Mīr ʿĀlam

Abū al-Qāsim Musavī spent most of his life in the service of Niẓām ʿAlī Ḫān (Niẓām of Hyderabad from 1175/1761 to 1218/1803). During his lifetime, he successfully completed some extraordinary missions, such as the signing of a treaty with Lord Cornwallis of the East India Company and the conclusion of a peace treaty with Ṭīpū Sulṭān (see Ṭīpū Sulṭān). It was for signing a treaty with Cornwallis on behalf of his master that he received the title Mīr ʿĀlam. Abū al-Qāsim Musavī is widely known as the author of Ḥadīqat al-ʿālam, a detailed history of the Deccan extending to 1213/1799 (the year of its completion). However, his authorship of this work is under question and has been disputed. He died in 1223/1808.