Muntakhab al-tawarikh 78.32
Muntakhabu-t-tawārīkh (Ranking, Lowe, Haig) 78.32
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78.32.1
(P. 198). On the 16th of the month Jamada’-s-sani (l-awwal) of this year his reverence the pole-star of pole-stars, the depository of spiritual guidance, and refuge of saintships (successor to that godlike Ghaus, that divine pole-star, Shaikh Muhi-ud-din ‘Abd-ul-qadir Jilani) Miyan Shaikh Daud Jahni Wal passed from this transitory world to the garden of Eden, and “O Shaikh Daud Walī” was found to give the date. And the author found the following mnemosynon: “Perfection of victory.” After the Emperor’s return from his journey to Ajmir in the month Zi-ul qa‘dah of the year nine hundred and eighty-two (982) the building of the ‘Ibadat-khanah, consisting of four halls, near the new palace in Fathpur, took place. An account of the details thereof, not devoid of prolixity, will, if the glorious God will permit, be written on a suitable occasion.
78.32.2
It was during these days that Abu-l-Fazl, son of Shaikh Mubarak of Nagor, came the second time to Court. He is now styled 'Allámi. He is the man that set the world in flames. He lighted up the lamp of the Sabáhis, illustrating thereby the story of the man who, because he did not know what to do, took up a lamp in broad daylight, and representing himself as opposed to all sects, tied the girdle of infallibility round his waist, according to the saying: “He who continually takes the offensive, does not commit himself as to his true opinions.” He laid before the Emperor a Commentary on the Ayat-ul-Kursi, which contained all the subtleties of the Qur’an; and though people said it was written by his father, Abul-Fazl was much praised. The numerical value of the letters in the words Tafsir-i-Akbari gives the date of the composition. But the Emperor praised it, chiefly because he expected to find in Abu-l-Fazl a man capable of teaching the Mullas a lesson (whose pride certainly resembles that of Pharaoh), though this expectation was opposed to the confidence which his Majesty had placed in the author of these pages. The reason of Abu-l-Fazl’s opinionativeness and pretensions to infallibility was this.
78.32.3
At the time when it was customary to get hold of, and kill such as tried to introduce innovations in religious matters (as had been the case with Mir Habshi and others), Shaikh ‘Abd-un-nabi and Makhdúm-ul-Mulk, and other learned men at Court, unanimously represented to the Emperor that Shaikh Mubárik also, in as far as he pretended to be Mahdi (p. 190), belonged to the class of innovators, and was not only himself damned, but led others into damnation. Having obtained a sort of permission to remove him, they despatched police officers to bring him before the Emperor. But, when they found that the Shaikh with his two sons had concealed himself, they demolished the pulpit in his prayer-room. The Shaikh at first took refuge with Salim Chishti at Fathpúr, who was then in the height of his glory, and requested him to intercede for him. Shaikh Salim, however, sent him money by some of his disciples, and told him it would be better for him to go away to Gujrat. Seeing Salim took no interest in him, Shaikh Mubarik applied to Mirza ‘Aziz Kokah, who took occasion to praise to the Emperor the Shaikh’s learning and voluntary poverty, and the superior talents of his two sons, adding that Mubarik was a most trustworthy man, that he had never received lands as a present, and that he himself could really not see why the Shaikh was so much persecuted. The Emperor at last gave up all thoughts of killing the Shaikh.
78.32.4
In a short time matters took a still more favourable turn: and Abu-l-Fazl, when once in favour with the Emperor (officious as he was, and time-serving, openly faithless, continually studying the Emperor’s whims, a flatterer beyond all bounds), took every opportunity of reviling in the most shameful way that sect whose labours and motives have been so little appreciated, and became the cause not only of the extirpation of these experienced people, but also of the ruin of all the servants of God, especially of Shaikhs, and pious men, of the helpless and orphans, whose livings and grants he cut down. He used continually to say: — “O Lord, send down a Proof for the people of the world! Send these Nimrods a gnat as big as an elephant! These Pharaoh-like fellows have lifted up the hand, Send them a Moses with a staff, and a Nile!” And when in consequence of his harsh proceedings miseries and misfortunes broke in upon the Ulama, (who had persecuted him and his father), he applied the following Rubai to them: — “I have set fire to my barn with my own hands, As I am the incendiary, how can I complain of my enemy! No one is my enemy but myself, Woe is me! I have torn my garment with my own hands.” And when during disputations people quoted against him the edict every Mujtahid, he used to say; “O don’t bring me the arguments of this sweetmeat-seller, or that cobbler, or that tanner!” He thought himself capable of giving the lie to all Shaikhs and Ulama.
78.32.5
In the year nine hundred and eighty-three (983) the buildings of the ‘Ibadat-khanah were completed. The cause was this. For many years previously the Emperor had gained in succession remarkable and decisive victories. The empire had grown in extent from day to day; everything turned out well, and no opponent was left in the whole world. His Majesty had thus leisure to come into nearer contact with ascetics and the disciples of his reverence [the late] Mu‘in, and passed much of his time in discussing the Word of God and the word of the Prophet. * * Questions of Çufi-ism, scientific discussions, enquiries into Philosophy and Law, were the order of the day. His Majesty spent whole nights in praising God; he continually occupied himself in pronouncing Ya hu! and Ya hadi, in which he was well-versed. His heart was full of reverence for Him, who is the true Giver, and from a feeling of thankfulness for his past successes he would sit many a morning alone in prayer and meditation on a large flat stone of an old building which lay near the palace in a lonely spot, with his head bent over his chest, gathering the bliss of the early hours of dawn. When then he heard that Sulaiman Kararani, governor of Bengal, used every night to offer up the prayers in the company of some 150 persons consisting of renowned Shaikhs and Ulama, and used to remain in their society till morning listening to commentaries and exhortations (P.
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201), and then, after offering up the morning prayers, would occupy himself in State-business, and the affairs of the army, and of his subjects; and that he had his appointed time for everything and never broke through his good rule; and when also news arrived from Badakhshán of the coming of Mírzá Sulaimán, who was a prince of Çúfí tendencies, and had become a Çáhib-i-hál and a Muríd: for these urgent reasons he had the very cell of Shaikh ‘Abd-ullah Niyází Sarhindhí (who had formerly been a disciple of Shaikh Islám Chishtí, but had afterwards joined the circle of Mahdeva) repaired, and built a spacious hall on all four sides of it. He also finished the construction of the tank called Anúptaláo. He named that cell the ‘Ibádat-khánah, which became by degrees ‘Iyádat-khánah, and Mullá Shérí composed a qaçídah on the subject, of which the following is a verse:— “In these days I have seen, united with the wealth of Qárún, The ritual of Pharaoh, and the buildings of Shaddád.” On Fridays after prayers he would go from the new chapel of the Shaikh-ul-Islám, and hold a meeting in this building. Shaikhs, Ulamá, and pious men, and a few of his own companions and attendants were the only people who were invited. Discussions were carried on upon all kinds of instructive and useful topics.
78.32.7
One day Jalál Khán Qurchí, who was my patron, and the means of introducing me to Court, in the course of conversation and disputation made the following statement to the Emperor: “When I went to Agrah to see Shaikh Ziyá-ullah, son of Shaikh Muhammad Ghous, I found that poverty had taken such a hold on his household, that one day at a meeting he asked for some sers of pulse. Part of it he used for his own food, part he gave to me, and the other part he sent to his household.” The Emperor was much impressed on hearing this, and sent for Shaikh Ziyá-ullah with a view to showing him kindness. He assembled a party in his honour at the ‘Ibádat-khánah, and every Thursday evening he invited Sayyids, Shaikhs, Ulamá, and Amírs. But ill-feeling arose in the company about the seats and order of precedence, so His Majesty ordered that the Amirs should sit on the east side, the Sayyids on the west, the Ulama on the south, and the Shaikhs on the north. His Majesty would go from time to time to these various parties, and converse with them, and ascertain their thoughts. Quantities of perfume were used, and large sums of money were distributed as rewards of merit and ability among the worthy people who obtained an entry through the favour of the Emperor’s courtiers.
78.32.8
Many fine books which had belonged to ‘Itimad Khan Gujrati, and had been acquired in the conquest of Gujrat, were placed in the imperial library, but were subsequently brought out, and distributed by the Emperor among learned and pious men. Among the rest he gave me a book called Anwar-ul-mashkut, in amplification of one section of the Mashkut-ul-anwar; and, which was a very good thing, he gave to the Amirs by way of pay some things which they called Irmas, i. e. “destruction of enemies.” All at once one night the vein of the neck of the Ulama of the age swelled up, and a horrid noise and confusion ensued. His Majesty got very angry at their rude behaviour, and said to me, “In future report any of the Ulama who talk nonsense and cannot behave themselves, and I shall make him leave the hall.” I said gently to Asaf Khan, “If I carried out this order, most of the Ulama would have to leave,” when His Majesty suddenly asked what I had said. On hearing my answer he was highly pleased, and mentioned my remark to those sitting near him. He used to summon Makhdum-ul-Mulk Moulana ‘Abd ullah Sultanpuri to that assembly, in order to annoy him; and would set up to argue against him Haji Ibrahim, and Shaikh Abu-l-Fazl, then a new arrival, but now the prime leader of the New Religion and Faith, or rather the infallible guide and expositor de omnibus rebus, et quibusdam aliis.
78.32.9
His Majesty used to interrupt the Moulana at every statement, and at a hint from him his companions also would interfere with interjections and observations, and would tell queer stories about the Moulana, and exemplified in his person the verse of the Qur’an, “And some of you shall have life prolonged to a miserable age." Among other stories Khan Jahan said that he had heard that Makhdum-ul-Mulk had given a fatwa, that the ordinance of pilgrimage was no longer binding, but even hurtful. When people had asked him the reason of his extraordinary fatwa, he had said that the two roads to Makkah, through Persia and over Gujrat, were impracticable, because people in going by land had to suffer injuries at the hands of the Qizilbashis, and in going by sea they had to put up with indignities from the Portuguese, whose passports had pictures of Mary and Jesus (peace be upon Him !) stamped on them. To make use, therefore, of the latter alternative would mean to countenance idolatry ; hence both roads were closed. Another device of Makhdum-ul-Mulk's was the trick by which he avoided payment of the legal alms due upon his wealth. Towards the end of each year he used to make over all his property to his wife, but before the year had run out he took it back again. It is said that he practised some other tricks of which even the Israelites would have been ashamed.
78.32.10
Stories were told one after another about his meanness and shabbiness, and baseness and worldliness, and oppression, all which vices were exhibited towards holy and deserving men, especially those of the Panjab, and which one by one came to light, verifying the saying : "There is a day when secrets shall be disclosed." They told also other stories founded upon his villainy, sordid disposition, and contemptible conduct, and they ended by deciding that he ought to be shipped off nolens volens to Makkah. When he was asked if he thought that pilgrimage was a duty for a man in his circumstances he said "No!" At this time Shaikh 'Abd-un-Nabi was rising into power, whilst the Moulana was fast sinking. The Emperor ‘Abd-ur-Rahman Jami. And one of his follies was this, that though he boasted of being learned in Tradition, and claimed to be a Hafiz, and an Imam in this glorious science, yet he taught the Tradition “The prudent course (hazam) is to hold an evil opinion of others,” with a dotted khe, and an undotted re (kharam), when every child knows that it is spelt with an undotted he, and a dotted ze (hazam).
78.32.11
Years passed in this way until, when the Emperor’s heart became alienated from him, and troops of Mullas were being turned away, Mirza ‘Aziz Kokah reminded him of this fact: “His proficiency in the science of hadis, of which he boasted, reached such a pitch, and the result was that you raised him to such a rank, and now at this juncture counterfeit morals, as well as counterfeit principles have shown themselves in him. God preserve us from want after plenty!”