Furokhzad is succeeded by his brother Ibraheem — confirms to the Suljooks all the territory in their possession which they had from time to time wrested from the house of Ghizny. — The Prince Musaood, the King's son, is married to the daughter of Mullik Shah Suljooky. — Ibraheem invades India — takes Ajoodhun, Roodpal, and Dera. — His death and character.

FUROKHZAD was succeeded by his brother Ibraheem. He was remarkable for morality and devotion, having in his youth subdued his sensual appetites. He caused the fast of Rumzan to be continued during the months of Rujub and Shaban, and kept the entire three months holy with strict punctuality. This observance of religious forms did not prevent his paying due attention to his government and to the administration of justice, as well as giving large sums in charity to the poor. It is related in the Jama-ool-Hikayat that he was in the habit of hearing lectures on religion and morality from Imam Yoosoof Shujawundy, who on such occasions used to take the liberty of reproving his master, but never received any check from his sovereign on that account. This Prince excelled in the art of fine writing; and in the libraries of Mecca and Medina there are two copies of the Koran, written in his own hand, sent as presents to the Caliph. In the first year of his reign he concluded a treaty of peace with the Suljooks, ceding to them all the countries they had con­quered, on condition that they would make no further encroachments on his dominions. At the same time, his son Musaood espoused the daughter of Mullik Shah Suljooky, and a channel of friend­ship and intercourse was opened between the two nations.

We are told that before this peace was concluded, Mullik Shah Suljooky had evinced an intention to invade Ghizny, which greatly intimidated Ibra-heem, who being then in no condition to oppose him, adopted the following scheme. He wrote letters to the principal chiefs of Mullik Shah's army, and despatched them by a messenger who was particularly instructed how to proceed. The purport of these letters was to importune the chiefs to whom they were directed to hasten the King's march to Ghizny, lest their plans should be pre­maturely discovered, and that they might depend upon his fulfilling his engagements to their satis­faction.

The messenger took an opportunity one day, when Mullik Shah was hunting on the road to Ghizny, to come running towards him, but on dis­covering the King stole slowly away, which creat­ing suspicion, he was pursued by some horsemen, and brought back. On being searched, the packet was found on him, though he had previously suf­fered himself to be severely bastinadoed, without confessing that he had any papers. The King read the letters, but the power of the supposed conspirators was such, that he felt there was great danger in accusing them. The circumstance, how­ever, had the effect of exciting such suspicion in his mind that he, from that time, was desirous of peace, and abandoned his expedition. Ibraheem, thus freed from apprehensions of the Suljooks, sent an army to India, and conquered many places in that country, which before had not been visited by the Mussulman arms.

A. H. 472.
A. D. 1079. In the year 472, he marched in per­son to that quarter, extending his conquests to the fort of Ajoodhun, called now Puttun of Sheikh Fureed Shukr Gunj. This place being taken, he returned to another fort, called Roodpal, * situated on the summit of a steep hill. A river embraced it on three sides, and a small peninsula connected it with other hills, entirely covered with an impervious wood, and much infested by venomous serpents. These circumstances did not discourage the King from his attempt, who ordered some thousand pioneers to clear the wood, which they effected in spite of opposition. The rock on which the fort stood being soft, the miners carried their galleries in the course of time under the walls, which were brought down in ruins, and the garrison surrendered. The King marched from thence to another town in the neighbourhood, called Dera†, * the inhabitants of which came originally from Khorassan; and were banished thither with their families by Afrasiab, for frequent rebellions. Here they had formed them­selves into a small independent state; and being cut off from intercourse with their neighbours, by a belt of mountains nearly impassable, had preserved their ancient customs and rites, by not intermarrying with any other people. The King, having with infinite labour cleared a road for his army over the mountains, advanced towards Dera, which was well fortified. This place was remarkable for a fine lake of water about one para­sang and a half in circumference; the waters of which did not apparently diminish, either from the heat of the weather, or from being used by the army. At this place the King was overtaken by the rainy season; and his army, though greatly distressed, was compelled to remain before it for three months. But as soon as the rains abated, he summoned the town to surrender and acknow­ledge the faith.

Sooltan Ibraheem's proposal being rejected, he renewed the siege, which continued some weeks, with great slaughter on both sides. The town, at length, was taken by assault, and the Maho-medans found in it much wealth, and 100,000 persons, whom they carried in bonds to Ghizny. Some time after, the King accidentally saw one of those unhappy men carrying a heavy stone with great difficulty and labour, to a palace which he was then building. This exciting his pity, he com­manded the prisoner to throw it down and leave it there, at the same giving him his liberty. This stone happened to be on the public road, and proved troublesome to passengers, but as the King's rigid enforcement of his commands was universally known, no one attempted to touch it. A courtier one day having stumbled with his horse over this stone, took occasion to mention it to the King, insinuating, that he thought it would be advisable to have it removed. To which the King replied, “I commanded it to be thrown down and left “there; and there it must remain as a monument “of the calamities of war, and to commemorate “my sense of its evils. It is better for a king “to be pertinacious in the support even of an “inadvertent command, than that he should depart “from his royal word.” The stone accordingly remained where it was; and was shown as a curi­osity in the reign of Sooltan Beiram several years afterwards.

Ibraheem had 36 sons and 40 daughters by a variety of women: the latter of whom he gave in marriage to learned and religious men. The death of this monarch, according to some authors, took place in the year 481, which would limit his reign to 31 years; others fix it in the year 492,

A. H. 492.
A. D. 1098.

which extends it to 42 years. In the early part of his reign the vizarut was conferred successively on Aboo Soheil Khoojundy, and Khwaja Musaood Ruzehy; and in the latter part of his reign it was exercised by Abdool Humeed Ahmud, Bin Abdool Sumud, who became the subject of a poem from the pen of Abool Furreh, who flourished in his time. This famous author was a native of Seestan, ac­cording to some, but according to others, of Ghizny.