Muntakhab al-tawarikh 78.6
Muntakhabu-t-tawārīkh (Ranking, Lowe, Haig) 78.6
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78.6.1
“The world-upholder, the world to hold, One place to uproot, and then another sow; He should make resting-places for the glorious imperial cavalcade, by graciously building at every stage, and on every spot of delight;” whole the air of the place was temperate, its flowers attractive, its water sweet, and its plains were level — and what choice was there for cool spots, and pleasant dwellings, and fragrant resting-places, and sweet waters, with a view to preservation of, thrift of bodily health, and with a view to the possibility of the spiritual condition of the soul, all of which may possibly conduce to the knowledge and service of God, are of the number of the necessaries of existence;
78.6.2
and especially at a time when suitable royal occupations, such as exercise and hunting, were therein involved — for these reasons, in this year of happy augury, after his return from his journey to Malwah, when the friends of the empire were victorious, and the enemies of the kingdom had been disappointed, by the light of a genius lofty in its aims, and impression of a mind world-adorning, it being his pleasure to make the place called G’hrawali (which is a new hunting ground, and in respect of the excellence of its water, and the pleasantness of its air, has over a host of places a superiority and a perfect excellence) the camping-place of his imperial host, and the encampment of his ever-enduring prosperity, and when he had gained repose for his heaven-inspired mind from the annoyances incidental to city-life, he spent his felicity-marked moments, sometimes in hawking, sometimes in racing Arabian dogs, and sometimes in other chase of various kinds;
78.6.3
and, accepting the building of deep-seated foundations as an omen of the duration of the imperial dynasty of his undecaying Sultanate, and as a presage of his ever-increasing pomp and state, his all-penetrating firman was issued, that all who obtained the favour of being near his person, and were deemed worthy of the sight of his court, should built for themselves in that happy place, lofty palaces and pompous habitations, and in a short time that waste, solitary valley under the ray of the favour of his Gamliel-like shadow of the divinity, became the mole on the new bridal-cheek he made and received the name of Nagar-chīn, which is the Hindūstānī for the Persian Amān-ābād, “Security’s-abode”:— “Praise to God! that picture, which the heart desired, Issued forth from the invisible behind the curtain of felicity.” And it is one of the traditional wonders of the world, that of that city and edifice not a trace now is left, so that its site is become a level plain—“Profit then by this example ye who are men of insight!” as the author of the Qāmūs has said: “Of seven or eight cities, called Manṣūrah, or Manṣūriyyah, built by a mighty king, or monarch of pomp in their time, at this time not one is inhabited.” “Will they not journey through the land, and observe what has been the end of those who were before them?”
78.6.4
In this year, or in the year preceding which is perhaps more correct, the Emperor sent to the town of Andan-Karnāl for Shaikh ‘Abd-ul-nabī, the traditionist, grandson of Shaikh ‘Abd-ul-Qudūs of Gangōh, who is one of the greatest Shaikhs of Hind, and made him Chief Çadr; in order that in conjunction with Muẓaffar Khān, he might pass pishkash. Soon after he acquired such absolute powers, that he conferred on deserving people whole worlds of subsistence allowances, lands, and pensions, so much so that if the bounty of all the former kings of Hind were thrown into one scale, and the liberality of this age into the other, yet this would p with a large force Mirza Sulaiman pursued him. But when Mirza Muhammad Hakim reached the banks of the Nilab he wrote letters to the Court, and Mirza Sulaiman leaving Qambar, one of his followers, with a body of men at Jallalabad, went from Peshawar to Kabul. In accordance with a command received all the Amirs of the Panjab (such as Muhammad Quli Khan Birlas, and Atkah Khan, with the whole Atkah-clan, and Mahdi Qasim Khan, and Kamal Khan Gak’har) joined Mirza Muhammad Hakim, and having given Qambar with 150 or 200 persons (who were holding Jalalabad) as prey to the sword, sent Qambar’s head, together with news of the victory, to Paiq Qaqshal at Kabul. Mirza Sulaiman turned the face of flight towards Badakhshan.
78.6.5
Mirza Hakim came to Kabul, and Khan-i-Kalan remained in office as governor to Mirza Muhammad Hakim, and the remaining Amirs returned to their own jagirs. After some time Mirza Muhammad Hakim, without the permission of the Khan-i-Kalan, gave his own sister, the widow of Shah Abu-l-Ma’ali, in marriage to Khwajah Hasan Naqshbandi, one of the sons of Khwajah Naqshband: “Leave the man For Destiny is a servant, who will avenge you.” And in this year Mirza Sulaiman for the third time came to Kabul. And the reason for his coming was this: when Shah Abu-l-Ma’ali was defeated, and Mirza Muhammad Hakim had fled, just before he went away again Mirza Sulaiman gave the greater part of the district of Kabul in jagir to his own soldiers, and so [by this diminution of his revenue] the affairs of Mirza Hakim and his people became embarrassed. So they on some pretext or other turned Mirza Sulaiman’s Badakhshis out of Kabul. So In this year Shaikh-ul-Islam Fathpuri Chishti, who in the year nine hundred and seventy-one (971), on his return from Mekkah and Madinah honoured Badaun with his presence, and wrote from that place a letter in Arabic to the Author of this history (as will be related in its proper place, if God, He is exalted! will), laid the foundation of the building of a new monastry, the like of which cannot be shown in the whole of the inhabited world. The following is a mnemosynon for the date:—
78.6.6
“Shaikh-ul-Islam, the leader of mankind, (May God exalt his sublime power!) When he came from Madinah to Hind, That renowned Depository of Spiritual-direction, From his auspicious advent Hind Found anew a happy fortune. Take a certain letter and subtract it From Shaikh-ul-Islam, to find the date.” and another like unto it:— “Shaikh-ul-Islam, the perfect saint, That breath of Messias, that footstep of Elias, A flash from whose forehead was a glimpse of Eternity, A beam from whose face was the light of Eternity, When from Madinah he turned to Hind, That breath of Messias, that footstep of Elias, Reckon a letter and reckon not a letter From Khair-ul-maqdam, to find the date”. This monastry, having taken 7 years to complete, vaunted itself over the seven heavens. And about this time the Mahall-i-Bengali in Agrah, and another lofty palace, were completed; and Qasim Arsalan made this mnemosynon;— "When, for his pleasure, the King of fair countenance Ordered the building of the two palaces of auspicious mark, The date of the one came out from 'Ishrat, Khanah-e Padshahi was the date of the other."
78.6.7
During the first part of the month Rajab of the year nine hundred and seventy-two (972) the Emperor went towards Narwar and Kayah with a view to elephant-hunting; and having appointed certain people of that district to secure the elephants, he went himself to Gwalyur. For some days, through the heat of the weather, he suffered from a fever; but, when he recovered, he returned to his metropolis.
78.6.8
In this year the project of building the fortress of Agrah was conceived; and its citadel, which had before been of bricks, he had built of hewn-stone. And he ordered a tax of the value of three sers of corn on every jarib of land in the district, and appointed collectors and officers from the Amirs who held jagirs to collect it. In the course of five years it was completed. [The dimensions of the fortress are as follows:] breadth of wall, 10 guz; height 40 guz; with a deep trench both sides of which were built up with stone and lime, its width 20 guz, its depth to the surface of the water 10 guz, and it was filled with water from the river Jamna. And the like of that fortress can scarcely be shown in any other district. And the date of the gate thereof was found by Shaikh Faizi to be Biná-i dar-i Bihisht, “The building of the gate of Paradise.” And cost of the building of the fortress was about three krors. After it was completed it became the depository and store house of all the gold of Hindustan, and this mnemosynon was found for the date: Shud biná-i qil'ah bahri zar, “The fortress was built for the sake of gold.” And in truth it is not known to any how to convert that dead gold into live-stock, except to him who applies the verse: “And the Earth hath cast forth her burdens”, so that it should say impromptu “God, who giveth a voice to all things, giveth us a voice”:—