In this A´ín—one of the most interesting in the whole work—the Chagatái word sayúrghál is translated by the Arabic madad ul ma'ásh, in Persian madad i ma'ásh, for which we often find in MSS. madad o ma'ásh. The latter term signifies ‘assistance of livelihood,’ and, like its equivalent milk, or property, it denotes lands given for benevolent purposes, as specified by Abulfazl. Such lands were hereditary, and differ for this reason from jágír or tuyúl lands, which were conferred, for a specified time, on Mançabdárs in lieu of salaries.
This A´ín proves that Akbar considerably interfered with Sayúrghál lands, arbitrarily resuming whatever lands he liked, and increasing the domain, or kháliçah,* lands to the ruin of many a Muhammadan (Afghán) family. He also completely broke the power of the Çadr, whose dignity, especially before the Moghul dynasty, had been very great. It was the Çadr, or as he was then generally styled, Çadr i Jahán, whose edict legalized the julús, or accession, of a new king. During the reign of Akbar also, he ranked as the fourth officer of the empire (vide end of A´ín 30). Their power was immense. They were the highest law-officers, and had the powers which Administrators-General have among us; they were in charge of all lands devoted to ecclesiastical and benevolent purposes, and possessed an almost unlimited authority of conferring such lands independently of the king. They were also the highest ecclesiastical law-officers, and might exercise the powers of High Inquisitors. Thus 'Abdunnabí, during his Çadrship, ordered two men to be killed for heresy (vide p. 177, l. 4 from below).
In the times before the Moghuls, the terms idrárát, wazáif, milk, in'ám i dehhá, in'ám i zamínhá, &c., occur for the word sayúrghál (or siyúrgál, or sughúrghál, as some dictionaries spell it.)
Among the former kings, 'Aláuddín i Khiljí is notorious for the disregard with which he cancelled the grants of former rulers. He resumed the greater part of the madad i ma'ásh tenures, and made them domain lands. He also lowered the dignity of the Çadr by appointing his keybearer to this high office (Táríkh i Fírúzsháhí, p. 353). Quṭbuddín Mubáriksháh, however, during the four years and four months of his reign, reinstated many whom 'Aláuddín had deprived (T. F., p. 382). Fírúz Sháh is still more praised for his liberality in conferring lands (T. F., p. 558).
That Sher Sháh has often been accused by Moghul Historians for his bounty in conferring lands, has been mentioned above (p. 256, note); and this may have been one of the reasons why Akbar shewed such an unexpected severity towards the grant-holders of his time.
Each Çúbah had a Çadr i juz, or Provincial Çadr, who was under the orders of the Chief Çadr (Çadr i Jahán, or Çadr i Kul, or Çadr i Çudúr).
As in every other department, bribery was extensively carried on in the offices of the Çadrs. The land specified in the farmán of a holder rarely corresponded in extent to the land which he actually held; or the language of the farmán was ambiguously worded, to enable the holder to take possession of as much as he could, and keep it as long as he bribed the Qázís and provincial Çadrs. Hence Akbar had every reason, after repeated enquiries, to cancel grants conferred by former rulers. The religious views of the emperor (vide p. 167), and the hatred which he shewed to the 'Ulamá, most of whom held lands, furnished him with a personal, and therefore stronger, reason to resume their grants, and drive them away to Bhakkar in Sind, or to Bengal, the climate of which, in those days, was as notorious as, in later days, that of Gombroon. After the fall of 'Abdunnabí—a man whom Akbar used once to honor by holding the slippers before his feet,—Sulṭán Khwájah, a member of the Divine Faith, (vide p. 204) was appointed as Çadr; and the Çadrs after him were so limited in conferring lands independently of Akbar, and had so few grants to look after, as to tempt Badáoní to indulge in sarcastical remarks. The following were Akbar's Çadrs:—
| 1. | Shaikh Gadáí, a Shí'ah, appointed at the recommendation of Bairám Khán, till 968. |
| 2. | Khwájah Muhammad Çálih, till 971. |
| 3. | Shaikh 'Abdunnabí, till 986. |
| 4. | Sulṭán Khwájah, till his death in 993. |
| 5. | Amír Fathullah of Shíráz, till 997. |
| 6. | Çadr Jahán, whose name coincides with the title of his office. |
Abulfazl also mentions a Çadr Mauláná 'Abdul Báqí; but I do not know when he held office.
I extract a few short passages from Badáoní.
Page 29. Shaikh Gadáí cancelled the Madad i ma'ásh lands, and took away the legacies* of the Khánzádahs (Afgháns), and gave a Sayúrghál to any one that would bear up with humiliating treatment, but not otherwise. Nevertheless, in comparison with the present time, when obstacles are raised to the possession of every jaríb of ground, nay, even less, you may call the Shaikh an 'A´lambakhsh (one who gives away a world).
Page 52. After Shaikh Gadáí, Khájagí Muhammad Çálih was, in 968, appointed Çadr; but he did not possess such extensive powers in conferring lands as madad i ma'ásh, because he was dependent on the Díwáns.
Page 71. In 972, or perhaps more correctly in 971, Shaikh 'Abdunnabí was made Çadr. In giving away lands, he was to consult Muzaffar Khán, at that time Vazír and Vakíl. But soon after, the Shaikh acquired such absolute powers, that he conferred on deserving people whole worlds of subsistence allowances, lands, and pensions, so much so that if you place the grants of all former kings of Hindústán in one scale, and those of the Shaikh into the other, his scale would weigh more. But several years later the scale went up, as it had been under former kings, and matters took an adverse turn.
Page 204. In 983, His Majesty gave the order that the Aimahs of the whole empire should not be let off by the krorís of each Perganah, unless they brought the farmáns in which their grants, subsistence allowances, and pensions were described, to the Çadr for inspection and verification. For this reason, a large number of worthy people, from the eastern districts up to Bhakkar on the Indus, came to Court. If any of them had a powerful protector in one of the grandees or near friends of His Majesty, he could manage to have his affair settled; but those who were destitute of such recommendations, had to bribe Sayyid 'Abdurrasúl, the Shaikh's head man, or make presents to his farráshes, darbáns (porters), syces (grooms), and mehters (sweepers), ‘in order to get their blanket out of the mire.’ Unless, however, they had either strong recommendations, or had recourse to bribery, they were utterly ruined. Many of the Aimahs, without obtaining their object, died from the heat caused by the crowding of the multitudes. Though a report of this came to the ears of His Majesty, no one dared to take these unfortunate people before the emperor. And when the Shaikh, in all his pride and haughtiness, sat upon his masnad (cushion), and influential grandees introduced to him, in his office, scientific or pious men, the Shaikh received them in his filthy way, paid respect to no one,* and after much asking, begging, and exaggerating, he allowed, for example, a teacher of the Hidáyah (a book on law) and other college books 100 Bíg'hahs, more or less; and though such a man might have been for a long time in possession of more extensive lands, the Shaikh took them away. But to men of no renown, to low fellows, even to Hindus, he gave primitive lands as marks* of personal favor. Hence science and scientific men fell in estimation.* * * At no time had a Çadr, for so long a time, exercised more tyrannical powers.
The fate of Abdunnabí has been related above. Akbar gave him money for the poor of Makkah, and sent him on a pilgrimage. When he came back, he was called to account for the money, was put in prison, and murdered ‘by some scoundrel’ in 992.
The next Çadr was Sulṭán Khwájah. Matters relating to Sayúrgháls now took a very different course. Akbar had rejected the Islám, and the new Çadr, who had just returned from Makkah,* become a member of the Divine Faith. The systematic persecution of the learned and the lawyers had commenced, and His Majesty enquired personally into all grants (vide p. 189, last para.). The lands were now steadily withdrawn, and according to Badáoní, who had managed to get 1000 bíg'hahs, at first to the great disgust of 'Abdunnabí, many a Muhammadan family was impoverished or utterly ruined.
In 993, Fathullah of Shíráz (vide p. 33) was appointed Çadr. As the Sayúrghál duties, and with them the dignity of the Çadr, had dwindled down to nothing, Fathullah, though Çadr, could be spared for missions to the Dak'him, Bad. p. 343.
“His Shírází servant Kamál officiated for him during his absence, and looked after these lacklands of Aimahdárs,* who had a few spots here and there; for the dignity of the Çadr had approached its kamál (perfection). Fathullah had not even the power of conferring five bíg'hahs: in fact he was an imaginary Çadr, as all lands had been withdrawn. And yet, the lands which had been withdrawn became the dwelling-places of wild animals, and thus belonged neither to the Aimahdárs, nor to farmers. However, of all these oppressions, there is at least a record left in the books of the Çadr, though of the office of the Çadr the name only is left.
Page 368. Fathullah [the Çadr himself] laid before His Majesty a bag containing the sum of Rs. 1,000, which his collector by means of oppression, or under the pretext that an Aimahdár was not forthcoming or dead, had squeezed out of the widows and unfortunate orphans of the Parganah of Basáwar [which was his jágír], and said, “My collectors have this much collected from the Aimahdárs as a kifáyat (i. e. because the collectors thought the Sáyúrghál holders had more than sufficient to live upon).” But the emperor allowed him to keep the sum for himself.
The next Çadr, Çadr Jahán, was a member of the Divine Faith. Though appointed Çadr immediately after the death of Fathullah, Badáoní continues calling him Muftí i mamálik i mahrúsah, the Muftí of the empire, which had been his title before. Perhaps it was no longer necessary to have a separate officer for the Çadrship. Çadr Jahán continued to serve under Jahángír.
A great portion of the Sayúrghál lands is specified by Abulfazl in the geographical tables of the Third Book.