Abu'l-Fazl 'Allami's Chronicle of Akbar (1556-72), vol 2, chaps.
50-51 (on year 1564)
CHAPTER 51
[[312]] As in all his ways, the peace of the world and the repose of mortals
are kept in view by the inspired soul of H.M. the Shahinshah, and his true
intent in miscellaneous matters, such as hunting, etc., is to acquaint himself
with the condition of the people without the intermediary of interested persons
and hypocrites, and to take proper measures for the protection of mankind, he,
upon hearing of Shah Abu-l-ma'ali's commotion, proceeded towards Delhi on the
day of Asman, the 27th Dai, Divine month, corresponding to Saturday 23
Jamada-al-awala. On the day of Marisfand the 29th Dai, corresponding to 25
Jamada-al-awala, 8 January, 1564, that city was illumined by the advent of the
Shahinshah. Abu-l-ma'ali could not, on account of the glory of the Shahinshah,
and the sublime dynasty, abide longer in
As the squint-eyed world lies in wait and searches for opportunities for promoting the cause of the wicked, wounds are continually being inflicted on the good and pure, but they are preserved by the Divine protection from the calamity thereof, and acquire eternal felicity in spite of the ill-intentioned. The Divine decree too has issued that whenever unstinted joys and lofty blessings are to be bestowed on anyone, he is in the first place to be made the recipient of griefs and pains, so that he may the better render thanks for his favours, and that such sorrow may be the (evil-averting) rue for his world-adorning beauty.
An instance of this occurred
when the cortége of H.M. Shahinshah after arriving [[313]] in
Though the
hearts of the loyal and the minds of the superficial men of the world were
perplexed as to the remedy, that spiritual and temporal king preserved his
composure and comforted the faithful. He bade his followers extract the arrow.
I have heard from the glorious tongue (Akbar's) that at first he thought someone
had unwittingly thrown a fragment of a stone from a roof. In spite of such a
wound he remained as before on his horse and proceeded to his palace. As the
Divine protection and the prayers of the saints were guarding him, the wound
was not serious, nor was lesion great. Skilful leeches who possessed Jesus'
breath attended to the plastering and curing of it. Especially
Khizr Khwajah Khan and Hakim 'Ain-al-mulk joined together in treating the fresh
wound and healing it by dry bandaging (khushk-band). Every day they
administered a fresh fatila (packing of a wound). In the course of a week a
cicatrice formed, and there was perfect restoration to health.
……
CHAPTER 51 -- Beginning of the ninth divine year from the accession, to wit, the year Azar of the first cycle [in March 1564]
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When this tax was imposed in former times by those who held outward sway, the reason [[317]] for it was that they on account of heart-rooted enmity were girded up for the contempt and destruction of opposite factions, but for political purposes and for their own advantage, they fixed a sum of money as an equivalent therefor, and gave it the name of jiziya. Thus they both gained their object and also derived a profit. At the present day, when owing to the blessing of the abundant good-will and graciousness of the lord of the age, those who belong to other religions have, like those of one mind and one religion, bound up the waist of devotion and service, and exert themselves for the advancement of the dominion, how should those dissenters, whose separation is founded merely on habit and imitation, and whose zeal and devotion are the real things, be classed with that old faction which cherished mortal enmity, and be the subjects of contempt and slaughter? Moreover the prime cause of levying the tax in old times was the neediness of the rulers and their assistants. At this day, when there are thousands of treasures in the store-chambers of the world-wide administration, and when every one of the servants of the threshold of fortune is rich and prosperous, why should a just and discriminating mind apply itself to collecting this tax? And why should it from imaginary advantage advance on the path of definite dissension? One of the excellent occurrences was the punishment of Abu-l-Ma'ali. The account of this instructive occurrence is that, when Abu-l-Ma'ali went with evil intentions to Kabul, and when the army which had gone in pursuit of him and to drive him out of the dominions, returned after traversing the Panjab, that inauspicious wretch sent a petition from Sind, full of his relationship to H.M. Jahanbani Jinnat Ashiyani, to Mah Chuchak Begam, the mother of M. Muhammad Hakim, who was all-powerful in Kabul; and he added to it an account of his own forlorn condition, and embroidered it with this verse:— We have
not come to this door in search of honour and glory; When Mah Chuchak Begam had made herself acquainted with the [[318]] contents of this letter, she took counsel with her confidential advisers. These short-sighted and self-interested men represented to the Begam, that Shah Abu-l-Ma'ali was sprung from the great Sayyids of Termiz, and that the rulers of Moghulistan and the princes of Kashghar had formed alliances with those families. As he had sought protection from the sublime family, it was proper to treat him with all kindness, and to exalt him so that he should be seen to be a favourite and of great distinction, and to give him in marriage her daughter-- the sister of Muhammad Hakim-- so that he might look upon this family as his own; and might make it illustrious, and might do it good, and convert it from dissension into harmony. The simple-minded Begam
was led by the deceitful words of these men to entertain wrong ideas, and
replied to Shah Abu-l-Ma'ali's letter in soothing language, and brought him
to The details of this are as follows: When Abu-l-Ma'ali, who always displayed lack of wisdom and narrowness of thought, as well as other bad qualities, became the master in that household, he could not contain his emotions. His evil nature too was worsened by the companionship of instigators. He made no account of the Begam and her officers, nor followed her weighty counsels. Nor did his actions show the fragrance of gratitude and devotion. At this time, various strife-mongers such as Shagun, the son of Qaracha Khan, and Shadman-- who both had old spites against the Begam-- joined Abu-l-Ma'ali. They represented to him that so long as the Begam was in life, he would not be secure in office, and that he would soon be put to death like Fazil Beg, his son Abu-l-fath and Shah Wali Atka. The proper thing was for him to act boldly and take the initiative, and to bring up M. Muhammad Hakim, who was still young, in accordance with his views. In this way all the Kabulis [[319]] would place the head of obedience on the line of submission to him. That evil-minded one who did not think of his latter end gave ear to their wicked counsels, and took steps to carry out their evil plans. He did not retain possession of the key of reason but lost it in the abyss of ignorance. He gave to the wind of rebellion ('aquq) the harvest of the rights (haquq) of the family. He spurned the recent favours of the Begam, and lay in wait to commit murder-- the worst of crimes! In fine, he made that wretch Shagun and that scum of Transoxiana, who was styled the Qazizada, his friends, and proceeded to the Begam's residence. Abu-l-Ma'ali entered the house by one way, and the two wretches by another. There were a number of women in the house, and by mistake they shed the blood of an innocent lady. When it appeared that they had blundered, and that it was not the Begam, they went looking for her and joined Abul-l-Ma'ali. They endeavoured to effect their object, and when the Begam became aware of the facts, she shut the door of her room in the face of the tyrants. Abu-l-Ma'ali broke the door with the help of the two villains, and entered and put the Begam to death. By this wickedness he hoisted the flag of oppression. This instructive catastrophe occurred in the middle of Farwardin, Divine month, corresponding to the middle of Sha'aban (971), April, 1564. After shedding the blood of the Begam, he hastened in search of M. Muhammad Hakim. He took him out from among young boys and brought him into the diwankhana by the side of himself. The men of the Mirza's household attended on him (Abu-l-Ma'ali) willingly or unwillingly. Next day he put to death Haidar Qasim Kohbar, whose family had filled great offices under the dynasty from generation to generation, and who at that time held the office of the Mirza's Vakil, and carried on the administration of the country; and also Khwajah Khas Mulk and several others.... [[320]] ...M. Muhammad Hakim, in spite of his tender years, was horrified at the catastrophe of his mother; and by the advice of well-wishers secretly sent messengers to M. Sulaiman in quest of relief, and to incite him to come. M.
Sulaiman, on hearing of what had happened, girt up the loins of intent and
prepared to march to that abode of pleasure which was always the object of
his ambition. He collected the army of Badkhashan and marched to From the other side M. Sulaiman came rapidly with the Badakhsh?n forces to the bridge, and both sides drew up in line. Just then a body of troops from Kulab were seen on the right, and Abu-l-Ma'ali sent off a number of Kabulis to oppose them. After the two forces had engaged, news was brought to Abu-l-Ma'ali that the Kabulis had been defeated. He thereupon placed M. Muhammad Hakim in the centre of the troops facing M. Sulaiman, and went off to assist his defeated men. Upon this opportunity M. Muhammed Hakim's men seized his horse's rein and drove him to the river, and in haste brought him to M. Sulaiman. The whole With my
own eyes I saw in a thoroughfare
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