He was the son of Mullā ‘Abdu-r- Razzāq, and full brother to Ḥakīm Abū-l-Fatḥ* and Ḥakīm Humām.* He had many accom­plishments and virtues, among them being poetry, penmanship and studiousness, and he was endowed with the qualities of an inclination to holy poverty and humility.

When he first came to court the emperor ordered him to be put ³¹³ on duty with his brothers, and, when the guard turned out to salute the emperor, as he did not know how to put on a sword he appeared in the midst disordered in his dress. Some of the young wits expressed their surprise at this, but he said, ‘Soldier­ing does not suit men like me,’ and told that story of the Amīr Tīmūr, Ṣāhib Qirān,* who, in one of his battles, drew up his army in a certain position, and ordered that the laden camels, and the footmen, and all beasts with their burdens should take up a posi­tion of safety behind the troops, and that the ladies should remain in rear of the army. At this moment the learned men* asked where their place should be, and Tīmūr replied, ‘Behind the ladies.’ When this story was repeated to Akbar as a rare piece of wit on the part of Qarārī he ordered that he should be sent to Bengal. He went thither, and there rendered up his soul to God* during the rebellion against Muaffar Khān's authority.* The following verses are productions of his genius:—

“What fear is there if the whole world should become lovers
of Lail,
So long as Lail's heart inclines only towards Majnūn?”

“For the sake of my grief Heaven confers on me a nature
like that of the Friend*
If I make of my darkly-clad lot a mouthful of fire.”

“What accusation shall I make against Death? I have
received an arrow from thy eye
Which would have killed me, even though I did not die
for a hundred years.”

“I am illumined, as a candle, by the fire of thy love,
I humbly burn, even in my tomb.”

“An ocean of fire is raging from my burning heart.
Tell Noah to flee, for my flood sheds fire around.”

“My grief is this, that however much I am persecuted by
thee
³¹⁴ The delight of being persecuted by thee leaves my heart
before I have well experienced it.”

“Of her cruelty all that I ask is more wounds for my
wounded heart,
I am not solicitous for her favour; all I desire is her
cruelty.
I am distracted by the pain of separation; O love, for ages
Have I desired to be distracted but for a moment by the
delight of seeing thee!”

“God forbid that our hearts should be beyond the need of
the sight of her,
For we are entirely guiltless, and she is beyond all need.”

“I am rejoiced at the duration of our separation, for now I
shall be able
To approach her and make advances as though I were a
stranger.”

A quatrain.

“If I be seethed in the caldron of God's wrath,
If I be placed in the flames of hell,
This will be better than that my sins should, of mere favour,
be forgiven
While I am left to burn in the fire of shame.”

A quatrain.

“If the love of my heart should find a buyer
I should do something that would reveal my true self.
I should so shake out my prayer-carpet of abstinence
That from each thread of it a hundred idolators' sacred
threads would fall.”

“If I drive from my heart regret for my union with thee
It will be better than that I should increase the regret of
my heart by meeting with thee”*