Promotion of Learning in India during Muhammadan Rule (by Muhammadans) c10.10

c10.10

“Maḥmūd’s features were very ugly. One day regarding his own face in a mirror, he became thoughtful and depressed. His Wazīr enquired as to the cause of his sorrow, to which he replied, ‘It is generally understood that the sight of kings adds vigour to the eye, but the form with which I am endowed is enough to strike the beholder blind.’ The Wazīr replied, ‘Scarcely one man in a million looks on your face, but *the qualities of your mind* shed their influence on every one.’” ¹