Prince Murád had in the meantime retreated from Ahmadnagar to I´lichpúr, and as the death of his infant son Mírzá Rustam made him melancholy, he continued to drink, though dangerously ill with delirium tremens. When informed of Abul Fazl's mission, he returned at once towards Ahmadnagar, in order to have a pretext for not going back to his father, and he had come to the banks of the Púrná,* twenty kos from Daulatábád, when death overtook him. Abul Fazl arrived the same day, and found the camp in the utmost confusion. Each commander recommended immediate return; but Abul Fazl said that he was determined to march on: the enemy was near, the country was foreign ground, and this was no time for returning, but for fighting. Several of the commanders refused to march on, and returned; but Abul Fazl, nothing daunted, after a delay of a few days, moved forward, humoured the officers, and supplied in a short time all wants. Carefully garrisoning the country, he managed to occupy and guard the conquered districts with the exception of Násik, which lay too far to the west. But he sent detachments against several forts, and conquered Baiṭálah, Taltum, and Satondá. His headquarters were on the Godáwarí. He next entered into an agreement with Chánd Bíbí, that, after punishing Abhang Khán Habshí, who was at war with her, she should accept Janír as fief and give up the fort of Ahmadnagar.
Akbar had in the meantime gone to Ujjain. The Dak'hin operations had also become more complicated by the refusal of Bahádur Khán to pay his respects to Prince Dányál, and war with Khándesh had been determined on. Akbar resolved to march on A´sír, Bahádur Khan's stronghold, and appointed Prince Dányál to take command at Ahmadnagar. Dányál sent immediate instructions to Abul Fazl to cease all operations, as he wished to take Ahmadnagar personally. When the Prince therefore left Burhánpúr, Abul Fazl, at Akbar's reqest, left Mírzá Sháhrukh, Mír Murtazá, and Khwájah Abul Hasan in charge of his corps, and hastened to meet the emperor. On the 14th Ramazán, 1008 (beginning of the 44th year of Akbar's reign), he met Akbar at K'hargoṉ, near Bíjágaṛh. The emperor received him with the following verse—
and promoted him for his excellent management to a command of four thousand. The imperial army now marched on A´sír and commenced the siege.* One day, Abul Fazl inspected some of his trenches, when one of the besieged, who had deserted to Akbar's camp, offered to shew him a way by which the Imperialists might get over the wall of the Málai Fort, an important fortification below A´sírgaṛh itself. Half way up the mountain, to the west and slightly to the north, were two renowned outworks, called the Málai and Antar Málai, which had to be conquered before A´sír itself could be reached; and between the north-west and north, there was another bastion called Chúnah Málai. A portion of its wall was not finished. From east to south-west there were hills, and in the south was a high mountain called Korhiah. A hill in the south-west, called Sápan, was occupied by the Imperialists. Abul Fazl determined on availing himself of the information given by the deserter, and selected a detachment to follow him. Giving orders to the officer commanding the trench to watch for the sound of the trumpets and bugles, when he was to hasten to his assistance with ladders, he went in the dark of night, whilst it was raining, with his selected men on Mount Sápan, and sent a few of his men under Qará Beg along the road that had been pointed out to him. They advanced, broke open a gate of Málai Fort, and sounded the bugle. The besieged rose up to oppose them, and Abul Fazl hastened to his men and joined them at break of day when the besieged withdrew in confusion to A´sír. On the same day, other detachments of the army occupied Chúnah Málai and Mount Korhiah, and Bahádur Khán, unable to resist longer, sued for pardon (1009). Prince Dányál, who had in the meantime conquered Ahmadnagar,* now joined his father at A´sír.
About this time disturbances broke out in the Dak'hin, caused by Rájú Manná, and a party set up the son of 'Alí Sháh as king. As the latter found numerous adherents, the Khán Khánán was ordered to march against him, and Abul Fazl was sent to Násik; but a short time afterwards, he was told to join the Khán Khánán. Akbar returned, in the 46th year, to A´grah, leaving Prince Dányál in Burhánpúr. Abul Fazl had no easy life in the Dak'hin. The Khán Khánán stood idle at Ahmadnagar, because he was disinclined to fight, and left the operations to Abul Fazl, who looked upon him as a traitor. Abul Fazl vigorously pushed on operations, ably assisted by his son 'Abdurrahmán. After coming to terms with the son of 'Alí Sháh, he attacked Rájú Manná, recovered Jálnahpúr and the surrounding district, and inflicted several defeats on him. Manná found a temporary asylum in Daulatábád, and in a subsequent engagement he was nearly captured.
As early as during the siege of A´sír, Prince Salím, who had been sent against the Ráná of Udaipúr, had rebelled against his father, and had moved to Iláhábád, where he had assumed the title of king. Though on Akbar's return from Burhánpúr a reconciliation had been effected, the prince, in the forty-seventh year, shewed again signs of rebellion, and as many of Akbar's best officers appeared to favour Salím, the emperor recalled Abul Fazl, the only trustworthy servant he had. As his presence at Court was urgently required, Akbar sent him orders to leave the troops of his contingent in the Dak'hin. Putting his son 'Abdurrahmán in charge of his corps, Abul Fazl set out for A´grah, only accompanied by a few men. Salím, who looked upon him with little concealed hatred, thought Abul Fazl's journey, unprotected as he was, an excellent opportunity to get rid of him. He, therefore, persuaded Rájah Bir Singh, a Bundelá chief of U´rchah (U´ṉḍchhá),* through whose territory Abul Fazl was likely to pass, to lay in wait for him and kill him. Bir Singh, who was in disgrace at Court, eagerly seized the opportunity of pleasing the Prince, who no doubt would substantially reward him on his accession, and posted a large body of horse and foot near Narwar. When arrived at Ujjain, Abul Fazl was warned of Salím's intention, and his men tried to persuade him to go viâ Gháṭí Chándá; but Abul Fazl said that thieves and robbers had no power to stop him on his way to Court. He, therefore, continued his journey towards Narwar. On Friday, the 4th Rabí' I, 1011 (12th August, 1602), at a distance of about half a kos from Sarái Bar, which lies six kos from Narwar, Bir Singh's men came in sight. The few men that Abul Fazl had with him, strongly advised him to avoid a fight, and an old servant, Gadáí Khán Afghán, told him quickly to retreat to Antrí, which was three kos distant, as Rái Ráyán and Súraj Singh were stationed there with three thousand Imperial horse: he might first join them, and then punish Bir Singh. But Abul Fazl thought it a disgrace to fly. He defended himself bravely; but in a short time he was surrounded, and, pierced by the lance of a trooper, he fell dead to the ground. Bir Singh cut off Abul Fazl's head, and sent it to Salím in Iláhábád, who, it is said, had it thrown “into an unworthy place,” where it lay for a long time.
The Dutch traveller De Laët gives the following account of Abul Fazl's death.*