He belongs to the Shaikhzádahs of Lak'hnau, and was in the 40th year a commander of 700. He was a great friend of Jamál Bakhtyár (No. 113), from whom he learned wine-drinking. In fact he drank so hard, that he got frequently insane. In the 30th year, when Akbar was in the Panjáb, 'Abdurrahím wounded himself in a fit whilst at Siálkoṭ in Hakím Abulfath's dwelling. Akbar looked after the wound himself.
His wife was a Bráhman woman of the name of Kishná. After the death of her husband, she spent his money in laying out gardens and villas. In one of them her husband was buried, and she entertained every one who passed by the tomb, from a panjhazárí to a common soldier, according to his position in life.
'Abdurrahím was mentioned above on p. 338.
198. Medni´ Rai´ Chauha´n.
From the Akbarnámah we see that he served, in the 28th and 32nd years, in Gujrát. Nizámuddín Ahmad, who was with him in Gujrát, says in the Ṭabaqát,— ‘Mední Rái is distinguished for his bravery and liberality, and is now (i. e., in 1001) a commander of 1000.’
199. Mi´r Abul Qa´sim Namaki´n, [Qásim Khán].
The MSS. have almost invariably Tamkín (<Arabic>), instead of Namakín. He is not to be confounded with Nos. 240 and 250.
Mír Abul Qásim was a Sayyid of Harát. He was at first in the service of Mírzá Muhammad Hakím, Akbar's brother and king of Kábul. But he left Kábul, and on entering Akbar's service, he received Bhírah and Khusháb in the Panjáb as jágír. As his lands lay within the Namaksár,* or salt range, he once presented Akbar, evidently in allusion to his faithful intentions (namak-halálí,) with a plate and a cup made of salt (namakín), from which circumstance he received the nickname of Namakín.
Abul Qásim served in the war with Dáúd of Bengal. In the 26th year, he was in Kábul, and accompanied, in the 30th year, Ismá'íl Qulí Khán (No. 46) on his expedition against the Balúchís. In the 32nd year, the Afghán chiefs of Sawád and Bajor, and Teráh, waited with their families on Akbar, who made Abul Qásim Krorí and Faujdár of those districts, and ordered him to take the families of the chiefs back to Afghánistán. The chiefs themselves were retained at Court. Renewed fights, in the 33rd year, gave him frequent occasions of distinguishing himself.
Up to the 40th year, he rose to a command of 700. In the 43rd year, he was appointed to Bhakkar. He built the great mosque in Sukkhar, opposite to Bhakkar. The inhabitants accused him of oppressions, and he was deposed. A party of the oppressed arrived with him at Court, and lodged a new complaint against him with 'Abdul Hai (No. 230), the Qází of the imperial camp (urdú). But Abul Qásim, though summoned, did not appear before the judge, and when the matter was reported to Akbar, he was sentenced to be tied to the foot of an elephant, and paraded through the bazars. To avoid the disgrace, he came to an immediate settlement with the complainants, chiefly through the mediation of Shaikh Ma'rúf, Çadr of Bhakkar, and prevailed on them to return the very day to their homes. The next day he went to the emperor, and complained of the Qází, stating that there were no complainants, and 'Abdul Hai tried in vain to produce the oppressed parties. This case led to the order that Qázís should in future prepare descriptive rolls of complainants, and present them to the emperor.
Abul Qásim was, soon after, made a Khán, got a higher mançab, and received Gujrát in the Panjáb as tuyúl. In the first year of Jahángír's reign, he was made a commander of 1500. The part which he played in the capture of Prince Khusrau has been mentioned above (p. 414, note 2, where Tamkín is to be altered to Namakín). For his services he was again appointed to Bhakkar with the rank of a commander of 3000. He now resolved to make Bhakkar his home. Most of his illustrious descendants were born there. On a hill near the town southwards towards Loharí, near the branch of the river called Kahármátrí, (<Arabic>), he built a mausoleum, to which he gave the name of Çuffah i Çafá (the dais of purity). He and several of his descendants were buried in it.
He is said to have been a most voracious man. He could eat—historians do not specify the time—1000 mangoes, 1000 sweet apples, and 2 melons, each weighing a man. The Maásir says, he had 22 sons, and the Tuzuk (p. 13) says, he had 30 sons and more than 15 daughters.
The following tree is compiled from several notes in the Maásir:—
| Mír Abul Qásim Namakín (settled at Bhakkar in 1015). | |||
| 1. Mír Abul Baqá Amír Khán. (died 1057 A. H.) | 2. Mírzá Kashmírí. | 3. M Husámuddín. | 4. M. Záidullah. |
| 1. M. 'Abdurrazzáq. | 2. Ziáuddín Yúsuf Khán. | 3. Mír 'Abdulkarím Sindhí Amír Khán. (under Aurangzíb to Farrukh Siyar) | A daughter, married in 1066 to Prince Murád Bakhsh. |
| A son. | |||
| M. Abul Wafá. (end of Aurangzíb's reign) | Abul Khair Khán. (under Farrukh Siyar) | ||
Mír Abul Baqá Amír Khán rose under Jahángír to a command of 2500, 1500 horse. Through the influence of Yamínuddaulah he was made governor of Multán, and in the 2nd year of Sháhjahán, he was made a commander of 3000, 2000 horse, and appointed to T'hat'hah, vice Murtazá i Injú deceased (p. 451). In the 9th year, he was made Tuyúldár of Bír in the Dak'hin, and was sent, in the 14th year, to Síwistán vice Qaráq Khán. In the following year, he was again appointed to T'hat'hah, where in 1057 (20th year) he died. He was buried in the mausoleum built by his father. Under Jahángír he was generally called Mír Khán. Sháhjahán gave him the title of Amír Khán.
One of his daughters was married in 1066, after his death, to Prince Murád Bakhsh, who had no children by his first wife, a daughter of Shahnawáz Khán i Çafawí.* Amír Khán had a large family. His eldest son, Mír 'Abdurrazzáq, was a commander of 900, and died in the 26th year of Sháhjahán's reign. His second son, Ziáuddín Yúsuf, was made a Khán, and held under Sháhjahán a mançab of 1000, 600 horse. Ziá's grandson, Abul Wafá was in the end of Aurangzíb's reign in charge of his majesty's prayer room (dároghah i já-namáz). Amír Khán's youngest son, Mír 'Abdulkarím, was a personal friend of Aurangzíb. He received in succession the titles of Multafit Khán, Khánahzád Khán (45th year of Aurangzíb), Mír Khánahzád Khán, and Amír Khán (48th year,) and held a command of 3000. After Aurangzíb's death, he was with Muhammad A'zam Sháh; but as he had no contingent, he was left with the baggage (bungáh) at Gwáliár. After the death of Muhammad A'zam in the battle of Sarái Jájú,* Bahádur Sháh made him a commander of 3500. He was generally at Court, and continued so under Farrukh Siyar. After Farrukh's death, the Bárha brothers made Amír Khán çadr of the empire. He died shortly after. His son, Abulkhair, was made a Khán by Farrukh Siyar; the other sons held no mançabs, but lived on their zamíndárís.