But that repentance was like the drinking of the elixer by Sohráb.*
The Emperor sent Laṭíf Khwájah Mír shikár to the Mírzá to tell him that his offences were forgiven, and so prevented his taking refuge in the territory of the Uzbeks. Mírzá Muḥammad Ḥakím took in his presence on oath of alleigance, and executed an engagement, which he sent by 'Alí Muḥammad Asp along with him to the Court.
His Majesty conferred Kábul upon Mírzá Muḥammad Ḥakím, and leaving the army he returned quickly to Jalálábád, where there was a large encampment. At this time Khwájagí Muḥammad Ḥusain, brother of Muḥammad Qásim Khán Mir baḥr, who was one of the confidential Amírs of the Mírzá, came and did homage to the Emperor.
From Jalálábád he sent an army to plunder and lay waste the mountain district of Kator,* which is a well-known stronghold of Káfirs, and then stage by stage he marched to the Sindságar,* which he reached on the twelfth of Sha'bán.* There he crossed over and transported his whole army by a bridge in one day, and by successive marches went quickly to Lahór, where he arrived in the latter part of Ramazan.*
He again committed the government of the Panjáb to Sa'íd Khán, and Rájah Bhagwán Dás, and Mán Singh. And with a view to making inquiry into the management of the grant-lands of that province, he appointed a Çadr to each Doáb.* These were Mullá Iláhdád of Amrohrah, Mullá Iláhdád Nabawí of Sulṭánpúr, Mullá Sháh Muḥammad of Sháhábád, and Mullá Sherí (P. 296) the poet. The first and fourth were remarkable for their good-heartedness, and the sccond and third for their bad-heartedness. And Mullá Sháh Muḥammad wrote a mandate to Shaikh Isḥáq Kákawí, a holy and God-fearing sage, with such pomp, that [you might apply to it the verse] “Our people obey God's preacher!”* And Shaikh Faizí he appointed Çadr of the Doáb.* And Ḥakím Humám, and Ḥakím Abu-l-Fatḥ the Çadr of the metropolis, he sent to the other side of the Ganges.
When His Majesty arrived at Pánípat, Shahbáz Khán (who during the Emperor's absence had more suo turned the whole of the imperial dominions right away from Kaṛhí to the Panjáb into people's jagírs, and had given to any one any post that he wished for) arrived at that station with great magnificence, pomp, and circumstance to pay homage to the Emperor. When His Majesty enquired the cause of all this bravery, he replied: “If I had not thus won over the soldiery, they would have revolted with one consent. Now the empire is yours and the army is yours. You may give what you like to whom you will, and take away appointments and jágírs from whom you please”:—
“From whom you please take away,
To whom you please give.”On the twenty-fifth of Shavvál* the Emperor returned to Dihlí, and the younger prince, and the queens came out to meet him, and on the fifth of Zí-qa'dah* he made his entrée into the metropolis.
During this journey since I had been left behind on account of a bond of great friendship which I had contracted with one Mazharí, who was one of the divine objects,* and on account of my freedom and abandon which lasted a whole year at Basáwar,* and brought me in the course thereof into many strange and difficult circumstances, when I arrived at Fatḥpúr on the 6th of this month, I paid my respects to His Majesty. He asked Shaikh Abu-l-Fazl “How was he left behind on this journey?” He replied: “He is one of the pensioners, and is dead.” And before this, when near Kábul he had directed the Çadr-i-Jahán to make out and present to him a list of all the people of piety (P. 297), who were attending with the army, or who were absent. When my name came up, the late Khwájah Nizám-ud-dín Aḥmad, author of the Táríkh-i-
Nizámí , with whom I had become acquainted about a year before that time, but who was as friendly as if I had known him a hundred years, in the great kindness and consideration which he showed to all his friends, and to me in particular, caused me to be put down and returned as sick. And certainly the devotion to created things and the desire of concupiscence, and fear, are much worse than any disease. During this period of absence he kept sending me letter upon letter, saying: “Since you have certainly been remiss in your coming, you must make as far as possible an effort to come to Láhor, or to Dihlí, or to Mit'hra, for it is a matter of public importance, and of attention to stipulated duty.” But since one hour of that state was better to me than life eternal, how could I find an opportunity of occupying myself with thoughts of the future, or any other pain or loss, and so the verse:* “I commit my affairs to God” eventually became fulfilled:— “Leave thy business with God, and be content,
For if He does not show mercy, it would make Him a pretender.”And at this time, every now and then, verses would occur to me in my sleep. And among them one night I composed the following in my sleep, and after waking I had a great deal of trouble and restlessness to recover it:—
“Our mirror is ready to receive the reflexion of thy face,
If thou doest not appear, the fault is not with us.”By the favour and grace of God, though seventeen years have elapsed since that time and this present time of writing, yet the delight of that taste has never left my heart, and every time I remember it I sigh: “Would that at that time I had become from head to foot stripped of the world, (P. 298) and had escaped the pain of separation:—
Happy is he that hath seen thy face,
And has surrendered his soul;
And is no more aware what is
Absence and what is presence.”But I had an experience, and such grace came to my heart, that if I spent ages in describing it, and thanking God for it, the tithe of a tenth part of my bounden duty would not be performed:—
“In the ear of heart there sounded a murmur of love,
From the murmur I am full of love from head to foot.
It is but the truth, that in whole ages I should not escape,
From the obligation of giving thanks for one moment of love.”At the time that the Emperor went to Kábul, Bahádur son of Sa'íd Badakhshí had the khutbah read, and coins struck, in his name in the district of Tirhut, and took the title of Bahádur Sháh. They say that the following rhyme was composed for his signet (but God knows):—
“Bahádur-ud-din Sulṭán
Son of Asfíd Shah Sulṭán.
His father was Sulṭán, and himself Sulṭan,
Bravo! Sulṭán bin Sulṭán.”Eventually he was slain by the servants of A'zam Khán:—
“A base person, when dignity, and gold, and silver come to him,
Requires of necessity a slap on the head.
Have you not heard what Plato said,
It is best for the ant* that its wings should not grow.”When Ma'çúm Khán Farankhúdí had become thoroughly bewildered and forlorn in the mountains of Sawálik* through the intervention of A'zam Khán he made confession of his fault, and received a farmán of pardon. He came and did homage at Fatḥpúr. Some days afterwards he left the Darbár at midnight, and mounting a litter was setting off on his return home, when an armed troop fell upon him outside the gates of the city, and cut him in pieces.
(P. 299). Niyábat* also, by the intervention of the imperial Begum, on the very day that Ma'çúm did homage, was admitted to His Majesty's presence. The Emperor, to please his uncle Shihábud-din Aḥmad Khán, governor of Málwah, spared his life for some time and sent him to the fortress of Rintamb'hor. There he was confined, and performed many exploits, which we cannot now relate. In conjunction with his fellow-prisoners of that plaee he attempted a great outbreak. Eventually in the year nine hundred and ninety-
seven the Emperor sent a farmán, and had him executed. At this time Ḥájí Begum,* who was a second mother to the Emperor, and attended on the tomb of the late Emperor,* a very pillar of holiness, and purity, and virtue, and good works, hastened to the world of eternity. And the greatest distress fell upon the guardians of the tomb, and the dwellers in that holy place.
At this time the Emperor sent Shaikh Jamál Bakhtyár, to bring Shaikh Quṭb-ud-dín of Jalésar, who was a majzúb,* and intoxicated* with the Divine Love. When Quṭb-ud-dín came, the Emperor brought him to a conference with some Christian priests, and philosophers, and great law-authorities of the age. After a discussion the Shaikh exclaimed, “Let us make a peat fire, and in the presence of His Majesty we will pass through it, and whichever gets safely through it, will prove thereby the truth of his religion.” The fire was made. The Shaikh pulled one of the Christian priests by the coat, and said to him, “Come on, in the name of God!” But none of the priests had the courage to go. Soon after the Shaikh was sent into exile to Bakkar, together with other faqírs, as the Emperor was jealous of his triumph. There he died.
A large number of Shaikhs and Faqírs were also sent to other places, mostly to Qandahár, where they were exchanged for horses.
About the same time the Emperor captured a sect of Shaikhs, who called themselves ‘Disciples,’ but were generally known as ‘Iláhís.’ They used to utter all sorts of foul lies and nonsense. His Majesty asked them whether they repented of their vanities. They replied, “Repentance is our maid-servant.” And so they had invented similar names for the laws and religious commands of the Islám, and for the Fast. At His Majesty's command they were sent to Bakkar and Qandahár, and were given to merchants in exchange for Turkish colts.
(P. 300.) His Majesty sent for the grandsons of Shaikh Adhan, who were some of the great Shaikhs of Jounpúr, with their wives and families, and sent than to Ajmír, and gave them a fixed provision. One, two, or three of them died, and some of them are living now in poverty.
Shaikh Ḥusain, grandson of His Reverence Khwájah Mu'ín-ud-dín (God sanctify his tomb!) he banished to Bakkar, because, when he had been to Makkah and come back again, he did not make obeisance in the manner approved by the Emperor, but came in his utter unworldliness to pay his homage to His Majesty in the old fashioned manner, who understood this neglect to be meant as a sign of disloyalty. In the year one thousand and two Nizám-ud-dín Aḥmad, on the occasion of the Emperor's sending for Iltimás Qází Fatḥpúrí, and Shaikh Kamál Biyábání, from Bakkar, mentioned the name of Shaikh Ḥusain also. So His Majesty sent for them all, and since they performed the Zamínbos the Emperor considered that he had gained all that he required, and gave orders for their release. But Kamál Biyábání, whose being found in fetters* in the prison of Bakkar they attributed to the Khán Khánán, the Emperor sent to Rintamb'hor. And to Shaikh Ḥusain he again ordered a pension in Bakkar, and appointed him to that same place, as shall be narrated further on, if God (He is exalted!) will.