And when in consequence of his harsh proceedings miseries and misfortunes broke in upon the Ulamá, (who had persecuted him and his father), he applied the following Rubá'í to them:—

	“I have set fire to my barn with my own hands,
(P. 200)	As I am the incendiary, how can I complain of my enemy! No one is my enemy but myself, Woe is me! I have torn my garment with my own hands.”

And when during disputations people quoted against him the edict of any Mujtahid,* he used to say: “O don't bring me the arguments of this sweetmeat-seller, or that cobbler, or that tanner!” He thought himself capable of giving the lie to all Shaikhs and Ulamá.

In the year nine hundred and eighty-three (983) the buildings of the 'Ibadát-khánah were completed. The cause was this. For many years previously the Emperor had gained in succession re­markable and decisive victories. The empire had grown in extent from day to day; everything turned out well, and no opponent was left in the whole world. His Majesty had thus leisure to come into nearer contact with ascetics and the disciples of his reverence [the late] Mu'ín,* and passed much of his time in discussing the Word of God* and the word of the Prophet.* Questions of Çúfí-ism, scienti­fic discussions, enquiries into Philosophy and Law, were the order of the day. His Majesty spent whole nights in praising God; he conti­nually occupied himself in pronouncing Yá huwa,* and Yá hádí,* in which he was well-versed. His heart was full of reverence for Him, who is the true Giver, and from a feeling of thankfulness for his past successes he would sit many a morning alone in prayer and meditation on a large flat stone of an old building which lay near the palace in a lonely spot, with his head bent over his chest, gather­ing the bliss of the early hours of dawn. When then he heard that Sulaimán Kararání, governor of Bengál, used every night to offer up the prayers in the company of some 150 persons consisting of re­nowned Shaikhs and Ulamá, and used to remain in their society till morning listening to commentaries and exhortations (P. 201), and then, after offering up the morning prayers, would occupy himself in State-business, and the affairs of the army, and of his subjects; and that he had his appointed time for everything and never broke through his good rule; and when also news arrived from Badakh-shán of the coming of Mírzá Sulaimán, who was a prince of Çúfí tendencies, and had become a Çáḥib-i-ḥál,* and a Muríd: for these urgent reasons he had the very cell of Shaikh 'Abd-ulláh Niyází Sarhindhí (who had formerly been a disciple of Shaikh Islám Chishtí, but had afterwards joined the circle of Mahdeva)* repaired, and built a spacious hall on all four sides of it. He also finished the construction of the tank called Anúptaláo.* He named that cell the 'Ibádat-khánah, which became by degrees 'Iyádat-khánah,* and Mullá Sherí composed a qaçídah on the subject, of which the follow­ing is a verse:—

“In these days I have seen, united with the wealth of Qárún,
The ritual of Pharún, and the buildings of Shaddád.”

On Fridays after prayers he would go from the new chapel of the Shaikh-ul-Islám, and hold a meeting in this building. Shaikhs, Ulamá, and pious men, and a few of his own companions and atten­dants were the only people who were invited. Discussions were car­ried on upon all kinds of instructive and useful topics. One day Jalál Khán Qúrchi, who was my patron, and the means of intro­ducing me to Court,* in the course of conversation and disputation made the following statement to the Emperor: “When I went to Ágrah to see Shaikh Ziyá-ullah, son of Shaikh Muḥammad Ghous, I found that poverty had taken such a hold on his household, that one day at a meeting he asked for some sers of pulse. Part of it he used for his own food, part he gave to me, and (P. 202) the other part he sent to his household.” The Emperor was much impressed on hearing this, and sent for Shaikh Ziyá-ulláh with a view to show­ing him kindness. He assembled a party in his honour at the 'Ibádat-khánah, and every Thursday evening he invited Sayyids, Shaikhs, Ulamá, and Amírs. But ill-feeling arose in the company about the seats and order of precedence, so His Majesty ordered that the Amírs should sit on the east side, the Sayyids on the west, the Ulamá on the south, and the Shaikhs on the north. His Ma­jesty would go from time to time to these various parties, and con­verse with them, and ascertain their thoughts. Quantities of per­fume were used, and large sums of money were distributed as re­wards of merit and ability among the worthy people who obtained an entry through the favour of the Emperor's courtiers. Many fine books which had belonged to 'Itimád Khán Gujrátí, and had been acquired in the conquest of Gujrát, were placed in the imperial library, but were subsequently brought out, and distributed by the Emperor among learned and pious men. Among the rest he gave me a book called Anwár-ul-mashkút, in amplification of one section of the Mashkút-ul-anwár; and, which was a very good thing, he gave to the Amírs by way of pay some things which they called Irmás,* i. e. “destruction of enemies.” All at once one night the vein of the neck of the Ulamá of the age swelled up, and a horrid noise and confusion ensued. His Majesty got very angry at their rude be­haviour, and said to me, “In future report any of the Ulamá who talk nonsense and cannot behave themselves, and I shall make him leave the hall.” I said gently to Áçaf Khán, “If I carried out this order, most of the Ulamá would have to leave,” when His Ma­jesty suddenly asked what I had said. On hearing my answer he was highly pleased, and mentioned my remark to those sitting near him. He used to summon Makhdúm-ul-Mulk Mouláná 'Abd ulláh Sulṭánpúrí (P. 203) to that assembly, in order to annoy him; and would set up to argue against him Ḥájí Ibráhím, and Shaikh Abu-l-Fazl, then a new arrival, but now the prime leader of the New Re­ligion and Faith, or rather the infallible guide and expositor de omni­bus rebus, et quibusdam aliis. His Majesty used to interrupt the Mouláná at every statement, and at a hint from him his companions also would interfere with interjections and observations, and would tell queer stories about the Mouláná, and exemplified in his person the verse* of the Qur'án, “And some of you shall have life prolonged to a miserable age.” Among other stories Khán Jalán said that he had heard that Makhdum-ul-Mulk had given a fatwá, that the ordinance of pilgrimage was no longer binding, but even hurtful. When people had asked him the reason of his extraordinary fatwá, he had said that the two roads to Makkah, through Persia and over Gujrát, were impracticable, because people in going by land* had to suffer injuries at the hands of the Qizilbáshís,* and in going by sea they had to put up with indignities from the Portuguese, whose pass­ports had pictures of Mary and Jesus (peace be upon Him!) stamped on them. To make use, therefore, of the latter alternative would mean to countenance idolatry; hence both roads were closed. Another device of Makhdúm-ul-Mulk's was the trick by which he avoided payment of the legal alms due upon his wealth. Towards the end of each year he used to make over all his property to his wife, but before the year had run out he took it back again.* It is said that he practised some other tricks of which even the Israelites would have been ashamed. Stories were told one after another about his meanness and shabbiness, and baseness and worldliness, and op­pression, all which vices were exhibited towards holy and deserving men, especially those of the Panjáb, and which one by one came to light, verifying the saying: “There is a day when secrets shall be disclosed.”* They told also other stories founded upon his villany, sordid disposition, and contemptible conduct, and they ended by de­ciding that he ought to be shipped off nolens volens (P. 204) to Makkah. When he was asked if he thought that pilgrimage was a duty for a man in his circumstances he said “No!”* At this time Shaikh 'Abd-un-Nabí was rising into power, while the star of the Mouláná was fast sinking. The Emperor on account of his great reverence and respect for the Shaikh used to go from time to time to his house to hear lectures on the Traditions* of the Prophet, and made the eldest Prince attend his school to learn the [collection of] 40 aḥádís by the renowned master Mauláná 'Abd-ur-Raḥmán Jámí (God sanctify his glorious tomb!). And one of his follies was this, that although he boasted of being learned in Tradition, and claimed to be a Ḥáfiz, and an Imám in this glorious science, yet he taught the Tradition “The prudent course (ḥazam) is to hold an evil opinion of others,” with a dotted khé, and an undotted ré (kharam), when every child knows that it is spelt with an undotted ḥé, and a dotted z (ḥazam). Years passed in this way until, when the Emperor's heart became alienated from him, and troops of Mullás were being turned away, Mírzá 'Azíz Kokah* reminded him of this fact: “His proficiency in the science of ḥadís, of which he boasted, reached such a pitch, and the result was that you raised him to such a rank, and now at this juncture counterfeit morals, as well as counterfeit principles have shown themselves in him. God preserve us from want after plenty!”