of Karrah and Mānikpūr — on which subject many a poem was composed. Meanwhile news arrived that the Khan Zamān, Bahādur Khan, and Sikandar Khan had broken faith and were in open rebellion; and that they had sent persons to fetch Mirzā Muhammad Hakim, and had had the audacity to read the khutbah, and to strike coin in his name in the district of Jounpūr. And Mulla Ghazāli, a poet of Mashhad, composed this verse: — “In the name of the gracious and merciful God, Muhammad Hakim is the heir of a kingdom.” ### [78.10.5](https://indike.org/pramana/in.darkages.general.muntakhab-al-tawarikh~en-ranking-lowe-haig.78.10.5) On hearing this news the Emperor confided Mirzā Mirak Razawī, the Khan Zamān’s lieutenant, to the custody of Jān Bāqī Khan, and entrusting the charge of the affairs of the Panjāb to Khānī Kalān, and the whole Atgah family, on the 12th of the blessed month of Ramzān in the year 974 started for Agra, and went to the fort of T’hānesar, which has been from time immemorial a haunt of infidels. At the lake \[called\] Kurk’hēt, which is an assembly place of Kurus and Pāndus, (curse on them!) more than 4,000 years ago, according to the opinion of the Hindus, seven or eight hundred millions of persons were killed in a tumult (and they went by way of water to hell-fire). And now every year there is a great assembly there, and the Hindu people, at that place of worship, give away both privately and publicly, gold and silver, and jewels, linen, and valuable goods: and in accordance with that which has been said, \[viz.\] :— “Do a good action, and cast into the water” ### [78.10.6](https://indike.org/pramana/in.darkages.general.muntakhab-al-tawarikh~en-ranking-lowe-haig.78.10.6) they secretly cast gold coins into the water. And bodies of Jogi-s and Sannyasi-s, who are the Hindu devotees, are in the habit of fighting there in their bigotry. On this occasion their fight made a grand show. A number of the imperial soldiers, in accordance with a command from the Emperor, having rubbed their bodies well with ashes, went and fought on the side of the Sannyasi-s (who were scarcely 300 men, while the Jogi-s were more than 500). But for all that many were slain on either side. At last the Sannyasi-s came off victorious. When the imperial camp was pitched at Dihli, Mirza Mirak Razawi escaping from Khan Baqi Khan, in whose charge he was imprisoned, fled and joined his employer. Then Khan Baqi Khan went in pursuit of him for some distance, but eventually, through fear of punishment, attached himself to the insurgents:— “As for him who became a tale, His tale never came back again.” While the Emperor was still at Dihli, Shah Fakhr-ud-din Mashhadi, upon information received from Tatar Khan, commandant of Dihli, and in accordance with the Emperor’s orders, brought Shahab Khan Turkoman (who held the parganna of Bhojpur in fief, and with whom Amin Diwana, having escaped from Lahor, had taken refuge, and, having been supplied by him with a horse and pecuniary assistance, had gone off to join the rebels) to Court, where he was executed. ### [78.10.7](https://indike.org/pramana/in.darkages.general.muntakhab-al-tawarikh~en-ranking-lowe-haig.78.10.7) When the Emperor arrived at Agra, news came that Khan Zaman was beseiging Mirza Yusuf Khan Mashhadi, who had shut himself up in Shergarh (which is generally known by the name of Qannouj). Upon the receipt of the intelligence, leaving the Khan-khanan in charge of Agra, the Emperor on the 26th of Shavval, in the year nine hundred and seventy-four (974), marched towards Jounpur. And the weather was so hot that the marrow of creatures melted in their bones: — --- Source: [https://indike.org/pramana/in.darkages.general.muntakhab-al-tawarikh~en-ranking-lowe-haig.78.10](https://indike.org/pramana/in.darkages.general.muntakhab-al-tawarikh~en-ranking-lowe-haig.78.10) · Pramāṇa