The sage and acute-minded man knows that whenever the lord of the earth forms a right design, and engages in the tranquillising of mankind, the servants of the threshold of fortune become loyal under his auspicious guidance, and with one heart and endeavour recognise the work of their king, their teacher and benefactor, as the Divine command, and devote themselves to his service. The world's work is adorned and glorious actions are revealed. At once does the sovereign of the world become successful, spiritually and materially, and the loyal pass by their own loss and gain, and recognise the service of the sultanate to be the highest form of Divine worship. Thus they perform services such as seldom appeared in the times of former rulers. This tale of a great victory is an instance of this. The brief account of this Divine aid is that when Ibrāhīm Ḥusain M. was driven out of Gujrat by the Shāhinshāh's fortune and went off towards the capital, Muḥammad Ḥusain M. and Shāh M. and the Fūlādīans, who were in the hills in a disorganised state, made a compact and came down upon the city of Pattan. Saiyid Aḥmad Khān exerted himself to defend the fort. When the news of the gathering of the rebels reached Khān A'aim, he assembled his forces, and by a happy coincidence Sher Beg Tawācī, who had been sent to fetch the Malwa officers, added to them Qubu-d-dīn Muḥammad Khān, Shah Budāgh ²⁴ Khān, Mualib Khān and the other fief-holders of Malwa. The Khān A'aim also sent persons and recalled Shaikh Muḥammad Bukhārī who was in Dūlqa, and who was preparing, under royal orders, to go to Surat.

When the officers were assembled, the Khān A'aim proceeded to arrange his forces in a proper manner. He himself took charge of the centre. Shāh Budagh Khān, M'uīnu-d-dīn Āḥmad Khān Faran­khūdī and his son Ma'ṣūm Khān, and Mualib Khān and a large number were stationed there. Qubu-d-dīn Muḥammad Khān, Mīr Jamālu-d-dīn Ḥusain Injū* held the right wing, and his (whose ?) men were on the flank of the right wing. Shaikh Muḥammad Bokhārī, Muḥammad Murād Khān, Shāh Muḥammad Khān and Ḥājī Khān Afghān, the son of Khwaṣ Khān, adorned the left wing. Shāh Fakhru-d-dīn, Moaffar Moghal and Payīnda Arlāt were on the flank of the left wing. Dastam Khān, Naurang Khān, Muḥammad Qulī Khān Toqbāī and Mihr 'Alī Silduz were in the van. Bāz Bahādur and a number of others formed the altimash. After arranging his forces the Khān A'aim proceeded towards Nahrwāla which is best known as Pattan. On the day of Gosh, 14 Bahman, Divine month, corresponding to Friday, 18 Ramaẓān, 22 January 1573, the army reached the neighbourhood of Pattan. The enemy abandoned the siege and faced the victorious army. Sher Khān Fūlādī and Junaid Kararānī commanded the centre. Muḥammad Ḥusain M., Shāh M. and 'Aāqil Ḥusain M. commanded the right wing. Muḥammad Khān the eldest son of Sher Khān and Sādāt Khān held the left wing. Bidar Khān the younger son of Sher Khān Fūlādī commanded the van. The rebels did not intend that the fighting should begin that day, as the son of Jujhār Khān and other seditious ones had not yet joined them. Sher Khān Fūlādī, by a feline stratagem, sent men to Shaikh Muḥammad Bokhārī and proposed a reconciliation. Many of the leading men of the army who sought for safety did not consider properly and were disposed to peace. Shah Budagh Khān whispered to the Khān A'aim, “Beware, and do not agree to peace: the object of this crooked-minded crew is to put off the time.” The Khān A'aim replied, “My opinion is the same as yours. As the minds of the officers were inclined for peace, and they did not understand the matter, and Sher Khān's agents used deceitful language, the Khān A'aim said, “If you are really for peace retire from the place where you are and encamp until we come to you, for it is not seemly ²⁵ for us to retreat.” As the words of this crew were deceitful and had no sincerity about them, they did not agree to this proposition. The imperial officers proceeded to the battle-field. And as it was generally stated that the Mīrzās would take the victorious army in the rear, Mīrzā Muqīm, Carkis Khān and a number of brave men were stationed on the rear of the centre.

When the two armies approached one another the left wing of the enemy attacked the imperial right wing, and drove off most of Qubu-d-dīn Khān's men. The Khān kept his ground manfully with a few of his followers. He smote* wīth his sword between the two tusks of one of the enemy's elephants and so excited admiration. The vanguard of the ill-fated rebels attacked the imperial vanguard. Naurang* Khān's elephant, which was mast, attacked a horseman of his own army and crushed him. Just then the brave men of the enemy's vanguard drove off the imperial vanguard. The altimash (reserve), too, could not stand and showed cowardice. In their flight some ran to the right and some to the left. The Afghans followed them up. About 500 horses came in front of the Khān A'āim and were soon dispersed. The other body, which had driven off the van­guard and the altimash, came upon the left wing of the imperial army. Most of the latter lost courage, and Murād* Khān made himself a spectacle by withdrawing himself. Shāh Muḥammad Khān was wounded and carried off by his servants to Aḥmadābād. Shaikh Muḥammad Bokhārī* with a few of his relatives, such as the son of Saiyid Bahāū-d-dīn, Saiyid J'afar the brother of Shaikh Farīd and others, displayed courage and offered up their lives. The rebels thought that they had gained the victory and turned to plunder. The Mīrzās came in person against Mīr Fākhru-d-dīn Khān and his people. The Mīr made some resistance, but could not maintain a firm footing. Qubu-d-dīn Khān remained with a few men and showed a firm front against the enemy. When the rebels had driven off Qubu-d-dīn's troops and had come to the baggage and were occupied in plundering, Qubu-d-dīn came upon them from behind and attacked them. By the Divine help a thorough victory succeeded to a complete defeat. The Khān A'āim and the heroes of the imperial centre drove off the black-thoughted Afghans and turned against the enemy's centre which was advancing against Qubu-d-dīn. As most of the enemy's men had hastened off to plunder, they lost heart on seeing this force, and solely by the Divine favour did so glorious a victory show itself. The Khān ²⁶ A'aim stood with his men on the top of the ridge and rejoiced in the shouts of victory. At this time the Mīrzās appeared. They had, after severe fighting, driven off the flank of the left wing and had pursued it for two kos. This was a great boon. If they had gone against the centre affairs would have been critical. When they had gone far, and their men had dispersed to plunder, they heard of the defeat of Shēr Khān and returned to the battle-field. In fact, if they had followed up those whom they had driven off to Aḥmadābād, they would have been successful. But from their evil fate they proceeded towards the ground of the battle. The Khān A'āim was drawn up in battle-array with many faithful heroes when the army of the Mīrzās approached, and Shāh Budāgh K. said, “Now is the time to attack.” K. A'zim was about to do so, when Yār M. seized his rein, saying, “Many officers are standing still. How can you attack?” When the Mīrzās came nearer they saw the real greatness of the imperial army, which was adorned by a spiritual force, and did not think it fit to engage, and as their evil fate was written on their foreheads they turned their rein and took to flight. By the Divine favour a difficult task became easy. If the heroes had pursued them, hardly any of them would have escaped. Apparently those who made a practice of caution did not think it proper to put the matter to the test, or else they listened to the opportunists and the evil-intentioned. In fine, most of the officers in seeing this mysterious favour bound fresh threads of devotion round their necks and increased in single-mindedness.