Muntakhab al-tawarikh 78.33
Muntakhabu-t-tawārīkh (Ranking, Lowe, Haig) 78.33
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78.33.1
About this time His Majesty entrusted the work of translating the book Hayat-ul-haiwan to Shaikh Abu-l-Fazl, a book which Naqib Khan often used to read before the Emperor, and used to interest him in its subject-matter. And Shaikh Mubarak translated it into Persian. In this year His Majesty gave orders that the Aimahs of the whole empire should not be let off by the kroris of each parganna, unless they brought the farman in which their grants, subsistence allowances, and pensions were described, to the Sadr for inspection and verification. For this reason a large number of worthy people from the extreme east of India as far west as Bakkar [on the Indus] came to Court. If any of them had a powerful protector in one of the Amirs, or near friends of His Majesty, he Unless, however, they had either strong recommendation or had recourse to bribery, they were utterly ruined. Many of the Aimahs, without obtaining their object, died from the heat and by the crowding of the multitudes. Though a report of this reached to the ears of His Majesty, no one dared to take these unfortunate people before the Emperor. And when the Shaikh, in all his pride and haughtiness, took his place upon his official seat, and influential Amirs introduced to him in his audience-hall scientific or pious men, the Shaikh used to receive them in his infamous manner, coming forward and paying respect to none.
78.33.2
And after much asking, begging and exaggerating he allowed, for example, a teacher of the Hidayah and other college books, 100 Bigahs more or less; and though such a man might have been a long time in possession of more extensive lands, the Shaikh took them away. But to men of no renown, to low fellows, even to Hindus, he granted lands for the first time. Thus learning and learned men fell from day to day into lower estimation. Even in the very audience-hall, when after midday prayers he sat down on his throne of pride, and washed his hands and feet, he took care to spirt the water, which he had used, on the head and face and garments of the great Amirs, and courtiers of high degree who were near, and made no exception. And they with a view to helping the poor suppliants bore all this, and condescended to fawn on him, and flatter and toady him to his heart's content, in the hope of securing at last some compensation for the insult:— “When a rustic becomes a judge, He wills such decrees, that they will kill him.” Never in the time of any Emperor had such absolute power been given into the hand of any Sadr.
78.33.3
About this time the Emperor appointed me as an Imam, and directed me also to undertake the office of marking the imperial horses with the brand. He gave me no very considerable travelling-expenses and ordered me from the first to act as mançabdár commanding twenty in bringing horses to the brand. Shaikh Abu-l-Fazl was treated in the same way, so that we were, as Shibli said with respect to Junaid, (God bless their spirits!) “both baked in one kiln.” Yet he, at once making a successful beginning, worked so strenuously at the dágh-u-mahalli business, that he managed by his intelligence and time-serving qualities to raise himself to a mançab of two thousand, and the dignity of Wazír. While I, from my inexperience and simplicity, could not manage to continue in the service; and this piece of satirical poetry, which one of the Sayyids of Anjú composed in reference to his own circumstances, came to my mind: — “Thou hast made me a courtier and commander of twenty, Let not my mother know of my nothingness.” I reflected that there were still hopes of securing contentment (that best of possessions!) by means of a madad-i-ma'ásh, which would enable me to retire from the world, and apply myself to study and devotion, while free from the cares of the world: — “Seek not worldly pomp, let go transitory happiness, The pomp of Religion is enough, and the happiness of Islam for thee.”
78.33.4
but this was not easy. In the month of Shawwál in the year nine hundred and eighty-three (983), on my applying for leave of absence, it was refused, but the Emperor excused my inspections of the horses. Still through the unfriendly disposition of the Qadr, and the unpropitiousness of the times he only allotted to me a tenure to the amount of 1000 bigahs of land, which in that iron age appeared to be equivalent to the fief of a commander of twenty. It was styled also in the farmán a madad-i-ma'ásh. I represented that with this small tenure I could not afford to be always in attendance on the Court, to which the Emperor replied that he would also give me subsidies and presents during the marches. And Shaikh ‘Abd-un- .Nabi said that no person of my quality had received from him so large a grant of land. As for the presents which I was promised, though twenty-two years have elapsed since my hopes were raised, I have received them but once or twice, and the rest have been concealed behind the veil of fate and have fallen like [dust] to the ground. These fine promises were nothing better than a mirage. I have performed services without rewards, and suffered useless restraints, from which I can now be relieved only by the humour of destiny: — “Either faithfulness, or news of union with thee, or [the death] of the rival, The playfulness of fate will do one of these three things.” ‘We are content with the decree of God, are patient under His trials, and thankful for His favours’: —
78.33.5
“In any case I must give thanks, If I may never be in worse plight than now!” And this qit‘ah of Fazuli of Baghdad, who composed it in regard to Hairati of Samarqand, when he was in the favour of Shah [Tahmasp], is expressive of the vain hopes of your humble servant: — “I am from the dust of Arabia, and Hairati from the kh[ak] of Persia; Both of us have sought our desire in uttering our words. We have found from two benefactors the desire of our hearts, He a glance from the king of Persia, I from the king of Arabia,” Since the world, and what is in it, is known to me, my hopes are fixed on the Creator, who helps his servants, that at the last all may be well, and that the seal of the matter may be in the felicity of Religion: “What is with you will pass away, what is with God is eternal” “This is our hope from the mercy of our Creator, That Thou wilt not make hopeless those who hope.”
78.33.6
The first of the questions which the Emperor asked in these days was this : ‘How many freeborn women may a man legally marry by nikah ?’ The lawyers answered that four was the limit fixed by the prophet. The Emperor thereupon remarked that from the time he had come of age he had not restricted himself (P. 208) to that number, and in justice to his wives of whom he had a large number, both freeborn and slaves, he now wanted to know what remedy the law provided for his case. Most expressed their opinions, then the Emperor remarked that Shaikh ‘Abd-un-Nabi had once told him that one of the Mujtahids had had as many as nine wives. Some of the Ulama present replied that the Mujtahid alluded to was Ibn Abi Laila, and that some had even allowed eighteen from a too literal translation of the verse of the Qur’an “Marry whatever women you like, two and two, and three and three, and four and four;” but this interpretation is rejected. His Majesty then sent a message to Shaikh ‘Abd-un-Nabi who replied that he had merely wished to point out to the Emperor that a difference of opinion existed on this point among lawyers, but that he had not given a fatwa, in order to legalize irregular marriage proceedings. This annoyed His Majesty very much. “The Shaikh,” said he, “told me at that time a very different thing to what he tells me now.” never forgot this.
78.33.7
After much discussion on this point the Ulama, having collected every Tradition on the subject, decreed, first that by mut'ah [not by nikah] a man might marry any number of wives he pleased: and secondly, that mut'ah marriages were allowed as legal by Imam Malik. The Shi‘ahs, as was well-known, loved children born in mut'ah wedlock more than those born of nikah wives, contrary to the Sunnis and Ahl-i-Jama‘at. On the latter point also the discussion became rather lively, and I would refer the reader to my work In this year, before the decision about Mut'ah marriages, the Emperor appointed Sayyid Muhammad, Mir 'Adl, for whom he entertained the highest respect, to go to Bakkar, and presented him with one of his own swords, and a horse, and a dress. Some time after arriving there he died (the mercy of God be upon him!). After his death a dress came into vogue, which to this day has never looked well on any one’s figure, one would say that it was as bizarre as the age! Some people mentioned that Haji Ibrahim of Sarhind had given a fatwá, by which he made it legal to wear red and yellow cloths, quoting at the same time a Tradition as his proof (P. 211). On hearing this the Mir 'Adl in the imperial presence called him an accursed wretch, abused him, and lifted up his stick to strike him, when the Haji by some subterfuges managed to get rid of him.