Muntakhab al-tawarikh 78.17
Muntakhabu-t-tawārīkh (Ranking, Lowe, Haig) 78.17
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78.17.1
From his speech the meaning of the ecstatic state is understood. And from his perfection the building of religion and of the world is firm. Shadow of God’s bounty is he, worthy of crown and seal, A religion-protecting king is he, noble pivot of the world. At times from onslaught of fury he takes pardon on his tongue, At times with the tongue of the spear he says to the enemy, Flee! Know that the fourth heaven is the censer in his assembly, Know that Arcturus is the spearman of his cavalcade. Whenever his victorious cavalcade passes, the whole world Cries out “Happiness” on the right hand, “Wealth” on the left. O the power of the pen, which like running water Goes over black and white day and night! O thou like the work of the Eternal, thou Sun of kingdom and religion, Thou who glorifiest the step of eminence, Shadow of God. O prince of the lofty standard, wise of heart, and Saturn-throned, O prince of lofty centre, just-one of exalted family. Lord of the wealth of the world, king of sea and land, To thy friends thou art kind, mindful of the generous. King of the dawn of justice and truth, moon of the evening of pomp and dignity, Quick as lightning in decision, strong as mountain to bear burdens. O mine of justice and bounty, fountain of grace and liberality, Precious and beauteous, nourisher of religion, and chaste. Protector of the religion of the Prophet, O eraser of marks of evil. Prince of the lofty standard, a mine of bounty, and mountain of weight.
78.17.2
Illumination of the mansion of existence, pearl of the sea of bounty, From the desire of the pinnacle of hearts a falcon hunting lives. At thy bounty how can a single drop remain before the cloud for shame, Compared with thy nature “Bounty” is not applicable to the spring-cloud. O King I have brought a string of precious pearls, A present which is become precious, seek it out and listen. None has a present better than this, if any have one at all, If any have any, tell him “ Come ”, anything he has tell him “ Bring ” : Each verse of the poem of Marwl, it is sufficient if it be without mistake, Whichever [verse] you try you will find the purpose twice : The first half gives the year of the king’s Accession, From the second bring out the Birth of the Light of the Eye of the world : That the reckoning of the days and months and year may last, And that that number may be illustrious on account of the year and month and day : When our king comes to an end, may our prince endure Days without number, and years without count.” And that Shaikh of nations, Shaikh Ya'qub Qirfi of Kashmir composed a qasidah of the same kind. But what was the good ! Another person carried off the reward. And some one else made the following mnemosynon : “ The royal pearl of the sea of Akbar ” and another : — “ From the rising of good-fortune a prosperous king appeared.”
78.17.3
On Friday the 12th of the month Sha'ban the Emperor set out to pay a vow of thanks for the rising of (P. 121) this star of prosperity, and went on foot from Agra to Ajmir, travelling six or seven cosses each day. After fulfilling the rites of the pilgrimage he returned, and in the blessed month of Ramzan he encamped outside Dihli, and spent some days in visiting the tombs of the saints of God, and then crossing the river Jumna he returned to the metropolis hunting as he went. In this year the Emperor had Mirza Muqim of Isfahan together with a certain person named Mir Ya'qub of Kashmir put to death on the charge of being Shi'ahs. The facts are as follows. This Mirza Muqim had been several times to Lak’hnou to pay his respects to Husain Khan, and the Khan (who is now deceased) had received him with kindness and favour, on account of the great respect he had for the Sayyids, and had made him administrator of his government. Afterwards the brothers and relatives of the Khan impressed upon him the idea, that this Mirza was a violent and zealous Shi'ah, and utterly alienated his feelings from the Mirza, who now went to do homage to the Emperor and was favourably received and appointed Wakil at the court of Husain Khan governor of Kashmir. At that time a number of zealous Shi'ahs had in their bigotry wounded Qazi Habib, who was a zealous Sunni.
78.17.4
It happened that the said Qazi was still living when Husain Khan of Kashmir on the decision of the Muftis ordered the assassin to be put to death. Mirza Muqim, on his own responsibility, handed over the Muftis on the charge of “Why did they issue a mandate for the execution of that person, though he might be deserving of punishment?” to a certain person, who was a violent and furious bigot, and he put to death three or four of them. Now when Mirza Muqim and Mir Ya'qub, the wakil of Husain Khan, brought the daughter of Husain Khan to Court as a sort of present, this story was represented to the Emperor, and these two persons upon the decision of Shaikh 'Abdunnabi and other Ulamas, who were his family, were brought to the just punishment of their wicked deeds in the plain of Fathpur. And a portion of this story has been inserted in the history of Kashmir of which the author of these pages has written an epitome. In this year on the dismissal of Husain Khan the Emperor gave the parganna of Lak’hnou as jagir to Mahdi Qasim Khan, who had come back from a pilgrimage to Mekkah, and had come to the fortress of Rintambhor, and had an interview with him there. Husain Khan was exceedingly indignant with Mahdi Qasim Khan on account of this, and reciting the verse “This separation between me and thee", began to look forward to the Day of the Resurrection.
78.17.5
And in spite of his being married to the daughter of Mahdi Qasim Khan, and in spite of her affection for him, he married a daughter of his own uncle Ghazanfar Beg. After a time he left her in helplessness, and the daughter of Mahdi Qasim Beg at Khairabad with her brothers, and set off from Lak'hnou with the intention of carrying on a religious war, and of breaking the idols and destroying the idol-temples. He had heard that the bricks of these were of silver and gold, and conceiving a desire for this and all the other abundant and unguarded treasures, of which he had heard a lying report, he set out by way of Oudh to the Sawalik mountains. The mountaineers, as is their custom, immediately abandoned their positions, after a slight resistance, and took refuge in the high and dangerous mountains. When Husain Khan arrived at the place where Sultan Muhammad, nephew of Pir Muhammad Khan had been martyred, and which is a burial-place of martyrs, he read the Fatihah for those pure spirits, and built a suffah over the dilapidated tombs of those martyrs. Then he ravaged the country as far as the district of Wajrail, which is part of the territory of Rajah Banka, a powerful zamindar.
78.17.6
Thence he marched two days' journey as far as Ajmir, which is his capital, and is a very mine of gold and silver, and silk and musk, and all the productions of the country of Tibet, when on a sudden, as has been frequently observed in those mountains, from the effect of the neighing of the horses, the beating of the drums and the shouts (P. 126) of the men the clouds collected and so much rain fell that neither corn nor fodder was to be procured, and famine stared the army in the face. Although Husain Khan, with the most undaunted intrepidity encouraged his men, and excited their cupidity by representing the wealth of the city in gold, jewels and treasure, they were too much disheartened to support him, and so, whether he would or no, he was obliged to retreat. As soon as they began to retreat, the unbelievers seized the passes and showered down on them stones and arrows tipped with poisoned bones, so that most of the bravest and most experienced of his warriors drank the draught of martyrdom. And the rest, who had been wounded, five or six months later through the effect of that pernicious poison obtained their desired release from this dwelling of pleasure which leaves a bitter taste behind it. And the date of their death is given in a riddle, viz. ; — “ Tasteless bitterness ”
78.17.7
Husain Khan returned to Court and requested that Kant and Golah in the skirts of the mountains might be conferred upon him as jagir, in lieu of the one he had held before. This he did with a view to taking vengeance on the mountaineers. His request was graciously acceded to. Several times he made incursions into the skirts of the hills, but he was never able to penetrate into the interior. Many fine fellows, who had escaped half-dead from his first expedition, in this expedition were poisoned by the bad water of the country and departed from the world without fighting. After some years Husain Khan, contrary to the advice and remonstrance of his friends, made another attempt against the hill-country, and gave the chattels of existence to the wind, as will be narrated in its proper place, if God, He is exalted, will.