Later Mughals v2.c16.s3: Sec. 86.—Shah Abdul-Ghaffur : His Career and Influence.
Later Mughals v2.c16.s3
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Sec. 86.—Shah Abdul-Ghaffur : His Career and Influence.
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The third member of Koki's group of councillors was Shah Abdul-ghaffur a native of Tattha, who passed as a Sayyid but is believed to have been really a cotton-weaver. In the reign of Alamgir he found his way to Kabul and secured the friendship of a eunuch in the employ of Prince Muazzam (afterwards Bahadur Shah), then governor of that province. In the end he was expelled from the province as a forger. He resided for a short time at Lahor, then joined Bahadur Shah's camp when he was on the way to Agra to contest the throne with his brother Azam Shah. During the advance from Agra to the Dakhin, Abdul-ghaffur followed to Haidarabad, himself on foot and his wife on a pack-bullock belonging to the eunuch who had formerly befriended him. In the same manner he found his way back to Hindustan. After the disturbance at Lahor following on the death of Bahadur Shah (1712) Abdul-ghaffur went off to Dihli.
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In the popular belief Abdul-ghaffur was the intimate of jinns and devils, from whom he had learnt magic spells and incantations. In his early days he had served a Hindu recluse who lived a life of solitude on the summit of a hill in the wild country beyond the Indus. From this man Abdul-ghaffur received his initiation, and went to and fro as his emissary to the Rajahs of the hill country and his other disciples. Some time afterwards the Jogi died and Abdul-ghaffur succeeded. His ambition was not satisfied however with such a confined domain, and he made his way, as already stated, to the camp of Shah Alam (afterwards Bahadur Shah), then governor of the Kabul province. Here he altered his appearance to that of a Muhammadan mendicant.
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∗ He loved to clothe himself in gorgeous raiment and to use gold in every possible way. This is shown by the gilt covering he gave to the domes of his buildings. It was a tradition that after his retinue had passed through the streets, poor people swept up the dust in order to recover the atoms of gold-dust that had fallen from his attire. [Ghulam Ali, 52a.]
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When he followed the camp of Jahandar Shah to Dihli Abdul-ghaffur took up his quarters in an old mosque outside the city, having with him one or two Sindi followers. These men hawked about in the city the amulets he wrote and on the proceeds they and their master lived. Gradually his fame spread and people flocked to consult him. [Ashob 68a—69b.] He claimed to know every science and every art and professed to read the future. One part in ten of his pretences was true : the rest false. The ignorant guards at palace gates and the illiterate eunuchs became his disciples, and he was asked by women of the imperial harem for amulets against sickness. Nawab Qudsiya mother of Mhd. Shah became his patron and he was asked to interpret her dreams, and this increased his reputation. Some of the persons to whom he had given amulets recovered. He and Koki his firm friend had sworn an oath to stand by each other. She made him out to the Begam a saint (wali) with supernatural powers (tasawuf). He pledged his word for the competence in geomancy of Koki and her father. At length through his friend the eunuch and the recommendation of Qudsiya Begam he made the acquaintance of Muhammad Amin Khan Itimad-ud-daulah. Over this noble he soon obtained great influence, his glibness of tongue secured belief in his universal knowledge and he was soon admitted to his patron's most secret councils. Owing to this intimacy the common people believed the Shah to be the spiritual director of Mhd. Khan. In the intrigues leading to the assassination of Husain Ali Khan, we have seen him play a prominent part, passing between the conspirators and Muhammad Shah's private tents in the disguise of a milkwoman and carrying Mhd. Amin's letters. On Muhammad Amin Khan's death shortly after his accession to power, Abdul-ghaffur attached himself to Koki's party and for twelve years was nearly as powerful as she was herself. Qamar-ud-din Khan supported him out of respect to his father's memory, and Nizam-ul-mulk, during the short period that he was at Dihli, paid deference to Abdul-ghaffur's apparent claims as a holy man. [Warid 39-42 ; Ashob 64-72 ; Khush-hal 1041-1042.] Subsequently Abdul-ghaffur having made an alliance with Koki Jiu became all powerful and accumulated immense wealth. His income from his offices is said to have amounted to five thousand Rupees a day, in addition to as much more from bribes. Of these latter something under one-fourth was made over to the Emperor ; the balance was divided in equal shares between Koki and Abdul-ghaffur. His habits were miserly in the extreme. [Warid 58-71.]
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Abdul-ghaffur was not loved himself by either the courtiers or the crowd ; but the hatred to him was as nothing to that provoked by his son and daughter. Early in the reign Abdur-rahim, his son, a good-looking youth, was raised to the rank of 6,000 zat. But his conduct was exceedingly dissolute ; he never hesitated at taking life, with or without pretext. One of his freaks was to dress up as a loose woman with his hands and feet henna-dyed and wearing many gold ornaments ; in addition a sword and shield hung across his shoulder by a gold-embroidered belt. In this guise he would parade the streets preceded by mace-bearers and matchlockmen with matches lighted. They entered every assembly and took part in every disturbance. At other times, clad in complete steel, with nothing to be seen but his two eyes, he would ride out with his retinue similarly attired. Woe to anyone who looked their way : without fail he was cut down. But if the other side was too strong for him, he fled. Dancers were called to dance at his gate while he sat there wine-cup in hand. In a little, he would attach rattles to his ankles, cover his head with a shawl and join in the dance. Armed men were posted at each end of the street to prevent anyone passing up or down. If anyone persisted, his life was taken. Litters carrying the wives of poor men were stopped ; the women were brought before him, and those he approved were appropriated. For the gratification of other and more unnatural passions he expended large sums of money. The daughter was even more shameless. [Ashob 66b.]
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When towards the end of 1144 (June 1732) the eunuch Hafiz Khidmatgar Khan died, his servants were very harshly treated in an attempt to obtain possession of his wealth accumulated as clerk of the privy purse. About the same period disgrace began to overtake the other members of the combination, for whose downfall Samsam-ud-daulah had been plotting from the first. Koki lost her hold over the Emperor. One of her brothers, Ali Ahmad Khan, gave offence by his conduct as superintendent of the office of Confirmator (arz mukarrar); and worst of all the Queen Malika Dauran quarrelled with her. Koki's money was demanded. She replied that it was all the Emperor's and sending the key of her rooms in the harem to the Begam left the palace. Samsam-ud-daulah brought against Roshan-ud-daulah a charge of having embezzled the money granted to him for payments to keep the roads from Peshawar to Kabul open. And Abdul-ghaffur at length disgusted even the Emperor by the absurd length to which he carried his claims of authority, spiritual and secular. [Khush-hal 1061-1062.]
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Roshan-ud-daulah's disgrace came about in this way. Early in the reign he had become the intermediary for the payment of a monthly sum to keep open the passes into Kabul. This money was disbursed by the hand of Nasir Khan, the provincial governor, who had obtained his appointment through Roshan-ud-daulah; the payment is stated to have been five lakhs of Rupees a month, but that is most probably an exaggeration. Roshan-ud-daulah also managed the affairs at Court connected with the port of Surat and with many parganas of the Gujarat province. Samsam-ud-daulah charged Roshan-ud-daulah with embezzling the Kabul money, and since, according to him, the State obtained no benefit, this payment to the pass Afghans was abolished. Remonstrances and appeals were sent again and again by Roshan-ud-daulah but passed unregarded. From this time Roshan-ud-daulah fell out of favour with Muhammad Shah, and soon demands were made upon him to account for all the Government money that he had received. The auditors stated the balance still at three krors of Rupees.
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Under this pressure the Nawab paid in two krors of Rupees and escaped further molestation. But his influence, already shaken by his ignominious share in the shoe-sellers' riot of 11th March 1729, never revived. His position was also weakened by the conduct of his third brother Munavvar Khan, one of the Emperor's boon companions, who fell in love with and carried off Nur Bai, a dancing woman who was Muhammad Shah's mistress. At first Munavvar Khan's death was decreed; in the end his life was spared but he lost his rank and jagir. After some years Ishaq Khan the new favourite procured his restoration and he was given the office of Bakhshi to the Ahadis. Roshan-ud-daulah died at Dihli on the 12th Zul Hijja 1148 H. (23rd April 1736).*
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As Muhammad Shah paid no attention to public business, Abdul-ghaffur for full twelve years held the supreme direction of affairs; if he opposed, nothing could be done, even the Emperor's wishes were then ignored. At length in his thirteenth year Muhammad Shah rebelled. [Warid 60.]