In the month Sha'bán* of this year Gulbadan Bégum, daughter of Bábar Pádsháh and paternal aunt to the Emperor, who had, in the year nine hundred and eighty-two (982) in company with Salímah Sulṭán Bégum daughter of Núr-ud-dín Muḥammed Mirzá (who was formerly wife of Bairám Khán, Khán Khánán, and afterwards entered the Ḥaram of the Emperor), left Ágrah for Ḥijáz and tarried one year in Gujrát, and attained that felicity,* and thus performed the four pilgrimages.* On her return, she remained another whole year at 'Aden through shipwreck, and arrived in Hindústán in the year nine hundred and ninety (990). And from that time it became an established practice, that every five or six years one of the nobles of the Court was made Leader of the pilgrims, and a general permission was given to the people, so that at great public expense, with gold and goods and rich presents, the Emperor sent them on a pilgrimage to Makkah. But this was afterwards abandoned.
In this year Mírzá Sulaimán, who from the time of the reign of
Bábar had held absolute rule over Badakhshán—after that his promising
son 'Ibráhím Mírzá had been slain in war with Pír Muḥam-
“May it not be that thou remain long in this world!
For old age is humiliation, and nonentity,”taking his daughter with him in full confidence in God he travelled into Hind, alone and unattended. At several places the Afgháns opposed his progress by force of arms; but the Mírzá, showing the most intrepid bravery, and wounded with an arrow, after a hundred troubles arrived at the river Indus. Thence he sent two or three horsemen, men born in his house, with a petition to the Court. Then the Emperor sent 50,000 rupees and abundant other necessaries, and a team of horses of pure Arab breed by the hand of Aghá Khán the treasurer to give the Mírzá an honourable reception. And before this Rájah Bhagwán Dás, governor of Láhór, in accordance with a farmán had gone to the Indus to meet him, and was showing him day by day suitable hospitality. The Amírs and governors also of every parganna and town on the way, in accordance with the recognised laws of hospitality promoted his wish to go forward. In this manner they brought the Mírzá [to the Court].
Meanwhile A'zam Khán* (who is also called Khán-i A'zam) was sent for from Gujrát to appear at the Court, with which command he hastened to comply, and did homage at Fatḥpur on the 4th of Rajab* in the year nine hundred and eighty-three (983). One day he broached the subject of the new regulations about branding horses, and the management of tax-collecting, and of contracting for the army, and of the distressed condition of agriculturists and other acts of oppression. Everything that he knew about these things he mentioned with unqualified disapprobation. For some time the Emperor, from old habit, could not endure this unpleasant plain-
speaking, and ordered (P. 215) that for some time he should be forbidden the royal presence, and appointed officers to prevent any of the nobles from visiting him. After some days he sent him to Ágrah, that, closing the door of egress and ingress in the face of mankind, he might practise the retirement of a monastic solitude in his own garden. Now Mírzá Sulaimán having arrived at Mattra* by continued journeys from Láhór, Tarsún Muḥammad Khán, and Qází Nizám Badakhshí (to whom the Mírzá had given the title of Qází-Khán, and who had obtained from the Court the title of Ghází- Khán) came from the great Amírs to meet him. And first of all the nobles, and magnates of the Court, and the pillars of the State, and afterwards the Emperor himself, with the assembled Amírs went out five cosses to meet him. And on that day 5,000 elephants, some with housings of European velvet, and some with Turkish cloth of gold, and some with chains of gold and of silver, and with black and white fringes hung on their heads and necks, were drawn up in line on both sides: also Arabian and Persian horses with golden saddles of like splendour. And between each pair of elephants they placed a car of cheetahs with golden collars, and coverings of velvet and fine linen, and an oxen-car with fillets of embroidered gold. And the whole face of the wilderness, in this manner, became like a vision of Spring, and the desert and hill- country like the reflection of a tulip-bed. And when he saw the Emperor afar off, he alighted with ceremony from his horse, and ran forward to meet him with saláms. The Emperor with politeness quickly descended from his saddle to the ground, and would not permit him to pay any of the formal acts of politeness, and customary humiliations. After embracing him he remounted, and ordered that he should ride with him, and occupied himself in making the kindest enquiries after his welfare. In the palace [called] Anúptaláo* (the door, walls, and interior of which they had furnished with painted canopies, brocade, and splendid carpets, and golden (P. 216) vessels and all other kinds of furniture in abundance) he gave him a place by his side on the throne of Sultanate, and also summoned the Prince, his son, and introduced him to him. After they had finished their repast he granted his request for assistance, and promised him aid with such money and troops, as might enable him to reduce Badakhshán, and had apartments prepared for the Mírzá in the tower of the Hatyápúl,* where was the Naqárah-khánah.* Of an evening he used often to go to the ibádat-khánah, and hold converse with the Shaikhs and sages and cultivate ecstacy, and sometimes loud shouts were heard proceeding from him: and prayer with the congregation was never neglected by him. One day, after leading in all the other prayers, I considered that I had said sufficient prayers when the Mírzá objected to me that I had not recited the Fátiḥah. I said: “In the time of the Prophet (God bless him, and give him peace!) the reciting of the Fátiḥah was not customary; and some of the traditions have pronounced it to be of questionable authority.” He said: “Do you mean to say then that those who read it are not in the region of knowledge, nor wise men?” I replied: “We have to do with the Written Law, not with [possible] forgeries.” The Emperor after this commanded that I should recite it. I complied, although I showed him the tradition which pronounced it as questionable.* At this time [the Emperor] revived an old Chaghatáí custom. For some days, in order to exhibit it to Mírzá Sulaimán, they spread royal tables in the Audience-hall. And the officers of high grade* gathered the soldiers together, and took to themselves the trouble of arranging the customary food. But when the Mírzá departed, all these [revived customs] departed too.
Khán Jahán, commandant of the Panjáb, was ordered to take with him 5,000 warlike mounted archers, and putting himself at the service of the Mírzá to go to Badakhshán, and deliver the country from Mírzá Sháh-Rúkh and hand it over to Mírzá Sulaimán. But as a matter of fact the aspect of affairs took a somewhat different complexion.
Meanwhile news came that Mun'im Khán, Khán Khánán, after making peace with Dáúd in the midst of the rainy-season, under the guidance of Fate, passed over the Ganges from Tándah (the climate of which is temperate), and made the inhabitants (P. 217) migrate to Gaur, and ordered that that town (which was formerly the Capital of Bengál, and the climate of which is debilitating and foul) should be inhabited: and all that the Amírs could say against it availed nothing:—