He assigned the first year to Naqíb Khán, the second to Sháh Fatḥ-ulláh, and so on to Ḥakím Humám, Ḥakím 'Alí, Ḥájí Ibráhím Sarhindí (who had just then arrived from Gujrát) Mírzá Nizám-ud-dín Aḥmad, and myself. And after that another seven years, and in this way the distribution of 35 years was provided for.

During the time that I was compiling the events of the seventh year, and was engaged on the life of the second true Khalífah (may God be propitious to him!) I had just finished the account of the foundation of Kúfah, and the building and destruction of Qaçr-ul-imárat, which was narrated in detail together with the cause of its destruction, and the marriage of Amm Kulsún, daughter of the Amír-ul-muminín 'Alí (God be propitious to them both!), as well as the institution of five stated times for prayer, the fall of the city of Naçíbín, and the scorpions big as cocks, which were made use of to effect its capture, when one night Áçaf Khán Sális, who was the same as Mírzá Ja'far, thought proper to dispute the correctness of these facts. Notwithstanding this, Shaikh Abu-l-Fazl and Ghází Khán Badakhshí confirmed my assertions shortly afterwards. When I was asked whence I got this information, I replied that I had seen it in books, (P. 319) and had written accordingly, and that it was not my own invention. Immediately the Rauzat-ul-Aḥbáb and other historical books were called for from the library, and given to Naqíb Khán to verify the accuracy of the statement, which by God's grace, being found correct, I was relieved from the charge of invention.

At the recommendation of Ḥakím Abu-l-Fatḥ the compilation of the work from the thirty-sixth year was entrusted solely to Mullá Aḥmad of Tat'hah, who, however, wrote whatever coincided with his sectarian prejudices, a fact which is well known. The compilation of two volumes was finished up to the time of Changíz Khán, when Mírzá Fúlád one night, pretending that the Emperor had sent for Mullá Aḥmad, summoned him from his house, and murdered him in a street of Láhor, in revenge for some injury which he had suffered at his hands, as well as because he was violently opposed to him in matters of religion. He was put to death in retaliation.

The remainder of the work was done by Áçaf Khán up to the year nine hundred and ninety-seven. In the year one thousand I was ordered to proceed to Láhore, to revise the composition, compare it with other histories, and arrange the dates in their proper sequence. I composed the first two volumes in one year, and entrusted the third to Áçaf Khán.

Among the remarkable events of this year is the translation of the Mahábhárata, which is the most famous of the Hindú books, and contains all sorts of stories, and moral reflections, and advice, and matters relating to conduct and manners, and religion and science, and accounts of their sects, and mode of worship, under the form of a history of the wars of the tribes of Kurus and Páṇḍus, who were rulers in Hind, according to some more than 4,000 years ago, and according to the common account more than 80,000. And clearly this makes it before the time of Adam (P. 320): Peace be upon him! And the Hindú unbelievers consider it a great religi­ous merit to read and to copy it. And they keep it hid from Musalmáns.

The following considerations disposed the Emperor to the work. When he had had the Shahnámah, and the story of Amír Ḥamzah, in seventeen volumes transcribed in fifteen years, and had spent much gold in illuminating it, he also heard the story of Abú Muslim, and the Jámi'-ul-ḥikáyát, repeated, and it suddenly came into his mind that most of these books were nothing but poetry and fiction; but that, since they were first related in a lucky hour, and when their star was in the act of passing over the sky, they ohtained great fame. But now he ordered those Hindú books, which holy and staid sages had written, and were all clear and convincing proofs, and which were the very pivot on which all their religion, and faith, and holiness turned, to be translated from the Indian into the Persian language, and thought to himself, “Why should I not have them done in my name? For they are by no means trite, but quite fresh, and they will produce all kinds of fruits of felicity both temporal and spiritual, and will be the cause of circumstance and pomp, and will ensure an abundance of children and wealth, as is written in the preface of these books.” Acccordingly he became much interested in the work, and having assembled some learned Hindús, he gave then directions to write an explanation of the Mahábhárata, and for several nights he himself devoted his atten­tion to explaining the meaning to Naqíb Khán, so that the Khán might sketch out the gist of it in Persian. On the third night the Emperor sent for me, and desired me to translate the Mahábhá-rata, in conjunction with Naqíb Khán. The consequence was that in three or four months I translated two out of the eighteen sections, at the puerile absurdities of which the eighteen thousand creations may well be amazed. Two parts were written. Such discussion as one never heard! as, Shall I eat forbidden things? Shall I eat turnips? But such is my fate, to be employed on such works. Nevertheless, I console myself with the reflection, that what is predestined must come to pass.

After this Mullá Sherí and Naqíb Khán together accomplished a portion, and another was completed by Sultán Hájí of Thánessar by himself. (P. 321) Shaikh Faizí was then directed to convert the rough translation into elegant prose and verse, but he did not complete more than two sections. The Ḥájí aforesaid revised these two sections, and as for the omissions which had taken place in his first edition, those defects he put right, and comparing it word for word with the original, one hundred sheets were written out closely, and the work was brought to such a point of perfection that not a fly-mark of the original was omitted. Eventually for some reason or other he was ordered into banishment, and sent to Bakkar, and now he resides at his own city. Most of the scholars, who were engaged in this work, have now been gathered to the Kurus and Paṇḍus, and to those who still remain may God (He is exal­ted!) grant deliverance, and grace to repent, and may He hear the excuse of: “Whoso after he hath believed in God denies Him, if he were forced to it and if his heart remains steadfast in the faith [shall be guiltless]”.* “Verily He is the merciful Pardoner.”*

The translation was called the Rázm-námah, and when fairly engrossed, and embellished with pictures, the Amírs had orders to take copies of it, with the blessing and favour of God. Shaikh Abu-l-Fazl, in opposition to the commentary on the Kursí* verse, which he had formerly composed, now wrote for it a Khutbah extending to two sheets—we flee to God for refuge from infidelities and un­profitable words!

The author (may God forgive him!) begs leave here to request, that the reader will excuse him if in the account of the events of this year (which have been introduced as a digression, written down by his rapid pen in an abridged form) he has not observed a strictly chronological order, nor preserved the exact sequence of events.