Twilight of the Sultanate c13.s5.18

c13.s5.18

Withal Bahlūl's sense of humour was terrible. The story of his seizure of the throne reads like a practical joke played upon Hamīd Khan. Once he had a fling at a student of stunted growth, but when the boy got cross, Bahlūl at once offered his apology.¹⁴⁵ An anecdote of the Sultan's tolerance and sense of humour as given by 'Abdulla needs to be reproduced.¹⁴⁶ Once in the Jama' Masjid, after the prayers, Mulla Fazīn, one of the elders of the city, began to talk irresponsibly of the Afghans. "We have an extraordinary tribe of rulers," said he, "I do not know whether they are the servants of arch-fiends or arch-fiends themselves. Their language is so barbarous...." While the Mulla was thus railing, Bahlūl only smiled and said, "Mulla Fazīn, hold, enough, for we are all servants of God".