تحفة النظار في غرايب الامصار وعجايب الاسفار 13.34: ذكر خروج السلطان وأمره لي بالإقامة بالحضرة

13.34.1

وفي تاسع جمادى الأولى خرج السلطان برسم قصد بلاد المعبر ، وقتال القائم بها وكنت قد خلصت أصحاب الدين وعزمت على السفر وأعطيت مرتب تسعة اشهر للكهارين والفراشين والكيوانية والدوادوية، وقد تقدم ذكرهم، فخرج الأمر بإقامتي في جملة ناس وأخذ الحاجب خطوطنا بذلك لتكون حجة له، وتلك عادتهم خوفا من أن ينكر المبلغ، وأمر لي بستة آلاف دينار دراهم، وأمر لابن قاضي مصر بعشرة آلاف، وكذلك كل من أقام من الأعزة ، واما البلديون فلم يعطوا شيئا وأمرني السلطان أن اتولى النظر في مقبرة السلطان قطب الدين الذي تقدم ذكره وكان السلطان يعظم تربته تعظيما شديدا لانه كان خديما له، ولقد رأيته إذا أتى قبره يأخذ نعله فيقبله ويجعله فوق رأسه.

On the ninth of Jumādā al-Ūlā the Sultan set out with the purpose of going to the land of al-Maʿbar and fighting the man who had risen up there. I had settled with my creditors and resolved to travel, and had given nine months' wages to the palanquin-bearers, the carpet-spreaders, the kaywāniyya and the dawādawiyya, who have been mentioned before. Then the order came that I should stay behind, along with a number of people. The chamberlain took our signatures to that effect so that it would serve him as proof — that is their custom, for fear that the amount might be denied. He ordered for me six thousand dinars in dirhams, and ordered ten thousand for the son of the qāḍī of Miṣr, and likewise for every one of the aʿizza (honoured ones) who stayed; but the local people were given nothing. The Sultan ordered me to take charge of the mausoleum of Sultan Quṭb al-Dīn, who has been mentioned before. The Sultan revered his tomb very greatly, because he had been in his service; I saw him, when he came to his grave, take his sandal, kiss it and place it on his head.

13.34.2

وعادتهم أن يجعلوا نعل الميت عند قبره فوق متكأة، وكان اذا وصل القبر خدم له كما كان يخدم أيام حياته، وكان يعظم زوجته ويدعوها بالأخت وجعلها مع حرمه، وزوجها بعد ذلك لابن قاضي مصر، واعتنى به من أجلها وكان يمضي لزيارتها في كل جمعة.

It is their custom to place the dead man's sandal by his grave on a cushion. When he reached the grave he made obeisance to it as he used to make obeisance in his lifetime. He honoured his widow, called her "sister" and placed her among his own women; afterwards he married her to the son of the qāḍī of Miṣr, and favoured him on her account, and he used to go to visit her every Friday.

13.34.3

ولما خرج السلطان بعث عنا للوداع فقام ابن قاضي مصر فقال: أنا لا أوادع ولا أفارق خوند عالم، فكان له في ذلك الخير فقال له السلطان: امض فتجهز للسفر! وقدمت بعده للوداع وكنت احب الإقامة ولم تكن عاقبتها محمودة! فقال: مالك من حاجة؟

When the Sultan set out, he sent for us to take leave. The son of the qāḍī of Miṣr stood up and said, "I will not take leave of Khwand ʿĀlam nor part from him," and that turned out well for him; the Sultan said to him, "Go and prepare for the journey!" I came forward after him to take leave; I wished to stay, and its outcome was not praiseworthy! He said, "Do you have any need?"

13.34.4

فاخرجت بطاقة فيها ست مسائل، فقال لي: تكلم بلسانك! فقلت له: إن خوند عالم أمر لي بالقضاء وما قعدت لذلك بعد، وليس مرادي من القضاء الا حرمته، فأمرني بالقعود للقضاء وقعود النائبين معي، ثم قال لي: إيه، فقلت: وروضة السلطان قطب الدين ماذا أفعل فيها؟

I brought out a slip of paper with six requests on it. He said to me, "Speak with your tongue!" I said to him, "Khwand ʿĀlam appointed me to the judgeship, and I have not yet sat for it, and what I want of the judgeship is only its dignity." He ordered me to sit for judging and the two deputies to sit with me. Then he said to me, "Go on." I said, "And the mausoleum of Sultan Quṭb al-Dīn, what shall I do about it?

13.34.5

فإني رتبت فيها أربع مائة وستين شخصا، ومحصول أوقافها لا يفي بمرتباتهم وطعامهم؟

For I have appointed four hundred and sixty persons to it, and the revenue of its endowments does not suffice for their salaries and their food."

I have given appointments in connection with it to four hundred and sixty persons, and the income from its endowment does not cover their salaries and food.” He said to the wazir “Fifty thousand” and then added “You must have an anticipatory crop.” This means “Give him a hundred thousand maunds of wheat and rice to be expended during this year, until the crops produced by the endowments come in.” I asked also that my house might be repaired. When I had been granted my requests, he said “There is another recommendation, and that is that you incur no debts and so avoid being pressed for payment, for you will not find anyone to bring me news of them. Regulate your expenses according to what I have given you, as God has said [in the Koran], Keep not thy hand bound to thy neck, neither open it to fullest extent and again Eat and drink, and be not prodigal.” I desired to kiss his foot, but he prevented me and held back my head with his hand, so I kissed that and retired.

13.34.6

فقال للوزير: بنجاه هزار، ومعناه خمسون ألفا، ثم قال: لا بد لك من غلة بدية، يعني: أعطه مائة ألف من من المغلة، وهي القمح والأرز ينفقها في هذه السنة حتى تأتي غلة الروضة، والمن عشرون رطلا مغربية، ثم قال لي: وماذا أيضا؟ فقلت: إن أصحابي سجنوا بسبب القرى التي أعطيتموني، فإني عوضتها بغيرها، فطلب أهل الديوان ما وصلني منها أو الاستظهار بأمر خوند عالم أن يرفع عني ذلك، فقال: كم وصلك منها؟ فقلت: خمسة آلاف دينار، فقال: هي إنعام عليك، فقلت له: وداري التي أمرتم لي بها مفتقرة إلى البناء، فقال للوزير عمارة كنيد، أي معناه عمروها، ثم قال لي: ديكر نماند، فقلت له : لا، معناه هل بقي لك كلام؟ فقال لي: وصية دكر هست معناه أوصيك أن لا تاخذ الدين لئلا تطلب فلا تجد من يبلغ خبرك إلي، أنفق على قدر ما أعطيتك، قال الله تعالى: ولا تجعل يدك مغلولة إلى عنقك ولا تبسطها كل البسط ، وكلوا واشربوا ولا تسرفوا ، والذين إذا أنفقوا لم يسرفوا ولم يقتروا وكان بين ذلك قواما . فأردت أن أقبل قدمه فمنعني، وأمسك رأسي بيده فقبلتها وانصرفت.

He said to the vizier, "Panjāh hazār," which means fifty thousand; then he said, "You must have a hundred [thousand] of grain," meaning: give him a hundred thousand maunds of produce, that is wheat and rice, to spend this year until the mausoleum's harvest comes in — the maund being twenty Maghribi raṭls. Then he said to me, "And what else?" I said, "My companions were imprisoned on account of the villages you gave me, for which I received others in exchange; the officials of the dīwān demanded what I had received from them, or else production of an order of Khwand ʿĀlam that this be remitted from me." He said, "How much did you receive from them?" I said, "Five thousand dinars." He said, "It is a gift to you." I said to him, "And my house, which you ordered for me, is in need of building." He said to the vizier, "ʿImārat kunīd," meaning: rebuild it. Then he said to me, "Dīgar namānd?" — meaning, "Is there anything left for you to say?" — and I said to him, "No." He said to me, "Waṣiyyat-i dīgar hast," meaning, "I advise you not to take on debt, lest you be pressed and find no one to bring news of you to me. Spend according to what I have given you. God Most High has said: 'Do not keep your hand chained to your neck, nor stretch it out to its full extent,' and 'Eat and drink, but do not be extravagant,' and 'those who, when they spend, are neither extravagant nor niggardly, but keep between the two.'" I wanted to kiss his foot, but he prevented me and held my head with his hand; so I kissed it and withdrew.

13.34.7

وعدت إلى الحضرة فاشتغلت بعمارة داري وانفقت فيها اربعة آلاف دينار، أعطيت منها من الديوان ستماية دينار، وزدت عليها الباقي وبنيت بازائها مسجدا، واشتغلت بترتيب مقبرة السلطان قطب الذين وكان السلطان قد أمر أن تبنى عليه قبة يكون ارتفاعها في الهواء مائة ذراع بزيادة عشرين ذراعا على اتفاع القبة المبنية على قازان ملك العراق ، وأمر أن تشتري ثلاثون قرية تكون وقفا عليها وجعلها بيدي على أن يكون لي العشر من فائدها على العادة.

I returned to the capital and occupied myself with building my house, and spent four thousand dinars on it, of which I was given six hundred dinars from the dīwān and added the rest myself; and I built a mosque opposite it. I occupied myself with organising the mausoleum of Sultan Quṭb al-Dīn. The Sultan had ordered that a dome be built over it rising a hundred cubits into the air, twenty cubits more than the height of the dome built over Qāzān, king of Iraq, and ordered that thirty villages be bought as an endowment for it; he placed it in my hands on condition that I should have a tenth of its revenue, according to custom.

I returned to the capital and busied myself with repairing my house; on this I spent four thousand dinars, of which I received from the treasury six hundred and paid the rest myself. I also built a mosque opposite my house, and occupied myself with the dispositions for the mausoleum of Sultan Qutb ad-Din. The sultan had fixed the daily issue of food there at twelve maunds of flour and a like quantity of meat. I saw that this amount was too small, and that the produce which the sultan had put at my disposal was plentiful, and consequently I dispensed every day thirty-five maunds of flour and thirty-five of meat, together with proportionate quantities of sugar, candy, ghee and betel, not only to the salaried employees but also to visitors and travellers. The famine at that time was severe, but the population were relieved by this food, and the news of it spread far and wide. The “King” Sabih, having gone to join the sultan at Dawlat Abad, was asked by him for news of the doings of the people [in Delhi] and answered “If there were in Delhi two such men as so-and-so there would be no complaints of famine.” The sultan was pleased at this and sent me a robe of honour from his own wardrobe.