The Cambridge History of India, Vol. IV: The Mughul Period v4.c15.103

v4.c15.103

Akbar’s next attempt at reforming the general administration was unfortunate. Khvāja Muhammad Sālih was removed from the post of *Sadr-us-Sudūr* and Shaikh ‘Abdun-Nabī was appointed in his place, in the belief that he would be more likely than his predecessor to collaborate with Muzaffar Khān, the revenue minister, in limiting the expenditure on free grants of land or money to those who devoted their lives to scholarship or religion; but the selection was unfortunate, for ‘Abdun-Nabī was a narrow-minded ecclesiastic who held that any pretensions to piety or learning entitled the pretender to live luxuriously at the public expense, and proved “a sair sanct for the Crown”. Grants on a scale hitherto unheard of were assigned with a lavish hand and the Shaikh paid no heed to the revenue minister. He succeeded, however, in retaining his appointment until 1578 and when he ultimately fell into disfavour it was not for dishonesty or administrative incapacity.