On Sha‘bān 27th (28th December, 1605) a strange thing was done by the sons of Akhayrāj, son of Bhagwān Dās, the paternal uncle* of Raja Mān Singh. These unlucky ones, who bore the names of Abhay Rām, Bijay Rām, and Shyām Rām, were exceedingly immoderate. Notwithstanding that the aforesaid Abhay Rām had done improper (disproportioned) acts, I had winked at his faults. When at this date it was represented to me that this wretch was desirous of despatching his wives and children without leave to his own country and afterwards of himself running away to the Rāna, who is not loyal to this family, I referred to Rām Dās and other Rajput nobles, and said to them that if any one of them would become security for them, I would confirm the rank and jagir of those wretches, and passing over their offences would forgive them. In consequence of their excessive turbulence and bad disposition no one became security. I told the Amīru-l-umarā that as no one would be bound for them, they must be handed over to the charge of one of the servants of the Court until security was forthcoming. The Amīru-l-umarā gave them over to Ibrāhīm Khān Kākar, who was afterwards dignified with the title of Dilāwar Khān, and Ḥātim,* second son of Manglī, who held the title of Shāhnawāz Khān.* When these wished to disarm these foolish people, they refused, and, not observing the dues of good manners, began, together with their servants, to quarrel and fight. The Amīru-l-umarā reported the circumstance to me, and I ordered them to be punished according to their deeds. He betook himself to driving them off, and I sent Shaikh Farīd also after him. One Rajput armed with a sword, and another with a dagger stood up to the Amīru-l-umarā. One of his attendants named Qub engaged the man with the dagger and was killed. The Rajput also was cut to pieces. One of the Afghan attendants of the Amīru-l-umarā attacked the one who had the sword and killed him. Dilāwar Khān drew his dagger and turned towards Abhay Rām, who with two others was holding his ground, and after wounding one of these fell down after receiving wounds from the three. Some of the ahadis and the men of the Amīru-l-umarā opposed and slew these doomed men. A Rajput drew his sword and turned to Shaikh Farīd; he was met by a Ḥabshī slave, who brought him down. This disturbance took place in the courtyard of the public palace. That punishment served as a warning to many who had not looked to consequences. Abū-n-nabī* represented that if such a deed had been done in the Ūzbeg country the whole family and connections of that band of men would have been destroyed. I replied that as these people had been treated kindly and educated by my revered father I carried on the same benevolence to them, and justice demands that many shall not be chastised for the fault of one.
Shaikh Ḥusain Jāmī, who now sits on the cushion of darwīshī and is one of the disciples of the dervish of Shiraz,* had written to me from Lahore six months before my accession that he had seen in a dream that saints and pious men had delivered over the affairs of the kingdom to that chosen one of the Court of Allah (Jahāngīr), and that, rejoicing in this good news, he should await the event, and that he hoped that when it had occurred, the faults of Khwāja Zakariyyā, who was one of the Aḥrāriyya,* would be pardoned.*
I conferred on Tāsh Beg Furjī,*
who was one of the
old servants of the State, and whom my father had
honoured with the title of Tāj Khān, and who had the
rank of 2,000, that of 3,000, and I raised Tukhta*
Beg
Kābulī from the rank of 2,500 to that of 3,000. He is
a brave and active man, and was greatly trusted in the
service of my uncle, Mīrzā Muḥammad Ḥakīm. I promoted
Abū-l-Qāsim Tamkīn,*
who was one of my father's old
servants, to the rank of 1,500. There are few men such as
he for abundance of children; he has thirty sons, and if
his daughters do not number so many they must be half
that number. I dignified Shaikh ‘Alā'u-d-dīn, grandson of
Shaikh Salīm, who had strong connections with me, with
the title of Islām Khān, and promoted him to the rank of
2,000. He had grown up with me from his childhood, and
may be a year younger than I. He is a brave and well-
I have bestowed on ‘Alī Aṣghar Bārha, who has not a rival in bravery and zeal, and is the son of Sayyid Maḥmūd Khān Bārha, one of my father's old nobles, the title of Saif Khān, and thus distinguished him amongst his equals and connections. He is evidently a brave youth. He was always one of the confidential men who went with me to hunt and to other places. He has never in his life drunk anything intoxicating, and as he has abstained in his youth he probably will attain high dignities. I granted him the rank of 3,000.
I promoted Farīdūn, son of Muḥammad Qulī Khān Barlās, who held the rank of 1,000, to that of 2,000. Farīdūn is one of the tribe of Chaghatāy, and is not devoid of manliness and courage.
I promoted Shaikh Bāyazīd, grandson of Shaikh Salīm, who held the rank of 2,000, to that of 3,000. The first person who gave me milk, but for not more than a day, was the mother of Shaikh Bāyazīd.
* One day I observed to the Pandits, that is, the wise men of the Hindus, “If the doctrines of your religion are based on the incarnation of the Holy Person of God Almighty in ten different forms by the process of metempsychosis, they are virtually rejected by the intelligent. This pernicious idea requires that the Sublime Cause, who is void of all limitations, should be possessed of length, breadth, and thickness. If the purpose is the manifestation of the Light of God in these bodies, that of itself is existent equally in all created things, and is not peculiar to these ten forms. If the idea is to establish some one of God's attributes, even then there is no right notion, for in every faith and code there are masters of wonders and miracles distinguished beyond the other men of their age for wisdom and eloquence.”* After much argument and endless controversy, they acknowledged a God of Gods, devoid of a body or accidents,* and said, “As our imagination fails to conceive a formless personality (zāt-i-mujarrad), we do not find any way to know Him without the aid of a form. We have therefore made these ten forms the means of conceiving of and knowing Him.” Then said I, “How can these forms be a means of your approaching the Deity?”
My father always associated with the learned of every creed and religion, especially with Pandits and the learned of India, and although he was illiterate, so much became clear to him through constant intercourse with the learned and wise, in his conversations with them, that no one knew him to be illiterate, and he was so acquainted with the niceties of verse and prose compositions that his deficiency was not thought of.
In his august personal appearance he was of middle height, but inclining to be tall; he was of the hue of wheat; his eyes and eyebrows were black, and his complexion rather dark than fair; he was lion-bodied,* with a broad chest, and his hands and arms long. On the left side of his nose he had a fleshy mole, very agreeable in appearance, of the size of half a pea. Those skilled in the science of physiognomy considered this mole a sign of great prosperity and exceeding good fortune. His august voice was very loud, and in speaking and explaining had a peculiar richness. In his actions and movements he was not like the people of the world, and the glory of God manifested itself in him.
“Greatness in his manner, kingship in his lineage,
As if Solomon would have put the ring on his finger.”*