Tarikh-i Iradat Khan 5: Character of Bahadur Shah. His Court.
Táríkh, of Irádat Khán (Elliot & Dowson, extracts) 5
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Character of Bahadur Shah. His Court.
5.1
Shah 'Alam was generous and merciful, of a great soul tempered with affability, discerning of merit. He had seen the strict exercise of power during the reigns of his grandfather and father, and been used to authority himself for the last fifty years. Time received a new lustre from his accession, and all ranks of people obtained favours equal to, if not above their merits; so that the public forgot the excellences and great qualities of Aurangzeb, which became absorbed in the bounties of his successor. Some narrow-hearted persons, however, out of ingratitude and envy, attributed his general liberality to ill-placed extravagance and profusion; but it is a fact that the deserving of every profession, and the worthy of all degrees, whether among the learned or the eloquent, the noble or the ignoble, received an attention from the throne, which prior to this the eye of time had never seen, nor had such been heard of before by the ears of fame. His personal qualities and perfections, speech is unable to relate. His valour was such that he had resolved on meeting A'zam Shah, whose bravery was celebrated, in single combat. His four sons, possessed of great power and considerable force, he suffered to be constantly near his person, never giving himself a moment's suspicion regarding them, nor preventing them forming connexions with the prime nobility;
5.2
upon which subject I, the humblest of his slaves, once ventured to present him a petition of a cautionary nature, thinking it my duty, as I had often done so to Aurangzeb. To what I represented he wrote a wise and just reply. He permitted the sons of those princes who had fallen in battle against him to appear at all times completely armed in his presence. The infant children he let remain unmolested with their mothers, while those arrived at manhood daily accompanied him to the chase unguarded, and shared in all his diversions. His court was magnificent to a degree beyond that of Shah Jahan. Seventeen Princes, his sons, grandsons and nephews, sat generally round his throne, in the manner following: On his right hand Jahandar Shah, his eldest son, with his three sons; his third son, Rafi'u-sh Shan, with his three sons, and Bedar-dil, son to his nephew, Bedar Bakht. On his left Muhammad "'Azimu-sh Shan, with his two sons, and Jahan Shah with his son. 'Ali Tabbar, the only surviving son of A'zam Shah, sat on the right hand of 'Azimu-sh Shan; and a little to the right, somewhat advanced, the two sons of Muhammad Kam Bakhsh. Behind the royal Princes, on the right, stood the sons of conquered sovereigns, as of Sikandar 'Ali Shah of Bijapur, and Kutb Shah, King of Golkonda; also a vast crowd of the nobility, from the rank of seven to three thousand, such as were allowed to be on the platform between the silver rails. How can I mention every particular of the splendid scene?
5.3
On the 'Ids and other festivals, His Majesty, with his own hands, gave the betel and perfumes to all in his presence, according to their ranks. His gifts of jewels, dresses, and other favours were truly royal. When in private he dressed plain and humbly, like a religious devotee, and daily, without fail, prayed with many in company. Frequently on holidays and Fridays, when travelling, he would read the prayers himself in the great tent of audience, and repeat portions of the Kuran, with a tone and sweetness which captivated the most eloquent Arabians. He never missed the devotions of the latter part of the night, and frequently employed the whole in prayer. In the early part of the evening he had generally an assembly of the religious or learned men. He himself related traditions (of the Prophet), in the number of which he excelled, as well as in a knowledge of the Holy Law. He had explored the different opinions of all sects, read the works of all free thinkers, and was well acquainted with the hypotheses of each. On this account some over-strict devotees accused him of heterodoxy in his religious opinions, through mere envy of his superior abilities. I heard most of his tenets, and lamented the ignorance of his vain critics; for it was as clear as the sun how just and orthodox he was in his opinions on religious points. But how can I enumerate all his perfections! It would fill volumes to recite but a small part, therefore I will desist.