The Nāṣirī Generations 27.1

27.1

Sultan Kutbu-d din, the second Hatim, was a brave and liberal king. The Almighty had bestowed on him such courage and generosity that in his time there was no king like him from the east to the west. When the Almighty God wishes to exhibit to his people an example of greatness and majesty he endows one of his slaves with the qualities of courage and generosity, and then friends and enemies are influenced by his bounteous generosity and warlike prowess. So this king was generous and brave, and all the regions of Hindustan were filled with friends and cleared of foes. His bounty was continuous and his slaughter was continuous. When Sultan Kutbu-d din was first brought from Turkistan, his lot fell in the city of Naishapur, where he was bought by the chief Kazi, Fakhru-d din 'Abdu-l 'Aziz of Kufa, who was one of the descendants of the great Imam Abu Hanifa of Kufa. This Kazi was governor of Naishapur and its dependencies. Kutbu-d din grew up in the service and society of his master's sons, and with them he learned to read the Kuran, and also acquired the arts of riding and archery. In a short time he became remarkable for his manly qualities. When he had nearly arrived at the age of manhood, merchants brought him to Ghaznin, and the Sultan Ghazi Mu'izzu-d din Muhammad Sam purchased him from them. He was possessed of every quality and virtue, but he was not comely in appearance. His little finger was broken from his hand, and he was therefore called Aibak, "maimed in the hand."