All the nobles then agreed upon choosing Fíroz Sháh, but still he would not consent. Writers of credit report that Tátár Khán, who was president of the meeting, then stood up, and taking the arm of Fíroz Sháh, forced him to sit upon the throne. Upon this Sultán Fíroz said to Tátár Khán, “Since you have placed this heavy trouble and grievous labour upon my shoulders, you must be patient for a while till I have performed my de­votions.” He then went through his ablutions, and repeated the regular form of prayer in singleness of heart. Afterwards, bowing his head to the ground, he, with tearful eyes, poured forth his supplications to the Almighty, saying, “O Lord! the stability of states, the peace, regulation, and occupations of governments do not depend upon man. Permanence of dominion depends upon thy behests. Oh God, thou art my refuge and my strength.” After this they placed the crown of empire upon his head, and invested him with the robes of sovereignty. Many persons who were present in this assembly have told the author that Sultán Fíroz Sháh put on the robes of royalty over his garments of mourning, and although the nobles of the late Sultán Muhammad Sháh wished to remove the dress of mourn­ing, he would not allow them, and said: “Although in com­pliance with your counsels I have assumed the robes of sove­reignty, still I cannot throw off my garments of mourning, for Sultán Muhammad was my lord, my teacher, and my guide in all things. It was my earnest desire to make the pilgrimage to the holy temple, but I have yielded to your strenuous opposi­tion; it will be well, therefore, that the robes of royalty should cover the garments of mourning.” He was so attired, when an elephant was brought, which he mounted, and went forth in state. The heralds and attendants shouted in loud acclaim, the drums were beaten in exultation, and universal joy prevailed.

The first public act of Sultán Fíroz Sháh was to invest Shir-ábrú Chashm with the duties of 'Imádu-l Mulk.* The date of his accession to the throne was the 24th Muharram, 752 H. (March 23rd, 1351 A.D.). Fíroz Sháh, the sovereign elect, pro­ceeded on his elephant to the female apartments, and threw him­self at the feet of Khudáwand-záda. She embraced him, and with her own hands placed upon his head a crown, valued at a lac of tankas, which had belonged to Sultán Tughlik Sháh and Sultán Muhammad Sháh. The Sultán Fíroz Sháh then re­turned, and general satisfaction prevailed.

Fourth Mukaddama.—Fíroz Sháh wars with a Mughal force.

The accession of Fíroz Sháh made the people glad, because they were in great alarm about the Mughal hordes. After plundering the baggage train, the Mughals had come within sight of the camp at Dehlí. The kháns and nobles assembled, and the opportunity was deemed favourable for an attack upon the invaders. The Sultán accordingly assembled his forces of horse, foot, and elephants, and attacked the enemy. A fierce battle ensued, and the slaughter was great, but victory inclined to the Sultán, and the Mughals fled, abandoning their camp and baggage. The victory was complete, and all the people of the great bázár (bázár-i buzurg) who had been taken prisoners by the Mughals were set free. This was the first victory of the reign of Sultán Fíroz, and he proceeded to Dehlí amid general rejoicings and acclamations.

Fifth Mukaddama.—On the mistake made by Khwája-i Jahán Ahmad Ayyáz in setting up the son of the late Sultán Mu­hammad Sháh.

When Sultán Muhammad Sháh, in the latter days of his reign, proceeded to Daulatábád (Deogír), he left three persons in (charge of) Dehlí;—Malik Kabír, Katlagh Khán, and Fíroz Sháh, who was then Náíb-i amír hájib (deputy of the lord cham­berlain). The two former died before their master, and the latter was summoned to attend his person in Thatta. Dehlí being thus left vacant, Khwája-i Jahán was sent thither from Thatta as representative of the absent sovereign. With him were several other nobles, Malik Kiwámu-l Mulk the Khán-i Jahán, Malik Hasan, Malik Hisámu-d dín Uzbek, and others. It is commonly reported that when the Khwája-i Jahán heard that Sultán Muhammad Sháh was dead, and that Sultán Fíroz Sháh had been chosen by the nobles and chief men to succeed him, he set up the son of Muhammad Sháh in opposition at Dehlí, and gained the people over to his side. But this commonly received story is not true. The author here gives the true account of this transaction just as he heard it from Kishwar Khán, son of Kishlú Khán Bahrám, one of the servants of the Court.

When Sultán Muhammad Sháh died at Thatta, the chiefs of the Hazára of Khurásán, who had come to assist him, as soon as they heard of his death, plundered the chief bázár, as the author has related in his Manákib-i Sultán Muhammad Sháh. In those days the baggage belonging to the forces, which were at detached stations, was plundered, and the men of these de­tachments all fled to the city. Fíroz Sháh had not yet been placed on the throne. A slave named Malíh Túntún* had been sent from Dehlí by Khwája-i Jahán to Sultán Muhammad, and just at this juncture, when the alarming news was coming in from the army, he started on his return to Dehlí. On his arrival he unfolded to Khwája-i Jahán the intelligence of the death of the Sultán, the attacks of the Mughals upon the army, the plundering of the bázár, and the disaffection and bloodshed among the royal forces. He then proceeded to add that Tátár Khán and the Amír-hájib Fíroz Sháh were missing, and it was not known whether they had been taken prisoners or killed by the Mughals; that many other nobles had been slain; and that such untoward events had happened in the royal army.

When the Khwája-i Jahán heard this news, he mourned for the death of Sultán Muhammad, and also for Fíroz Sháh. There was great affection between the Khwája and Fíroz Sháh, so that they had no reserve with each other, and it reached to such an extent that the Khwája called Fíroz his son. After the duties of mourning were completed, the Khwája, believing the report brought by Malíh to be correct, placed a son of Sultán Mu­hammad Sháh upon the throne, and thus, through adverse fate, committed a blunder. When he heard that the Lord Chamber­lain was alive and well, he perceived his error. But he proceeded to collect an army, and thought his best policy was to be pre­pared, because in affairs of State no one believes acts like his to be be mistakes and errors; and until peace is made between the two parties, neither ought to be free from apprehension of grievous consequences. So the Khwája assembled a strong force in Dehlí, and took men into his service, until his army amounted to about 20,000 horse. He distributed large sums among the people, although the treasury was then at a very low ebb, in consequence of the lavish liberality of Sultán Muhammad Sháh during his reign of twenty-seven years. When the money was exhausted, he gave away the gold and silver utensils, and when these had come to an end, the jewels. This profusion attracted crowds from all directions, but it was a curious fact that while they ac­cepted the Khwája's bounty, their hopes and prayers were in favour of Fíroz Sháh.

When Khwája-i Jahán heard of the succession of Sultán Fíroz Sháh, he lamented the mistake he had made. Conflicting rumours were afloat in the two armies. It was said to be the Khwája's determination that, as soon as the Sultán's army reached Dehlí, he would place all the dependents of the nobles who were in that army on the manjaníks, and shoot them away. Another rumour said that the Khwája had a powerful army and would offer a stout resistance.