SULṬĀN MUḤAMMAD SHĀH IBN I FARĪD KHĀN,

The brother's son of Mubārak Shāh ibn i Khiẓr Khān, whom 300. Mubārak Shāh had adopted as his own son, ascended the throne in succession to Mubārak Shāh in the year* 837 H. (1433 A.D.) and Sarwaru-l-Mulk, whose head was filled with treacherous designs, ostensibly owned his allegiance. Muḥammad Shāh, in spite of the foregoing circumstances, conferred upon him the title of Khān-i-Jahān and bestowed a khil‘at upon him, he also ap­pointed Mīrān Ṣadr Mu‘īnu-l-mulk, and for a short time winked at the doings of those infidels. Maliku-sh-Sharq Kamālu-l-mulk, who was co-partner with Sarwaru-l-Mulk in the vazīrship, elected to reside outside the city, and gave in his allegiance to Muḥammad Shāh. The second day after the accession Sarwaru-l-Mulk made some pretext for arresting* certain of the servants of Mubārak Shāh, and put them to death, and left nothing undone to secure the overthrowal of the family of Mubārak Shāh; moreover, he began to divide the country among his own partisans, giving the terri­tory of Baiāna, and Amroha, and Nārnol, and Kuhrām, together with certain districts in the Doāb, to Sidh Pāl and Sidhāran Khatrī who were the (actual) murderers of Mubārak Shāh. Rānūn the Black, a slave of Sidh Pāl, arrived in Baiāna with a large following, and attempted to enter the fort; but in the mean­time Yūsuf Khan Auḥadī arrived from Hindwān,* and giving him battle defeated him, and sent the greater portion of those in­fidels to hell. Their women and children fell as prisoners into the hands of the Muslims, and the head of Rānūn the Black was hung up over the gate of the fort. Inasmuch as Sarwaru-l-Mulk and his infidel horde began to commit violence, the Amīrs of Khiẓr Khan and Mubārak Shāh, who were scattered here and there about the country, in several places shewed symptoms of revolt and set on foot many insurrections. Sarwaru-l-Mulk had the self-same object, namely to damage the kingdom. 301. Malik Allahdād Kāla Lodī, governor of Sambhal and Ahār,* and Malik Chaman* governor* of Badāon, grandson of Khān-i-Jahān, and Amīr ‘Alī Gujrātī, together with some other Amīrs, raised a large following to avenge the death of Mubārak Shāh, and started towards Dihlī. Maliku-sh-Sharq, Kamālu-l-Mulk, and Saiyyid Khān, son of Saiyyid Sālim, who had received the title of Khan-i-Ā‘zam from Mubārak Shāh, were appointed by the durbār to proceed against those Amīrs, and Malīk Yūsuf, the son of Sarwaru-l-Mulk, together with Sidhāran and Kāngū were ordered to accompany Kamālu-l-Mulk. The Dihlī army crossed by the ford of Kīcha and came to Baran (Bulandshahr). Malik Allahdād and the other noted Amīrs having arrived at the township of Ahār desired to cross the Ganges without fighting and go where they could safely. But when they saw clearly that Malik Kamālu-l-Mulk was heartily bent upon taking vengeance upon Sarwaru-l-Mulk, they took courage and did not leave their positions. Sarwaru-l-Mulk becoming aware of this sent his lieutenant Malik Hushyār, under pretence of reinforcing Kamālu-l-Mulk, as a spy into their army. Yūsuf Khān and Malik Hushyār, and Sidhāran the infidel, entertaining suspicions regarding Kamālu-l-Mulk left the army and went to Dihlī: and the Amīrs of Sambhal and Badāon joined Kamālu-l-Mulk and came in great force to the ford of Kīcha. Sarwaru-l-Mulk was engaged in strengthening his fort. The following day the loyal Amīrs having crossed the Jamna encamped in the Bāgh-i-Jūd * while the traitors and infidels sallied out from the fort and engaged them in battle, but suffered defeat in the very first onset and retreated to the fort, but before they could enter it a large number were put to death and most of the remainder were taken prisoners.

The day following this victory the Mubārak Shāhī Amīrs 302. encamped near the fort of Sīrī, and the greater part of the Amīrs who were inside the fort, came out and joined them. Fight­ing went on between the two parties for three months.

At the latter part of this year Zīrak Khān, Governor of Sāmāna died, and the country was confirmed to his son Muḥammad Khān. Muḥammad Shāh, although outwardly he held friendly relations with Sarwaru-l-Mulk, still in his inmost heart was in unison with his father's Amīrs. Sarwaru-l-Mulk became aware of this, and accordingly began to plot treachery against him also, and was only waiting his opportunity.

On the eighth of Muḥarram in the year 838 H. (1434 A.D.) Sarwaru-l-Mulk and the sons of the perfidious Mīrān Ṣadr sud­denly broke into the tent of the king with the intention of doing him a grievous injury, but at this moment Muḥammad Shah became aware of their design; and with all despatch sent messen­gers to Kamālu-l-Mulk, while the attendants who were near the person of Muḥammad Shāh were on their guard, and killed the traitor Sarwaru-l-Mulk, and seizing the sons of Mīrān Ṣadr exe­cuted them in presence of the darbār. The traitorous infidels blockaded themselves in their own houses. Kamālu-l-Mulk, accompanied by all the Amīrs, entered the fort by the Darwāza-i-Ba ghdād (Baghdād gate). The ruffian Sīdh Pāl set fire to his house and property, and after performing the jauhar* which is a well-known custom expressed by that word in the Hindī language, went himself into battle and became food for the flames of the pitiless sword,* and his impure soul went to hell.* Sidhāran Kāngū and the rest of the Khatrī confederation, were one and all taken prisoners, and were impaled near the ḥaīra* (mausoleum) of Mubārak Shāh, and Malik Hushyār and Mubārak Kotwāl were executed along with them. The following day Kamālu-l-Mulk and the other noted Amīrs renewed their fealty to Muḥammad 303. Shāh; Kamālu-l-Mulk obtained the rank of vazīr and Malik Chaman of Badāon received the title of Ghāzīu-l-Mulk, and was reinstated in his former position as governor of Badāon, Amroha being also added to his province; Malik Allahdād Lodī would not accept any title, the title of Daryā Khān however he accepted for his brother. Thus after settling the important affairs, Muḥam-mad Shāh gave durability to his rule, and conducted his Govern­ment in tranquillity.

And in the year 840 H. (1436 A.D.) he turned his attention towards Multān, and halted for some days at Mubārakpūr to give time for the Amīrs of the various districts to join him. When the Muḥammad Shāhī's troops were all assembled at Mubārakpūr he marched thence towards Multān, and after visiting the shrines of the holy men at that place* came to Dihlī. And in the aforesaid year, marching towards Sāmāna he despatched a force to proceed against Shaikhā Khūkhar.* Accordingly they laid waste his coun­try and returned.* In the year 841 H. (1437 A.D.) tidings arrived that the tribe of Langāhs had raised an insurrection in Multān, and in the meantime Sulān Ibrahīm Sharqī obtained possession of certain divisions of Dihlī, and the Rāi of Gwāliār and the other Rāis refused to pay the customary tribute. Muḥam-mad Shāh affected to be indifferent to this, and disturbances sprung up in all directions, and everyone was hankering after something. The Khānzādas of Mīwāt, who are the ancestors of Ḥasan Khān of Mīwāt, invited Sulān Maḥmūd Khiljī from Mālwa to assume the imperial power of Dihlī.

And in the year 844 H. (1440 A.D.) Sulān Maḥmūd arrived at Dihlī, and Muḥammad Shāh drew up his forces and sent out his son Saiyyid ‘Alāu-d-Dīn to engage him in battle, giving the 304. command of the force to Malik Buhlūl Lodī. Sulān Maḥmūd also appointed his two sons Gẖiāu-d-Dīn and Qadr Khān* to oppose them. A fierce battle resulting they at last agreed to make peace, and Sulān Maḥmūd taking advantage of that, and alleging as an excuse that he had seen in a dream that the kingdom of Multān was being ruined, marched in light order under cover of night towards Mālwa. Malik Buhlūl pursued him and seized a portion of his baggage and valuable equipment. Sulān Muḥammad was so pleased at the energy displayed by Buhlūl Lodī that he called him his son,* and bestowed upon him the country of Lāhor and Detālpūr.

And in the year 845 H. (1441 A.D.) he marched to Sāmāna, and having despatched Buhlūl to chastise Jasrat Khūkhar, return­ed to Dihlī. Jasrat concluded a peace with Malik Buhlūl and held out to him the pleasing prospect of becoming Sulān of Dihlī,* till at last Buhlūl began to collect Afghāns from all directions and took forcible possession of a large number of parganas, then with­out any ostensible reason he picked a quarrel with Muḥummad Shāh and revolted against him, leading an army against Dihlī. He held Sulān Muḥammad for a considerable time closely be­sieged, but could not accomplish his purpose, and returned without effecting anything. In the meantime Muḥammad Shāh was afflicted with a grievous disorder,* and the Amīrs who were at a distance of twenty krohs from Dihlī revolted against him, and sending for his son ‘Alāu-d-Dīn who held a jāegīr in Badāun, and had left there on a hunting expedition at the foot of the hills, made him* heir-apparent. And in the year 847 H.* he passed away, the duration of his reign was fourteen* years and some months, or thereabouts.

Come and cast one look upon their dust, and take warning.
For the dust is the resting-place of trusted emperors.