The Nāṣirī Generations 98: IV. MALIK-US-SA'ID, TAJ-UD-DIN-I-HARAB, SON OF MUHAMMAD.

98

Malik Taj-ud-Din was a great, learned, and just sovereign, and a cherisher of his subjects. He had a number of children, and, during his lifetime, two of his sons succeeded to the throne of Nimroz, as will, please God, be hereafter mentioned.
The first incidents in his career were these. When Malik Shams-ud-Din, his uncle, came to the throne, he deprived his, Taj-ud-Din’s, father of his sight, and put the rest of his brothers to death. Malik Shams-ud-Din had a sister, who was aunt to Malik Taj-ud-Din-i-Harab, who possessed great influence; and, when the tyranny and oppression of Shams-ud-Din became unbearable, the people became quite sated of his rule, and prayed the Almighty to grant them redress.
A party of the nobles and chief men of the country of Nimroz sought the aid and assistance of that Malikah, the aunt of Malik Taj-ud-Din-i-Harab; and they held counsel together, and made arrangements for a change [of rulers], and fixed upon Malik Taj-ud-Din by general consent. At that time he was sixty years of age, and none else remained of the descendants of the Maliks who was eligible for the sovereignty.
There is a place, outside the city of Sistan, where, in ancient times, there was an old city, which place they call Haghue. At night, all the populace of Sistan and the soldiery assembled there, and, in the morning they rose against Malik Shams-ud-Din, and put him to death with eighteen of his sons; and Malik Taj-ud-Din-i-Harab was raised to the throne. His father, 'Izz-ul-Muluk, was still living, but deprived of the blessing of sight.
When Malik Taj-ud-Din ascended the throne, he governed the people with equity and justice, and all submitted to his authority. He entered into communication with the Sultans of Ghur and Khurasan, and became feudatory to them, and read the Khutbah in the name of the Sultans of Ghur. He used his utmost endeavours in the support and encouragement of ecclesiastics and learned men, and in securing the rights of the weak and helpless; and it was a rule with that family to show great honour and respect to strangers and travellers. Malik Taj-ud-Din, in this respect, greatly surpassed his ancestors. He commanded, likewise, that for every mosque of Bukhara a prayer-carpet should be woven, according to the size of each, and despatched to that city; and for the sacred mosque at Makkah, and the holy Ka'bah, he despatched carpets, mats, and the like, as well as vessels of different kinds, in great quantity.
During the reign of Malik Taj-ud-Din, the father of the author of this volume, Maulana Saraj-ud-Din-i-Minhaj came to Sistan on two occasions. The first time, he went there on a mission from the august Sultan, Ghiyas-ud-Din, Muhammad-i-Sam; and on the second occasion when he was proceeding from the presence of that monarch to present himself at the Court of the Khalifah, Un-Nasir-ud-Din ’Ullah, by way of Mukran, he likewise passed by way of Sistan, and received great kindness and benevolence at the hands of Malik Taj-ud-Din-i-Harab.
During his own lifetime, Malik Taj-ud-Din made his eldest son, Nasir-ud-Din, ’Usman, his heir-apparent; and, subsequently, when Nasir-ud-Din died, he nominated another son, Yamin-ud-Din, Bahram Shah, as his heir and successor.
Towards the end of his reign, Malik Taj-ud-Din became totally blind. He had reigned for a period of sixty years, and his age was a hundred and twenty. He died in the year 612 H.