Who was his youngest son,* ascended the throne* on the twentieth of Jumādīu-l-Awwal* in the aforesaid year relying upon the allegiance of the Amīrs,* with the title of Sulān Nāṣiru-d-Dīn Maḥmūd, and having bestowed upon Muqarrabu-l-Mulk the title of Muqarrab Khān, he made him his heir apparent,* and confirmed to the Amīrs their appointments* districts and titles; and with a view to restoring order in the important affairs of State, which had suffered in consequence of the dominance of the perverse infidels, he bestowed the title of Sulānu-sh-Sharq* upon Khwāja-i-Jahān, and transferred him from Qanauj to Bihār with full powers and uncontrolled authority, and despatched him thither. He proceeded as far as Jājnagar* and took possession of it, acquiring a large number of elephants and much valuable pro­perty, and from that time the king of Lakhnautī began to send elephants annually as presents to Dihlī.

He also rebuilt* the greater number of the forts which the infidels had destroyed, in the districts of Karra, Oudh, Sandīla, Malūta,* Bahraich and Tirhut, and despatched Sārang Khān to the district of Dībālpūr to quell the rising of Shaikhā Khūkhar. And in the month of Zū Qa‘dah of the same year Shaikhā Khūk­har * fought a sharp engagement with Sārang Khān, at a place called Sāmothala* which is twelve krohs from Lahore, but was defeated and retired to the hill country of Jamūn; Sārang Khān thereupon left Lahore in charge of his brother ‘Ādil Khān,* and returned towards Dībālpūr.

And in the month of Sha‘bān of this year Sulān* Maḥmūd leaving Muqarrab Khān as his Viceroy in Dihlī, and taking with ^265. him Sa‘ādat Khān, who was commonly known* as ‘Abdu-r-Rashīd Sulānī, marched in the direction of Bīāna and Gwāliār. In obedi­ence to the order of the Sulān a spacious chief mosque* built of stone was erected in the town of Basāwar, and is standing at the present time, and when* the Sulān arrived near Gwāliār, Malik ‘Alāu-d-Dīn Dbārwāl, and Malloo Khān* the brother of Sārang Khān, and Mubārak Khān son of Malik Rājū* conspired against Sa‘ādat Khān, but he, bcoming aware of their design, arrested Malik ‘Alāu-d-Dīn and Mubārak Khān and had them put to death.*

Malloo Khān fled to Muqarrab Khān in Dihlī. The Sulān having returned to the Capital, encamped at some distance from the city, and Muqarrab Khān fearing his displeasure because he had given asylum to Malloo Khān,* entrenched himself and prepared to fight* and remained in his fortified position three months, and war arose between Muqarrab Khān and Sa‘ādat Khān.*

And in the month of Muḥarram in the year 797 H. (Nov. 1394 A.D.) Sulān Maḥmūd was induced by the deceitfulness of certain friends of Muqarrab Khān to leave Sa‘ādat Khān, to enter the fort and come to terms with Muqarrab Khān, who thus obtained the assistance he needed. The following day Muqarrab Khān and Sa‘ādat Khān met on the field of battle, and Muqarrab Khān being defeated again entered the fort. Sa‘ādat Khān went to Fīrūz-ābād, * and acting in concert with some of the Amīrs summoned Nuṣrat Khān son of Fatḥ Khān and grandson of Sulān Fīrūz Shāh* from Mīwāt, and set him upon the throne in the month of Rabī‘u-l-Awwal of the aforesaid year, with the title of Nāṣiru-d-Dīn ^266. Nuṣrat Shāh. Nuṣrat Shāh was nothing more than a puppet, for Sa‘ādat Khān assumed the whole of the authority in state matters, and some slaves of the Fīrūzī party and some elephant drivers joined with Sulān Nuṣrat Shāh, and by some clever artifice placed him upon an elephant, and without warning fell upon Sa‘ādat Khān unawares in full force; Sa‘ādat Khān was paralysed and helpless, and* of necessity took to flight and came to Dihlī, where he sought the protection of Muqarrab Khān, and was treacherously* put to death by him: then the Amīrs of Nuṣrat Shah's faction such as Muḥammad Muaffar Vazīr and Shihāb Nāhir and Malik Faẓlu-llāh Balkhī,* and the slaves of Fīrūz Shāh's party one and all* renewed their declaration of allegiance to Sulān Nuṣrat Shāh and divided the appointments afresh.

Sulān Maḥmud was known as King in Dihlī, while in Fīrūz-ābād Nuṣrat Shāh enjoyed that title,* and Muqarrab Khān placed the citadel of old Dihlī under the command of Bahādur Nāhir Mīwātī, and bestowed upon Malloo Khān* the title of Iqbāl Khān,* and day by day battles were fought between these two kings,* who were like the two kings in the game of chess.* Sulān Nuṣrat Shāh retained possession of the country of the Doāb, and Sanbhal, Pānīpath, Rohtak, and Jahjar,* while a few old ruined forts such as Dihlī and Sīrī and the rest, remained in the hands of Sulān Maḥmūd, and from that time forward this proverb became a common expression: The rule of the Lord of the world (Khudāwand-i-‘Ālam) is from Dihlī to Pālam.* And all over Hindustān there arose various parties each with its own Malik.*

Verse.

Say, either you rule in the city, or let me rule
For the affairs of the state go to ruin between two rulers.

The affairs of the kingdom continued in this state for a space of three years, at one time the Dihlī party got the better of the Fīrūzābād* party and at another time the positions were reversed.

Verse.

^267. Like the kite which is six months female and six months male.*

And in the year 798 H. (1395 A.D.) many battles took place between the Masnad-i-‘Alī,* Khiẓr Khān, the Amīr of Mulān, and Sārang Khān the ruler of Dīpālpūr, and, eventually, owing to the treachery of certain of the slaves of Malik Marwān, who was the tutor of Malik Suleimān the father of Khiẓr Khān, and in con­sequence of their throwing in their lot with Sārang Khān the governor of Dīpālpūr,* Multān passed from the possession of Khiẓr Khān to that of Sārang Khān and his party began to grow weaker and weaker every day.

And in the year 799 H. (1396 A.D.) Sārang Khān having overcome* Ghālib Khān the governor of Sāmāna, and Tātār Khān the Wālī of Pānīpath, gained possession of the country as far as the outskirts of Dihlī.* Sulān Nuṣrat Shāh sent Malik Ilyās* a slave of the Fīrūz Shāhī party with elephants and an army to reinforce Tātār Khān. He accordingly drove Sārang Khān out of Sāmāna and delivered it to Ghālib Khān.*

And in the month of Muḥarram 800 H. (1397 A.D.) a severe engagement took place between the two parties in the neighbour­hood of the village of Kotla; Sārang Khān was defeated* and fled towards Multān, and Tātār Khān proceeded to the frontier of Tilaundī, and sending Kamālu-d-Dīn Mubīn in pursuit of Sārang Khān, returned. And in the month of Rabī‘u-l-Awwal in the year already mentioned,* Mīrzā Pīr Muḥammad, grandson* of the great Amīr Tīmūr Gūrgān* King of Khurāsān and Māwarā-an-Nahr, had crossed the river Indus,* and was besieging the fortress of Uchh.* ‘Alī Malik, Sārang Khān's lieutenant fought and held the fort for a month, and when Malik Tāju-d-Dīn Bakhtyār arrived ^268. at the fort of Uchh with a thousand cavalry given him by Sārang Khān, Mīrzā Pīr Muḥammad left Uchh, and taking Malik Tāju-d-Dīn Bakhtyār and his thousand sowārs* unawares in their position on the banks of the river Bīāh, attacked them. The greater num­ber of Malik Tāju-d-Dīn's force fell by the sword, while those who escaped the sword were drowned in the floods of destruction;* and Mīrzā Pīr Muḥammad* after gaining this victory pursued them with all speed,* and invested the fortress of Multān.* Sārang Khān held out against him for six months engaging him frequently, but at last begged for quarter, and had an interview with the Mīrzā,* who took up his station in Multān pending the arrival of the great Tīmūr.