Later Mughals v2.c14.s2: Sec. 26.—Death of Muhammad Amin Khan.

Later Mughals v2.c14.s2

Language: English

Sec. 26.—Death of Muhammad Amin Khan.

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One night about this time, a flag was tied to the railing before the chief police-office (or chabutra as it was called).

On the flag was written in the Persian character: "Let the Emperor beware and quite the palace." The usual reports were brought before the Emperor and the issue of a proclamation was directed in the hope of discovering the doer of this act. After the order had been announced throughout the city by beat of drum, one Naranjan, a Muhammadan mendicant of the Azad sect, was traced as the culprit. This man used to go about bare-headed, and beyond a narrow strip of cloth to cover his nakedness he wore no clothes. He admitted that he had placed the flag where it was found. When he was brought before the Emperor, the Wazir, Muhammad Amin Khan, was present. The Wazir requested that the faqir might be made over to him for enquiries. The man was taken to the Wazir's house and there severely flogged. When this was reported to Muhammad Shah, he sent for the man, presented him with four gold coins and set him at liberty. This occurred on the 15th January 1721.

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A few days afterwards Muhammad Amin Khan fell seriously ill with a complication of disorders; and as was inevitable it was the popular belief that the faqir's curse had taken effect. The illness* had lasted only 4 or 5 days when it terminated fatally on the 27th January 1721, and the body was buried within the school or Madrasa which the Wazir had founded just outside the Ajmeri Gate. In the short space of three months during which he was chief minister, Muhammad Amin had no time in which to display his qualities as an administrator, though he had shown himself a good soldier long before in Alamgir's reign. Warid tells us that from the day of his first arrival from Bukhara he had ever been inclined towards oppression and injustice, had forgotten to fear God or be tender to the lowly; to him a Sayyid of proud descent and an unbeliever were the same. But strange to say, from the day of signal victory over the Sayyids, when the sky had cleared and no enemy remained, he entirely changed his ways.

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∗ Revolting details in Siyar i. 68, all most probably untrue and due to the Shia bigotry of the writer directed against a prominent Sunni. Ghulam Ali Khan Muqaddama-i-Shah Alam-nama, (B. M.) 41b, has 28th Rabi II.—an evident error. He says the illness was a fatal kind of colic.

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Men of both the city and the country had dreaded the day of his accession to supreme power. To their surprise, his conduct was opposed to his previous habits; he treated everybody fairly and kindly. Even some of the Sayyids who had deserved punishment were spared. But as far as Muhammad Shah was concerned, he had obtained no benefit by the change of ministers; and as one writer says, "He found over again the same viands on his plate." [Shiu Das 65b-66a; Kamwar 247; Warid 2-4; K. K. 939; Ahwal 178a.]

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The vacant office of chief minister was claimed by the deceased's son, Qamar-ud-din Khan, as his by right of inheritance; but Khan Dauran, who was the Emperor's candidate, [Yahya 130b] unable to carry through his own appointment, persuaded Muhammad Shah to send for Nizam-ul-mulk from the Dakhin. Qamar-ud-din was consoled with his father's title of Itimad-ud-daulah (30th January 1721); and as a temporary measure the duties of the minister were made over to Inayat-ullah Khan Kashmiri, in addition to his previous office of Lord Steward (Khan-saman). This appointment was made on the 14th February. [Warid 48, Kamwar 248, Shiu Das 66a, K. K. 939, Ahwal 178b, Khush-hal 136b.]