تحفة النظار في غرايب الامصار وعجايب الاسفار 11.7.5

11.7.5

Bukhārā and Tirmidh. He bought a hundred mamlūks, Balban among them. When he brought the mamlūks before the sultan, he was pleased with all of them except Balban, because of the ugliness we mentioned, and said, "I will not accept this one." Balban said to him, "O khwand of the world, for whom did you buy these mamlūks?" He laughed at him and said, "I bought them for myself." He said, "Then buy me for God, mighty and exalted!" He said, "Yes," accepted him and placed him among the mamlūks, but he was held in low esteem and put among the water-carriers. Those versed in the science of the stars used to say to Sultan Shams al-Dīn: "One of your mamlūks will take the kingdom from your son's hand and seize it." They kept telling him this, but he paid no attention to their words because of his righteousness and justice, until they mentioned it to the senior khātūn, the mother of his children. She mentioned it to him, and it affected him. He sent for the astrologers and said, "Would you recognise the mamlūk who will take my son's kingdom if you saw him?" They said, "Yes, we have a sign by which we know him." The sultan ordered a muster of his mamlūks and sat for it. They were paraded before him rank by rank while the astrologers looked at them, saying, "We have not seen him yet." Noon came, and the water-carriers said to one another, "We are hungry; let us collect some dirhams and send one of us to the market to buy us something to eat." They collected the dirhams and sent Balban with them, since there was none among them more lowly than he. He did not find what they wanted in the market, so he went on to another market and was delayed. The water-carriers' turn in the muster came while he had not yet returned, so they put his waterskin and vessel on a boy's shoulders and presented him as Balban. When his name was called, the boy passed before them, the muster ended, and the astrologers did not see the figure they sought. Balban came after the muster was over, God wishing to carry out His decree. Then his excellence became evident, and he was made chief of the water-carriers, then joined the soldiers, then the amīrs.