History of the Qaraunah Turks in India c14.6

c14.6

The principal authority which has been more or less used by all historians for this period is Zia Barani's *Tarikh-i-Firūz Shahi*. Zia was a native of Baran (modern Bulandshahr) in the United Provinces of Agra and Oudh. He was born probably in or about the year 684 A.H. (1285 A.D.), for he says that in 758 A.H. (1359 A.D.), when he completed his history he was seventy-four years of age. His father and uncle were employed in the service of the state, and he was himself patronised by Sultan Muhammad Tughluq. Thus, he had unique opportunities of acquainting himself with the affairs of the Sultans of Dihli. He wrote several other works besides his history. The author of the Matlūb-al-tālibin credits him with the authorship of the Sanāi Muhammadi, the Salwat-i-Kabīr, the ‘Ināyatnamah Ilāhi, the Masir-i-Sādāt, and the Akhbar Barmākiyan. Barani’s history is a continuation of Minhāj-i-Siraj’s Tabqat-i-Nāsiri which was complied during the reign of Sultan Nāsir-al-Din Mahmūd Shah of the slave dynasty and contains an account of the Sultans of Dihli from Balban to Firuz Shah Tughluq. Barani was well-qualified to write a history of this period. Himself an accomplished scholar, he associated with men like Amir Khusrau and Amir Hasan Dihlwi who were held in esteem at court. He was a disciple of Shaikh Nizām-al-Din Aulia and frequently associated with him. In his preface which is written in highly inflated language after the fashion of the day, Barani expatiates at length upon the value and usefulness of history. He rates historical learning above the ‘Ilm-i-tafsīr (knowledge of the commentaries of the Quran), Hadīs (tradition), Fiqah (law) and Sufism and writes that he has found history more useful than all these branches of theological learning. Among trustworthy historians he mentions four—Khwajah Sadr Nizāmi, the author of the Tāj-al-Māsir, Sadr-al-Din ‘Ufi, the author of the Jām-al-Hikāyat, Minhaj-i-Siraj, the author of the Tabqāt-i-Nāsiri and Kabīr-al-Din, son of Tāj-al-Din ‘Iraqi, who wrote an account of the conquests of ‘Ala-al-Din in elegant diction. He praises these historians and lays down the canons of historical writing, which have a touch of modernity about them. ‘Truth’ says he, ‘is all-important for the historian. It is the foundation of all history. If a historian describes the good qualities of a king, he ought not to conceal his defects. Considerations of partiality or friendship should not influence the writing of history. If he cannot record the truth plainly he must do so by suggestions and implications. A historian may be excused, if he does not state the truth about living persons, but it is his bounden duty to write what is true about those who are dead.’ Barani took great pains to write his history which he regards as a compendium of all useful knowledge—at once a history of kings and emperors and a treatise on the art of government. Like a mediæval scholar he takes upon himself the rôle of a reviewer and writes that he has stated nothing but the truth and appeals to his readers to believe him. He holds out his book as a model for those who aspire to write history and considers it superior to all other historical works.