In the year of the Hijra 830, he again carried an army against Ídur; when the Rájá of that place fled before him. Sultán Ahmad followed him into the mountainous country, where he established the city of Ahmadnagar, situated ten coss from Ídur, and on the banks of the river Channel called Sabarmatí; and, having enclosed it with a strong stone wall, made choice of it for a residence.

In the year Hijra 831, A.D. 1427, when the army were foraging, Púnja, the Rájá of Ídur, left his ambush, and came upon the foragers. The commander of the foraging party took to flight, and his elephant was driven away by Púnja. The multitude, which had been dis­persed, again collected, and went in pursuit of Púnja: when the opposing parties, having come to a place where on one side of the road there was a high mountain, and on the other a deep pit, between which a single horseman could pass with difficulty, the elephant-driver took an opportunity of turning the elephant round to attack Púnja, whilst the army of Islám was in his rear. On this occasion, Púnja's horse having fallen into the pit, Púnja disappeared along with him; and the Sultán's troops recovered the ele­phant. Some days after, a woodcutter, who had cut off the Rájá's head, brought it to the audi­ence tent of the Sultán.

For two succeeding years, the Sultán, being at leisure, did nothing but settle and take care of his country; and, by the advice of his minis­ters and military chiefs, made arrangements for the advantage of his army and government.

The nature of this arrangement was to pay the soldier one half of his subsistence by a grant of land, and the other by money; as he per­ceived that, if the whole was a money payment, it would not be adequate to the expense: whilst the soldier, without his necessary equipments, could have no solicitude about the management of the country. But, if the half was paid by an assignment of land, the soldier would thus obtain grass, wood, and other necessaries from his estate; and, by making improvements, both in cultivation and in building, would take an interest in the management and protection of the province. The other half, or money payment, would then come to him unsought or unlooked for; and the soldier, not burdened by debt, whether for future contingencies or present wants, would hesitate in spending more than his assigned estate, whilst he could not obtain his pay from the royal treasury till every thing necessary for an army had been supplied. This would also keep him from accumulating debts with interest; and would create for him an interest in his own domestics, that he himself might use the revenue of his landed property.

It was also usual to appoint men of power among the royal slaves; associated with whom was an accountant, who was legitimately descended: for, if both were of legitimate descent, they might become friends or connexions, and thus engage in treason; or, were both slaves, the same result was to be dreaded.

The officers of districts were, therefore, appointed in the manner just mentioned; and this practice was maintained to the end of Sultán Muzaffir's reign, who was the son of Mohammed Bígarrah. But, when the army became much increased during the reign of Sultán Bahádur, the ministers, condensing the details of revenue, farmed it on contract; so that many parts, for­merly yielding one rupee, now produced ten; and many others seven, eight, or nine. In no place, almost, was there a less increase than from ten to twenty. After this, many changes were introduced; and, the overseer of the regu­lations having been dismissed from his office, mutiny and confusion were introduced into Gujarát, as will be explained in the proper place.

The Sultán continued to make annual expe­ditions, sometimes to ravage the country about Ídur, and sometimes to chastise Nasír Khán, the ruler of Assír, or Sultán Ahmad Báhmaní. He occasionally sent an army against Mewar; and, as victory always accompanied his standards, the army of Gujarát, which never sustained a defeat in his time, overcame the troops of Mandú, the Dekhan, Assír, and the infidels of Mewar. He died at Ahmadábád, in the 845th year of the Hijra, A.D. 1441; and was buried there in the tomb standing in the market-place, now called Manik, which is in front of the Jumaa Masjid.

He was born the 19th day of Zú-l-hijjah of the Hijra year 793; and, being twenty years of age when he mounted the throne, whilst his reign lasted thirty-two years, six months, and twenty-two days, must have died at the age of fifty-two. He was a scholar of Kutbu-l-Masháikh Shaikh Rakamu-d-dín, and was second to none in being distinguished for justice, temperance, and liber­ality.

It is related that, when his son-in-law com­mitted an unjust murder, through the pride and arrogance of youth, the Sultán confined him, and sent him to the kází. The latter satisfied the murdered man's heir with a fine of twenty-two gold mohurs, and carried him back to the Sultán, who said, “that, though the murdered man's heir was satisfied, he was not, and could not be so; as such a practice protected the evil-disposed who were wealthy, and, by causing such a one to be enamoured of power, would only make him more hardened in murderous acts. In such a case, retribution for the injury is better than a fine.” He then ordered the murderer should be hanged in front of his own house; and, after allowing his body to remain there a night and a day, issued his commands for burying it. After such an example of punishment, none of the nobles or soldiers, during the Sultán's reign, were ever known to be engaged in any case of murder.

There is a story also told of him, that, one day, while enjoying the prospect from a pleasure-house on the banks of the river Sabarmatí, he perceived the water was disturbed, and that something black was rolling in it below. Orders were given for ascertaining what this might be; when it was discovered that a jar containing a dead body had been set adrift in the river. The Sultán commanded that all the potters of the city should be collected, in order to discover who had made the jar. One of them saying that he had sold it to the mukaddam of a certain town in the environs of Ahmadábád, this person was brought before the Sultán; and it was then clearly ascertained that the Mukaddam, having murdered a merchant, put the body in a jar, and set it adrift in the river. The order was consequently given to put the mur­derer to death. These were the only two mur­ders that happened during this reign.