The Nāṣirī Generations 298: FIRST STATEMENT.

298

That eminent Sayyid thus related, that one of the Christians of Samrkand attained unto the felicity of Islam; and the Musalmans of Samrkand, who are staunch in their faith, paid him great honour and reverence, and conferred great benefits upon him. Unexpectedly, one of the haughty Mughal infidels of Chin, who possessed power and influence, and the inclinations of which accursed one were towards the Christian faith, arrived at Samrkand. The Christians of that city repaired to that Mughal, and complained, saying: “The Musalmans are enjoining our children to turn away from the Christian faith and serving ’Isa—on whom be peace!—and calling upon them to follow the religion of Mustafa [the Chosen one—Muhammad]—on whom be peace!”—and, in case that gate becomes unclosed, the whole of our dependents will turn away from the Christian faith. By [thy] power and authority devise a settlement of our case.
That Mughal commanded that the youth, who had turned Musalman, should be produced ; and they tried with blandishment and kindness, and money and wealth, in order to induce that sincere newly-converted Musalman to recant, but he did not recant ; and that garment of freshness — the Musalman faith — he did not put off from his heart and spirit. That Mughal ruler then turned over a leaf in his temper, and began to speak of severe punishment ; and every punishment, which it was in his power to inflict, or his severity to devise, he inflicted upon that youth, who, from his vast zeal for the faith of Islam, did not recant, and did not, in any way, cast away from his hand the sharbat of religion through the blow of infidel perverseness. As the youth continued firm to the true faith, and paid no regard to the promises and threats of that depraved set, the accursed Mughal directed so that they brought that youth to public punishment ; and he departed from the world in the felicity of religion — God reward him and requite him ! — and the Musalman community in Samrkand were overcome with despondency and consternation in consequence.
Ashraf-ud-Din related on this wise : " A petition was got up, and was attested with the testimony of the chief men and credible persons of the Musalman religion dwelling at Samrkand, and we proceeded with that petition to the camp of Barka Khan, and represented [to him] an account of the proceedings and disposition of the Christians of that city. Zeal for the Muhammadan religion was manifested in the mind of that monarch of exemplary faith, and the defence of the truth became predominant in his disposition. After some days, he showed honour and reverence to this Sayyid, appointed a body of Turks and confidential persons among the chief Musalmans, and commanded that they should slaughter the Christian sect who had committed that dire oppression, and despatch them to hell.
Having obtained that mandate, it was preserved until that wretched sect assembled together in the kalisa [church]; and they seized them all together, and despatched the whole of them to hell, and reduced the church again to bricks.”
This vengeance was [obtained] through the auspiciousness of that monarch towards the faith of Muhammad—the blessing and peace of Almighty God be upon him, and favourably regard among those of the true faith the Hanafi sect!