The Shaikh was one of the ascetics of the age, and one of the chosen combatants of sensuality. They say that he was descended from Farrukh Shāh Kabulī who was commonly called King of Kabul (Shāh-i-Kābul). In the time of the Great Khān and sublime Qā'ān Cingīz Khān, one of his (Shaikh Farīd's) grandfathers, Qāẓī Sh'aīb by name, came to Lahore and settled in the town of Qaṣūr. Sulān Balban regarded his advent as a great honour and treated him with reverence. The Shaikh (Farīd) went to Multan and applied himself to the study of the sciences which were current in India. Khwāja Qubu-d-dīn Ūshī,* the successor of Khwāja M'uīnu-d-dīn, and who had turned his attention from penmanship* to the sacred writings, and from the picture to the Painter, took notice of him, and gave him valuable counsels about contemning routine-sciences, and devot­ing himself to real knowledge, and so led him into the Way. The torch of search was kindled, and the flames of zeal were lighted. He withdrew from all other things and gave his heart to the service of the Khwāja. By his devotion and long service he became an exhibi­tor of wondrous miracles, and a station of marvels.*

The prince of theosophists proceeded towards his goal. In appearance his mind was taken up with the pleasure of hunting; inwardly, there was in his heart the longing to know God. On the way a strange* thing occurred on the borders of Rai 'Alā'ū-d-dīn's Talondi* near the Sutlej, which is there called the Harhārī. The brief account of this is that the scouts reported that there was a herd of wild asses (gorkhar). The sovereign proceeded to hunt them, attended by three or four special huntsmen. When he came near the plain he dismounted and proceeded on foot. At the first shot he hit an ass, and the rest of the herd fled far away at the report of the gun. That Divine world-hero took his piece in his hand and pro­ceeded rapidly on foot over the burning sand, attended by the same three or four huntsmen. He soon traversed the plain and came up with the herd and killed one after the other with his gun. He continued to follow them up, and on that day he shot thirteen wild asses. Whenever he killed one the others went further off than at first. At this time he became consumed by thirst. There was no sign of water. As he had decided to follow the prey on foot, those attached to the hunt thought that H.M. was near at hand, and so kept in view the place where the game was and did not leave their place.* When the lord of the world had traversed some kos, his attendants, though they searched, could get no news of the water-carriers, nor any trace of water. A strange condition super­vened, and the weakness from thirst increased to such a degree that he lost the power of speech. At this time, when the courage of the loyal was turning to water, mystic guides led the special water-bearers through the boundless desert. Thanksgiving was offered to God, and the hearts of the loyal were rejoiced. It appears that a Divine message impressed itself by a mystic tongue on the heart of H.M. that he should consider his own holy person and be more care­ful in guarding it, for in reality that was the watching over mankind at large, or rather it was the returning of thanks for Divine favours, and the preserving of the Divine gifts.

In the beginning of your thoughts, think of the end
Do not sport with your life.

One of the occurrences was that Jalāl, the zamindar of Bhimbar, (in Kashmīr) destroyed by wickedness Qabūl Khān.* The latter had put down by the sword the disaffected persons in that country. The zamindar craftily represented himself as a well-wisher, and the simple-minded Turk, without proper examination of the matter, and without studying the lines of his forehead, was led away merely by his plausible, gold-incrusted speeches. In accordance with the recommendations of this zamindar he sent away his soldiers to dis­tant places, and his son, Yādgār Ḥusain, went off to the borders of Naushahra. Though far-seeing and right-seeing men said that he should not separate all his men from himself, yet as the thing was predestined, their remonstrances were of no avail. (The zamindar) led his son away from Naushahra into the defiles, and the heads of the passes having been occupied by the enemy, many of his men were killed. Yādgār Ḥusain was wounded and was reckoned among the dead. A zamindar behaved kindly and sheltered him. At the same time that these men were caught in this evil, Jalāl fell upon Qabūl Khān. He from the courage which he had, and the skill which he had not, did not regard the plurality of the enemy and the paucity of his own men, and on the day of Rām, 21 Bahman, Divine month, corresponding to Wednesday, 5 Ramẓān (31 January, 1571) came out of his place and fell valiantly. When H.M. heard of this he issued orders to Khān Jahān to apply himself to the extirpation of those evildoers, and to gather an army of brave and experienced men. In accordance with orders a select body of men hastened to that country and exerted themselves to destroy those presumptuous evil-doers. They cleansed that land of roses from the weeds and rubbish of the seditious.