When Subuktigín, in the month of Sha‘ban 387 H., while on the road to Ghaznín, receiving the summons of the Almighty responded “Here am I,” he appointed his young son Isma‘íl as his successor.* When this news reached Maḥmúd who was the elder son of Subuktigín, he wrote a letter of condolence to his brother and sought a peaceful solution of the difficulty on the following terms: That Isma‘íl should give up Ghaznín to Maḥmúd, receiving in its stead the governorship of Balkh: Isma‘íl refused these terms, and eventually war was declared between the brothers. Maḥmúd was victorious, and after defeating Isma‘íl, ^10. kept him closely besieged in Ghaznín for a space of six months, at the expiration of which time certain of their friends interven­ed and made peace between them. Isma‘íl then came and had an interview with Maḥmúd, and the sovereignty devolved upon Yamínu-d-Daulat Maḥmúd. After this a quarrel arose between Maḥmúd and Manṣúr ibn-Núḥ Sámání and also his brother ‘Abdu-l-Malik ibn-Núḥ.* Eventually Maḥmúd got the upper hand. The Amírs of ‘Abdu-l-Malik also, Fáiq and Baktúzún, who engaged in contest with Maḥmúd, were defeated by him, and the sovereignty of the whole of Khurásán, of Ghaznín, and the frontiers of Hindustán came into the hands of Maḥmúd.

Maḥmúd's mother was the daughter of the ruler of Zábul*

[that is to say Qandahár*] accordingly, he is called Maḥmúd Zábulí—as Firdausí* says:

The auspicious court of Maḥmúd Zábulí is an ocean,
An ocean such that no shore can be found for it:
I went to the ocean—I dived but found no pearl
The fault is my fortune's—not that of the ocean.

In the early part of his reign he had some unpleasant cor­respondence with the Khalífah of Baghdád Al-Qádir billáhi ‘Abbási.* Eventually the Khalif despatched a magnificent robe of honour, and many presents of precious things and gems, and con­ferred on him the title of Amíru-l-Míllat Yamínu-d-Daulat.

Leaving Ghaznín he went to Balkh and Herát, and in 387 A.H., (997 A.D.) he returned to Ghaznín after having settled those pro­vinces, and thence made repeated incursions and forays into Hindustán, and took several fortresses. ‘Asjadí* composed the following qaṣída in honour of this expedition:

When the king of kings marched to Somnát*
He made his own deeds the standard of miracles.

In the month of Shawwál, 391 A. H., (1000 A.D.) Maḥmúd re- ^11. turned to Hindustán from Ghaznín with ten thousand cavalry, and reduced Pesháwar. He also again drew up his forces on these frontiers for battle with Jaipál who confronted him with large forces of cavalry and infantry and three hundred elephants. Sulán Maḥmúd gained the day and Jaipál was taken prisoner together with fifteen of his relatives, his brothers and his sons; and five thousand infidels fell by the sword. Great spoils fell into the hands of the Gházis, among them a pearl necklet which was on the neck of Jaípál, which was worth some hundred and eighty thousand dínárs,* and the necklets of the others too, on the same scale. This victory was won on Saturday,* the 8th of Muḥarram, 392 H., (1001 A.D.) Leaving this place Maḥmúd proceeded to the fortress of Tabarhindah* which was the residence* of Jaipál, and conquered that country.

After this in the month of Muḥarram 393 A.H. he left Ghaznín and proceeded to Hindustán by way of Seistán and assaulted Bhátia* which is in the vicinity of Multán. The Rájá of that place, Bejí Ráí, fearing the punishment of the Sulán killed him­self with a dagger, and they brought his head to the Sulán. Many Hindús, more than one can number, were hurried along the road to non-existence by the pitiless sword, and Maḥmúd took as spoil two hundred and seventy elephants while Dá‘úd ibn-Naṣr* the renegade ruler of Multán, being reduced to submission by the Sulán, agreed to pay twenty times twenty thousand dirhams* annual tribute.

As he was advancing to Multán, Anandpál, son of Jaipál, rose up against him to oppose the advance of the Sulán, but fled after the battle to the mountains of Kashmír, and the Sulán reached ^12. Multán by way of Hindustán.* Those events occurred in 396 A.H. (1005 A.D.) In the following year 397 A.H. (1006 A.D.) a battle was fought at Balkh between Maḥmúd and Ilak Khán* king of Máwará an-Nahr.* Sulán Maḥmúd was victorious; Ilak Khán finally died in the year 403 H. (1012 A.D.)

In the year 398 H. (1007 A.D.) Maḥmúd entered Turkistán, and having settled the affairs of the Turkís, pursued Súkhpál* Nabsa, Rájá of Sind (who having embraced Islám had been re­leased from his captivity to Abú ‘Alí Sinjúrí but had again joined the idolators and apostates) overcame him and threw him into prison where he died.

In the year 399 A.H. (1008 A.D.) Maḥmúd a second time entered Hindustán and engaging in battle with the aforesaid Anand Pál defeated him, and betaking himself with his vast spoil to the fortress of Bhímnagar* —which nowadays is known as the Thána of Bhím—reduced it by promising quarter to the garrison, and gained possession of the treasure and valuables which had been buried and stored there since the time of Bhím, and in the early part of the year 400 H. he caused several golden and silver thrones to be placed in his court, and ordered that all that boundless and incomputable wealth should be scattered at the foot of his own throne that the people might gaze on it. In the year 401 H. (1010 A.D.) he left Ghaznín and again marched towards Multán, and took possession of the remninder of the country and put to death the greater part of the Karma-tians * and heretics of that region, and sent the remainder whom he did not put to death to the fort,* where they died. He took Dáúd ibn Nasr, the heretic ruler of Multán, to Ghaznín and kept him a prisoner in the fortress of Ghorí,* where he died.

In the year 402 H. (1011 A.D.), he set out for Thánesar* and ^13. Jaipál, the son of the former Jaipál, offered him a present of fifty elephants and much treasure. The Sulán, however, was not to be deterred from his purpose; so refused to accept his present, and seeing Thánesar empty he sacked it and destroyed its idol temples, and took away to Ghaznín, the idol known as Chakar-súm, * on account of which the Hindús had been ruined; and having placed it in his court, caused it to be trampled under foot by the people. In the year 403 H. (1012 A.D.), he conquered Ghurjistán,* and in the selfsame year an ambassador arrived from the ruler of Egypt, and when the Sulán heard that he was of the Bátiní sect,* he exposed him to public ridicule* and expelled him.

In the year 404 H. (1013 A.D.), he prepared an expeditionary force to attack Nandana,* a city situated on the mountains of Bálnáth. Jaipál II* left a force to defend that fortress, and him­self proceeded to the Kashmír pass. The Sulán gained possession of that fortress with promise of quarter, and left Sárégh Kotwál to defend it, while he pursued Jaipál. He took the vast spoils of that mountainous region and put many infidels to death by the sword of holy war, and honoured the rest by admitting them to Islám—a certain number he led captive to Ghaznín.