There are few events in Indian history so confused as the details attending the death of 'Usmán. Khwájah 'Usmán, according to the Makhzan i Afghání, was the second son of Miyán 'I´sá Khán Lohání, who after the death of Qutlú Khán was the leader of the Afgháns in Oṛísá and Southern Bengal. Qutlú left three sons— Naçíb Sháh, Lodí Khán, Jamál Khán. 'I´sá Khán left five sons, Khwájah Sulaimán, 'Usmán, Walí, Ibráhím. Stewart makes 'Usmán a son of Qutlú (History of Bengal, p. 133). Sulaimán ‘reigned’ for a short time. He killed in a fight with the imperialists, Himmat Singh, son of Rájah Mán Singh (vide p. 485, No. 244), held lands near the Bráhmaputra, and subjected the Rájahs of the adjacent countries. 'Usmán succeeded him, and received from Mán Singh lands in Oṛísá and Sátgáṉw, and later in Eastern Bengal, with a revenue of 5 to 6 lacs per annum. His residence is described to have been the Kohistán i Dháká, or ‘hills of Dháká’ (Tipárah?), the viláyat i Dháká, or District of Dháká, and Dháká itself. The fight with Usmán took place on Sunday, 9th Muharram, 1021, or 2nd March, 1612,* at a distance of 100 kos from Dháká. My MS. of the Makhzan calls the place of the battle Nek Ujyál.* Stewart (p. 134) places the battle “on the banks of the Subarnríkhá river” in Oṛísá, which is impossible, as Shujá'at Khán arrived again in Dháká on the 6th Çafar, or 26 days after the battle. According to the Tuzuk, Islám Khán was in Dháká, when the fight took place, and Walí Khán submitted to Shujá'at, who had been strengthened by a corps under 'Abdussalám, son of Mu'azzam Khán (No. 260); but the Makhzan says that Islám besieged Walí in the Mahalls where 'Usmán used to live, between the battle-field and Dháká, and afterwards in the Fort of Dháká itself. Walí, on his submission, was sent to court, with 7 lacs of rupees and 300 elephants taken from 'Usmán, received a title, a jágír, and was made a commander of 1000, after which he lived comfortably. According to the Maásir, as said above, he was murdered before he came to court. The Tuzuk says nothing about him.

Stewart says (p. 136) that he was taken to court by Hoshang, Islám Khán's son; but the Tuzuk, p. 115, though it has a long passage on the Mugs which he brought with him, does not mention the Afghán prisoners.

The Makhzan also says that 'Usmán, after receiving his wound at the time when the battle was nearly decided in his favor, was carried off by Walí in a litter, and buried on the road. When Shujá'at came up to the place where he had been buried, he had 'Usmán's corpse taken out, cut off the head, and sent it to court.

'Usmán is said to have been so stout, that he was obliged to travel on an elephant. At his death, he was forty-two years of age.

The Dutch traveller De Laët (p. 488, note) has the following interesting passage: Rex (Jahángír) eodem tempore misit Tseziad ghanum Chiech zaden (Shujá'at Khán Shaikhzádah) ad Tzalanghanum (Islám Khán) qui Bengalae praeerat, ut illum in praefecturam Odiae (Oṛísá) mitteret. Sed Osmanchanus Patanensis, qui jam aliquot annis regionem quae Odiam et Daeck (between Oṛísá and Dháká, i. e. the Sunderban) interjacet, tenuerat et limites regni incursaverat, cum potentissimo exercitu advenit, Daeck oppugnaturus. Tzalanchanus autem praemisit adversus ipsum (Usmán) Tzesiad chanum, una cum Mirza Ifftager et Ethaman chano (Iftikhár Khán and Ihtimám Khán*) et aliis multis Omerauvvis, cum reliquis copiis X aut XV cosarum intervallo subsequens, ut suis laborantibus subsideo esset. Orto dein certamine inter utrumque exercitum, Efftager et Mierick Zilaier (Mírak Jaláir— not in the Tuzuk) tam acrem impressionem fecerunt, ut hostes loco moverent; sed Osman inter haec ferocissimum elephantum in illos emisit, ita ut regii vicissim cedere cogerentur, et Efftager caederetur; Tzesiad gaunus autem et ipse elephanto insidens, ut impetum ferocientis belluae declinaret, se e suo dejecit, et crus prefregit, ita ut aegre a suis e certamine subduceretur, et regii passim fugam capescerent; actumque fuisset de regiis, nisi inopinatus casus proelium restituisset; miles quidem saucius humi jacens, casu Osmano, qui elephanto vehebatur, oculum globo trajecit, e quo vulnere paulo post expiravit, cujus morte milites illius ita fuerunt consternati, ut statim de fuga cogitarent. Regii vero ordinibus sensim restitutis, eventum proelii Tzalanchano perscripsere: qui biduo post ad locum venit ubi pugnatum fuerat, et Tzedsiatgano e vulnere defuncto, magnis itineribus fratrem (Walí Khán) et biduam atque liberos Osmanis assecutus, vivos cepit, eosque cum elephantis et omnibus thesauris defuncti, postquam Daeck Bengalae metropolim est reversus, misit ad regem Anno…… (the year is left out).

De Laët says that Shujá'at Khán died from a fall from his elephant during the battle; but the accident took place some time later. The Maásir says that he was on horseback, when Usmán's elephant, whom the Tuzuk calls Gajpatí, and Stewart Bukhtah (?), knocked him over, but Sh. quickly disentangled himself, and stuck his dagger into the animal's trunk.

The Makhzan says that the plunder amounted to 7 lacs of rupees and 300 elephants.

371. Mi´rza´ Khwa´jah, son of Mírzá Asadullah. Vide No. 116.

372. Mi´rza´ Shari´f, son of Mírzá 'Alá-uddín.

373. Shukrullah [Zafar Khán], son of Zain Khán Kokah (No. 34).

He was mentioned above on p. 346. On the death of his father, he was made a commander of 700, and appears to have received, at the end of Akbar's reign, the title of Zafar Khán.

As his sister was married to Jahángír (p. 345, and p. 477, note 2), Z. Kh. was rapidly promoted. When the emperor, in the second year of his reign, left Láhor for Kábul, he halted at Mauza' Ahroí,* near Fort Aṭak, the inhabitants of which complained of the insecurity of the district arising from the predatory habits of the K'hatar (p. 456, note 2) and Dilahzák tribes (p. 487, note). Zafar was appointed to Aṭak, vice Ahmad Beg Khán (No. 191), and was ordered to remove the tribes to Láhor, keep their chiefs imprisoned, and restore all plunder to the rightful owners. On Jahángír's return from Kábul, he joined the emperor, and was in the following year promoted to a mançab of 2000, 1000 horse. In the 7th year, he was made a commander of 3000, 2000 horse, and governor of Bihár. In the 10th year, he was removed, went back to court, where he received an increase of 500 horse, and then served in Bangash. ‘Nothing else is known of him.’ Maásir.

From the Tuzuk (p. 343) we see that Zafar Khán died in the beginning of 1031, when Jahángír made his son Sa'ádat a commander of 800, 400 horse.

Sa'ádat Khán, his son. He served in Kábul, and was at the end of Jahángír's reign a commander of 1500, 700 horse. In the 5th year after Sháhjahán's accession, he was made a commander of 1500, 1000 horse, and was promoted up to the 25th year to a full command of 3000 horse. He again served in Kábul, and under Murád Bakhsh in Balkh and Badakhshán, was made commandant of Tirmiz, and distinguished himself in repelling a formidable night attack made by Subhán Qulí Khán, ruler of Bukhárá (19th year). Later he served in the Qandahár wars, was in the 29th year Faujdár of Upper and Lower Bangash, and two years later commandant of Fort Kábul.

In 1069, the second year of Aurangzíb's reign, he was killed by his son Sherullah. Mahábat Khán, çúbahdár of Kábul, imprisoned the murderer.

374. Mi´r 'Abdul Mu´min, son of Mír Samarqandí.

Mír Samarqandí was a learned man who came during Bairám's regency to A´grah. Badáoní III., 149.

375. Lashkari´, son of Mírzá Yúsuf Khán (No. 35).

Vide above p. 374, and for his wife under No. 351.

376. A´gha´ Mulla´ Qazwíní. Vide No. 278.

377. Muhammad 'Ali´ of Jám.

Jám is a place in Khurásán, famous for its Bábá Shaikhí melons. It has given name to the two poets Púr Bahá and the renowned 'Abdurrahmán Jámí.

378. Mat'hura´ Da´s, the K'hatrí.

379. Sat'hura´ Da´s, his son.

The latter served in the 26th year (989) under Sulṭán Murád in Kábul. Akbarn., III., 333.

380. Mi´r Mura´d, brother of Sháh Beg Kolabí (No. 148). Vide No. 282.

381. Kalla´, the Kachhwáhah.

He served in 989 under Prince Murád in Kábul.

382. Sayyid Darwi´sh, son of Shams i Bukhárí.

383. Junaid Murul.

A Shaikh Junaid served under Shiháb Khán (No. 26) in Gujrát. He was killed in the Khaibar catastrophe (Akbarn., III., 190, 498).

384. Sayyid Abu´ Is-ha´q, son of Mírzá Rafí'uddín i Çafawí.

He was mentioned on p. 439. In the 36th year, he served against the Jám and Muzaffar of Gujrát.

His father Rafí'uddín was a learned man of saintly habits, and died at A´grah in 954 or 957. One of his ancestors was Mu'ínuddín, author of a commentary to the Qorán, entitled Tafsír i Ma'ání.

385. Fath Kha´n, superintendent of the leopards.

In 985, Akbar cured his sore eyes by blood letting, which Abulfazl describes, according to his custom, as a miracle. F. K. was in change of the hunting leopards.

There is some confusion in the histories regarding the Fath Kháns of Akbar's reign. First, there is Fattú Khán Afghán. Fattú is the same as Fath. His title is Masnad i 'A´lí, and his son was mentioned above, No. 306. Secondly, Fath Khán Fílbán, who when young was Akbar's elephant driver (fílbán). He was subsequently made Amír, and according to my two MSS. of the Ṭabaqát, died in 990. But Badáoní (II, 353) mentions Fath Khán Fílbán as alive in 994, when he accompanied Qásim Khán (No. 59) on his march to Kashmír; but the Akbarnámah, in the corresponding passage (III., 512) calls him Fath Khán Masnad i 'A´lí. Dowson's edition of Elliot's Historians (I, 244, 250) mentions a Fath Khán Bahádur. A Fath Khán Tughluq was mentioned under No. 187, p. 465.