History of the Qaraunah Turks in India c6.178

c6.178

must have utilised Barani makes no mention of lightning and supports Ibn Batūṭah inasmuch as he says that the pavilion which was hastily erected crumbled down when elephants were paraded near it, and the Sultan with one other man attained martyrdom.76 His omission of the fall of lightning is significant. Abul Fazl writes in the *Ain-i-Akbari*, that although Zia Barani endeavours to substantiate the innocence of Muhammad Khan, the haste with which the pavilion was erected and the eagerness to entertain the king therein have all the appearance of guilty design.⁷⁷ Abul-Fazl does not speak of a conspiracy between the Prince and Shaikh Aulia, but it is clear from his writing that his authorities led him to the conclusion that the Sultan's death was planned by his son. Ibn Batūṭah is corroborated by Nizam-al-Din Ahmad, the highly trustworthy and judicious author of the *Tabqat-i-Akbari* who seems to favour the view that the Sultan's death was due to a conspiracy between the Prince and the Shaikh, for whom the Prince had a great reverence, and who entertained feelings of hostility towards the emperor, for he had ordered his expulsion from Dihli. The same authority writes :—" It cannot, however, remain hidden from the minds of the intelligent that the erection of the pavilion, for which there was no necessity whatever, creates a suspicion that Ulugh Khan encompassed his father's death. It is evident that the author of the *Tarikh-i-Firuz Shahi* which was written in the reign of Sultan Firuz who had great regard for Sultan Muhammad, was reticent about the matter, out of regard for the reigning monarch. The humble writer has heard this