And when the Emperor had satisfactorily settled the affairs of
that district, he started thence by successive stages by way of Rin-
“The breeze that cheers the heart comes from Fatḥpúr,
For my king returns from a distant journey.”Two or three months later news arrived of the troubles in Gujrát, the origin of which was as follows (P. 249). When Rájah Todar Mall went in the afore-mentioned capacity* to Gujrát, Muzaffar Ḥusain, son of Ibráhím Ḥusain Mírzá, who was daughter's son to Kámrán Mírzá came from the country of the Dak'hin. At the time of the seige of Súrat his mother Gulrukh Bégum had carried him off from there, at the age of fifteen or sixteen years. At the instigations of a scoundrel named Mihr 'Alí, one of the old retainers of Mírzá Ibráhím Ḥusain, he gathered together a number of vagabonds and raised an insurrection in Gujrát. Then Báz Bahádur, son of Sharíf Muḥammad Khán Atgah, and Bábá Bég Díwán of Gujrát, marched against Muzaffar Ḥusain Mírzá, attacked him in the pargana of Patlád, and were defeated. Then the Mírzá went off to Cambay with some 2,000 or 3,000 horse. And Wazír Khán, governor of Gujrát, although he had a force of 3,000 horse, on account of the dissatisfaction among his troops, who were by no means to be relied on, determined to shut himself up in the fort, and wrote a statement of affairs to Rájah Todar Mall, who was at Patan. Then the Rájah marched towards Aḥmadábád, upon which the Mírzá decamped from outside Aḥmadábád* and retired on Dúlaka. Wazír Khán and the Rájah pursued them, and a fierce battle took place in that neighbourhood, and defeat fell on the enemy, who retired to Júnágaṛh. At this juncture the Rájah returned suddenly to Fatḥpúr. Then Muzaffar Ḥusain returned from Júnágaṛh, and beseiged Wazír Khán (who for the aforenamed reason had, rather than risk an engagement, again shut himself up in the fortress) at Aḥmadábád. He placed ladders against the walls of the castle, and endeavoured to take it by assault: in fact he had almost carried the fort, when suddenly a bullet reached the breast of Mihr 'Alí, who was the Mirzá's absolute vicegerent, and the casket of his secrets, and brought him into a casket indeed:—
“Death comes unexpectedly,
And the grave is a casket indeed”.As soon as the Mírzá became aware of this catastrophe he took to flight (P. 250), and went towards Sulṭánpúr and Nadarbár.
The renowned Amírs who, under the leadership of Shihábuddín Aḥmad Khán, had been appointed against Rájah 'Alí Khán, and had driven him into the fortress, and keeping him closely beseiged had ravaged the country, were very near taking the fortress. Meanwhile Quṭb-uddín Muḥammad Khán became anxious, and separating himself from the Amírs went towards Bahroṇch and Barodah, where he held a jágír, and which through the Mírzá* had been thrown into the direst confusion. The financial affairs of Asír and Burhánpúr had become so completely embarrassed, that the Amírs had to content themselves with receiving from Rájah 'Alí Khán so much tribute as he was then in a position to pay, and sent it to Court, and themselves returned to their jágírs
At this time Ḥakím 'Ain-ul-mulk Shírází, who in the year nine hundred and eighty-three had gone on an embassy in company with the wakíl of 'Ádil Khán ruler of the Dak'hin,* returned and presented the elephants and other valuable presents of 'Ádil Khán to the Emperor: and after the superseding of Deb Chand, Rájah of Majholí, in the military command of Báns Barelí, Ḥakím 'Ain-ul-
mulk was appointed to the command in the skirts of the mountain district. From that place he wrote a report consisting of ever so many sections. In one of them he said: “Since I am separated from the Court, and in this desolate wilderness I have not a single individual of my friends for a companion, if a certain Rájah who is well acquainted with the good and evil of this district, and the whole conduct of its affairs should mention my name, and if people should be inclined to restore their confidence to him, and he should have many unrequited services at Court, please send him: it would be a great kindness to him, and a great advantage to your humble servant. But your Majesty's will is law.” Khwájah Sháh Mançúr read over each section, and wrote an answer according to the Emperor's orders, but when he came to this section His Majesty gave him neither ‘Yea’ nor ‘Nay’:—
“Though hair should grow on the palm of the hand,
Yet thy locks cannot come into my hand.(P. 251) Such is my hard fate,
And such is thy hard-heartedness.”And in the month of Rajab* (in the year nine hundred and eighty-
five) which is the time of the festival the saint Khwájah Ajmírí, the Emperor turned his face towards Ajmír. And while he was at Todah, Sháh Abu Turáb one of the great Sayyids of Shíráz and counsellor of the Sultans of Gujrát, and Rájah Todar Mall, who after his victory over Mírzá Muzaffar Ḥusain had set out for the Court, arrived. When not far from Mairt'ha he appointed Sháh Abu Turáb Mír Hájjí over a caravan of pilgrims, and to I'timád Khán Gujrátí he gave a large sum of money, and permission to proceed to the sacred Makkah. And the Emperor issued a general order that any one who wished might go. And when I brought a petition from 'Abd-un-nabí, I also received permission to go. The Emperor asked me: ‘Have you a mother still alive?’ I answered: ‘Yes’. He said: ‘Is there one of your brothers who withdraws from the fulfilment of his obligations?’ I answered: ‘No, I am their only means of support.’ To this he replied: ‘If you were to obtain your mother's permission first, it would be better’. But that happiness I was not fortunate enough to obtain: and now with the teeth of disappointment she gnaws the back of the hand of repentance:— “Thy favour did not do one particular thing,
And the time for the thing passed by.
On one particular day I met not with thee,
And the opportunity passed by.”In the neighbourhood of the town of Ambír, in the district of Múltán, which is an ancient city which had become totally ruined, the Emperor commanded the rebuilding of the city. A lofty castle, and gates and a garden were apportioned out to the Amírs, and they expended the greatest energy in the work of building, so that in eight* days it was finished. And the Emperor made the rayats settle down in that district. He called (P. 252) the place after the name of Ráí Manohar, son of Ráí Lonkaran, governor of Sámbhar, and gave it the name of Manohar-púr. This Manohar, whom they called for some time Mírzá Manohar, grew up and was educated in the service of the eldest prince, and attained to great proficiency. Now he composes poetry and bears the title of Tusaní, and an exceedingly able young man he is. He will be mentioned in the sequel containing Memoirs of the Poets. Thence by way of Nárnúl the Emperor set out for Dihlí: and Shaikh Nizám of Nánúl, one of the greatest Shaikhs of the time, came to meet him. After performing the pilgrimages at Dihlí to the tombs of the great saints of that illustrious locality, the Emperor went on a hunting expedition in the neighbourhood of Pálam.
At the beginning of the last decade of the blessed month of Ramazán in this year, news reached me at Rewárí, that at Basáwar a son had been born to me, a happiness which I had been long anxiously expecting. I presented an offering of ashrafís to the Emperor, and requested him to name the child. After reading the Fátiḥah he enquired the name of my father and of my grandfather. I answered “Mulúk Sháh was my father, and he was the son of Ḥámid”. He said, “This child is called 'Abdul Hádí”—Hádí being a name which at that time was day and night upon his lips. Although Ḥáfiz Muḥammad Amín, the preacher, and one of the seven Imáms* kept urging me with the greatest importunity not to commit this folly, but to assemble some reciters of the Qur'án to my house to recite the whole Qur'án in order to secure a long life to my son, I declined to do so, and at the end of six months my son died. If God will, may he be to me a reward and treasure, an intercessor and one accepted in the Day of Judgment!
From Rewárí I took five months' leave and went to Basáwar, on account of certain important affairs, or rather follies; but I exceeded my term of absence and remained there a whole year. This neglect of duty and the machinations of my enemies caused me to fall from the Emperor's favour, and he took no further notice of me. Even to this day (P. 253) although a period of eighteen years has elapsed since that event, and eighteen thousand worlds* have passed away, I continue still afflicted with this unrequited service, which offers neither chance of confirming myself in his favour, nor opportunity of leaving his service:—
“I have not the fortune to have intercourse with the Beloved,
I have not the fortitude to abstain from Love.
I have not the power to fight against Fate,
I have not the foot to flee from the field.”And while the Emperor was at Hásdí, at the time that he was on his way to the Panjáb, a despatch arrived at Court from Sher Beg Tawáchí, to the effect that Muzaffar Ḥusain Mírzá having fled from Gujrát and gone to the Dak'hin, had been captured by Rájah 'Alí Khán, and was held prisoner by him. So at the beginning of Zí ḥajjah* in the year nine hundred and eighty-five (985) the Emperor despatched a farmán to Rájah 'Alí Khán concerning Maqçúd* Jauharí, which resulted in his sending the Mirzá to the Imperial Court.