No sooner had Amíru-l umará Khán-daurán heard that Burhánu-l Mulk had gone, than he also, without making any due preparation, went to the field with a force which amounted, according to some, to seven thousand, and according to others, to twenty thousand horse. Burhánu-l Mulk, a short time after the armies had engaged, was taken prisoner and carried before Nádir Sháh. That nobleman, renouncing his dependence upon the will of God, and acting according to the dictates of his own choice, precipitated matters; but Providence discomfited all his plans. After the capture of Burhánu-l Mulk, the army of Nádir Sháh surrounded Amíru-l umará on all sides, and began to shoot their arrows and fire their guns, and the battle raged till the close of the day. The Indian warriors, saiyids, shaikhs, Afgháns, and Rájpúts, so fought with their cruel swords that, had Rustam and Afrásiyáb lived to this time, their livers would have become water at the sight of this dreadful battle. The Íránís, dreading the swords of these brave men, left the field, and, firing their guns from a distance and from different quarters, made heaps of the corpses of Indians, who preferred death to flight.

At last the great luminary of the world set in the west, and with the approach of night darkness spread over the earth; yet up to this time no army came to reinforce Amíru-l umará, all through the connivance of Nizámu-l Mulk, who, with the utmost animosity towards the followers of Islám, always held out encouragement to infidels and tyrants. It is said that five thousand men on the side of Amíru-l umará met with the honour of martyrdom, among whom were Muzaffar Khán, his brother, Mír Kallú, 'Alí Hámid Khán, Yádgár Khán, Lodí Khán, and other nobles. In the evening Amíru-l umará, with a few of his men, returned from the field to his tent, wounded and sorrowful. The next day he set in array a new army, with the intention of hazarding another battle, and defeating Nádir Sháh, who had trembled at the courage displayed. But the Amír fell, and drank the cup of martyrdom.

It is said that when Burhánu-l Mulk fell into the hands of Nádir Sháh, the Sháh inquired from him all the particulars of this Government. He was informed in reply that Khán-daurán, who had fought with him that day, was only one of the servants of the Emperor of Hindústán, and that, like him, there were many other nobles and Rájas, possessed of great power and much courage, in his camp as well as in all parts of the kingdom, and that any one of them was well able to cope with him. He recommended him, therefore, to receive something on account of his travelling expenses, and return to his own country. Nádir Sháh was confounded to hear this, and peace was determined on.

Muhammad Sháh, by the advice of Nizámu-l Mulk, rode to the tent of Nádir Sháh, whose son came to receive him. The Prince, according to his father's orders, sat below the throne, like an attendant. After the interview, Muhammad Sháh dined and returned to his tent.

On the same day Nizámu-l Mulk, with his usual impudence, put on the official dress of the Amíru-l umará, which had been promised to Burhánu-l Mulk, who, on being informed of this, under the impulse of ambition, represented to Nádir Sháh, that Amíru-l umará Khán-daurán deceased was the only person of importance in the government, and that now there was no man in the kingdom equal to him in power or dignity; that Nádir Sháh should contrive to take Muhammad Sháh prisoner, and make himself master of the country. Having no regard for gratitude, deluded by the base avarice of this world, and having no shame even for contradicting his own words, he occasioned the general slaughter and great contentions and disasters which ensued. Nádir Sháh, having called Nizámu-l Mulk, placed him in custody, and constrained him to send for the Emperor. That wanderer in the forest of envy and malice, without considering what might be the result, wrote a letter under his own hand to the effect that he had settled the terms of peace, and the con­firmation of it depended upon his coming. The heedless Emperor, being deceived by that artful person, rode to the tent of Nádir Sháh, who ordered the few persons who had gone with the Emperor to be turned out, and the Emperor, with Nizámu-l Mulk, Amír Khán, Is'hák Khán, Jáwed Khán, Bihroz Khán, and Jawáhir Khán, to be placed in confinement. Some of his myrmidons were sent to I'timádu-d daula Kamru-d dín Khán, and forcibly brought him out of his tent into Nádir Sháh's camp. At the same time, officers of the Sháh were placed as guards on all the offices and establishments of Muhammad Sháh. It is said that Fath 'Alí Khán, son of Sábit Khán, and 'Alí Amjid Khán, escaped, and went in safety to their houses. Khán-i zamán Khán, also, escaped after changing his clothes.

The next day, according to Nádir Sháh's orders, Burhánu-l Mulk* and 'Azímu-llah Khán went to Sháh-Jahánábád, for the purpose of establishing his rule. Though all these ungrateful persons, through their ambition, had adhered much to the interests of Nádir Sháh, yet, as Providence had destined that the sovereignty of the House of Tímúr should be preserved, and Muhammad Sháh's reign prolonged, they in the end gained nothing but shame and disgrace.

Afterwards, Nádir Sháh himself, with the Emperor of Hin­dústán, entered the fort of Dehlí. It is said that he appointed a place on one side in the fort for the residence of Muhammad Sháh and his dependents, and on the other side he chose the Díwan-i Khás, or, as some say, the Garden of Hayát Bakhsh, for his own accommodation. He sent to the Emperor of Hindústán, as to a prisoner, some food and wine from his own table. One Friday his own name was read in the khutba, but on the next he ordered Muhammad Sháh's name to be read. It is related that one day a rumour spread in the city that Nádir Sháh had been slain in the fort. This produced a general confusion, and the people of the city destroyed five thousand* men of his camp. On hearing of this, Nádir Sháh came of the fort, sat in the golden masjid which was built by Roshanu-d daula, and gave orders for a general massacre. For nine hours an indiscriminate slaughter of all and of every degree was committed. It is said that the number of those who were slain amounted to one hundred thousand.* The losses and calamities of the people of Dehlí were exceedingly great.^{* *}

After this violence and cruelty, Nádir Sháh collected immense riches,* which he began to send to his country laden on elephants and camels. Muhammad Sháh witnessed with the utmost emotion and indignation these outrages of Nádir Sháh, which were oc­casioned by the rivalry of the disaffected nobles. It is narrated, that one day Nádir Sháh, in his public court, spoke some harsh and abusive words to Nizámu-l Mulk and Burhánu-l Mulk, and threatened them with punishment. When they left the court, Nizámu-l Mulk, with all the lying and fraud to which he was naturally habituated, spoke to Burhánu-l Mulk some very soft and heart-rending words, and told him that it would now be difficult to escape the hands of that tyrant; he advised that they both should at the same moment go home, and, taking a cup of deadly poison, pursue the path to death, and sacrifice their lives to their honour. After this, that chief of deceivers went to his house, and, having expressed his will to his relations, and drunk a cup of water mixed with sugar, covered himself with a sheet and went to sleep. Burhánu-l Mulk, who was a true soldier, and was not aware of his perfidy, as soon as he heard this, drank a cup of poison, and went to the next world.

The Sháh of Írán, after having brought so many disasters and calamities upon Hindústán, presented to the Emperor of that country seven horses of 'Irák, several trays of jewels and cloths, instilled into him some precepts useful to Emperors, granted khil'ats to the ministers of the throne, and, having left Dehlí on the 7th of Safar, returned to his own country. He proceeded through the territory of Sind, and having taken a large con­tribution from its chief, who was of the tribe of Bhattí, went to Kandahár. It is said that after the departure of Nádir Sháh, the chiefs and Rájas of all parts of Hindústán sent large sums of money to Muhammad Sháh, together with horses, elephants and other property of various kinds.