History of the Qaraunah Turks in India c6.205

c6.205

The Sultan's death occurred in Rabi-'al-awwal, 725 A.H. (Feb. March 1325) which is not the time when lightning is generally expected. The fact that the Sultan's death occurred at a time when rain does not usually fall is significant. But assuming for the sake of argument that lightning did fall, why should any writer suppress such an occurrence? Ibn Batutah was no eye-witness of the catastrophe, but it stands to reason that if the emperor's death had been caused by lightning, it would have been difficult, if not impossible, to concoct an imaginary story to explain it. When the traveller came to India, he heard the story from Shaikh Rukn-al-Din Multani, who was an eye-witness of the tragic scene and happened to be present in the pavilion on that fateful day at Afghanpur. The Shaikh could have no motive in inventing a false story, for he was treated with great magnanimity by Muhammad Tughluq and was given one hundred villages as jagir.⁹⁴ It is hardly likely that the recipient of such unstinted royal favour should deliberately indulge in falsehood and connect the name of his benefactor with the guilt of parricide. Later writers, almost all of them, support Ibn Batūṭah and allude to the differences which existed between the Shaikh and the Sultan. The consensus of opinion, therefore, is in favour of Ibn Batūṭah's version. Besides, he is remarkably corroborated by the author of the *Gulzār-i-abrār*, a hagiological work written between 1611 and 1613 A.D. wherein it is stated that when Sultan Tughluq Shah entered the royal pavilion on his return from Bengal in 725 A.H. Shaikh Rukn-al-Din was present with him. He goes on to add: