Tarikh-i Firoz Shahi, of Ziaud Din Barni/Shams-i Siraj 'Afif

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TENTH SECTION

Description of the Excessive Indulgence of the Lord of the World in Hunting, which is a kingly practice and is counted among the characteristics of the great kings

Eleventh Mukaddama. — Arrival of Sultan Firoz at Hansi.

The Sultan being relieved from all apprehension on account of Dehli, marched in great state from Karoda towards the city. After several stages he arrived at Hansi, where he went to wait upon the Shaikhu-l Islam Shaikh Kutbu-d din. *** The Shaikh said to him, "I have heard it said that you are addicted to wine; but if Sultans and the heads of religion give themselves up to wine-bibbing, the wants of the poor and needy will get little attention." *** The Sultan thereupon said that he would drink no more.

After this the Shaikh said that he had been informed that the Sultan was passionately fond of hunting; but hunting was a source of great trouble and distress to the world, and could not be approved. To kill any animal without necessity was wrong, and hunting ought not to be prosecuted farther than was necessary to supply the wants of man — all beyond this was reprehensible. The Sultan, in reverence of the Shaikh, promised to abstain from hunting.

-- XVI. Tarikh-i Firoz Shahi, of Shams-i Siraj 'Afif, Excerpt from The History of India As Told By Its Own Historians: The Muhammadan Period, edited from the posthumous papers of the Late Sir H.M. Elliot, K.C.B., East India Company's Bengal Civil Service, by Professor John Dowson, M.R.A.S., Staff college, Sandhurst, Vol. III, P. 269-364, 1871

On a few occasions the royal standards marched towards Hansi and Sarsati (for this purpose). When for the first time it headed towards the mountains with an intention of hunting, Allah be praised, if I wish to describe the abundance and variety of game and excessive interest of the lord of the world in the matter of hunting, I will have to pen a Shikar Nama-i Firoz Shahi and in two volumes. The continuous engagement in hunting and the various ways of hunting that have come to us in regard to the asylum of the world, Firoz Shah, has not been witnessed from any other king of Delhi. The books contain descriptions of the great interest of Sultan Shams ud Din in hunting and about the excessive indulgence of Sultan Balban I have heard from my grandfather. As for the inclination of Sultan Ala ud Din Khalji, that I have personally witnessed with my own eyes. But those kings indulged in the hunting of birds during the four months of winter and made the crowned and non crowned falcons to fly. However, as far as hunting of wild beasts and of birds is concerned, in fact Sultan Firoz Shah could not live without hunting throughout the year -- something which is given only to the asylum of the world. On the few occasions when he went hunting in those regions, he neither left the lions in the bushes nor spared any of the wolves or antelope or kozan or deer in those lands. I also don't see the birds flying in the air or alight on some waterbody. Due to the great quantity of meat of hunted animals, the meat would reach the camp of the army and for a long time the butchers did not have any need to slaughter cows and goats and remained idle. This continues to happen even now. Due to the excessive indulgence of the lord of the world in this matter, the amirs of Shikar have attained a very high position which had never been achieved by them in any age and they are greatly honoured. Keepers of falcons, other officers of this department and still others associated with keeping of falcons have come to lead a life of great luxury. A very large number of them have been recruited and arrogance has nestled in their heads. All the falcon keepers of the capital city have been employed in falconry. Countless hawks and falcons have been gathered in the royal falconry and animals are continuously supplied for their feeding. Those associated with the hunting ground of the Sultan recite the following verses:

In front of the onslaught of his arrows due to the problem of acceptance and rejection,
Deer's milk turns into blood and blood turns into milk out of hope,
In front of his two pronged spear with the intention of prostration
The lion bends its back like the branch of guznan.
I have heard that out of fear of this lion of the earth
The lion of the sky cries for help from the Almighty

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ELEVENTH SECTION

In the Description of the Fact that during the Reign of Firoz Shah the Mongol Incursions have stopped.

All the intelligent people of Sind and Hind have observed that during the auspicious reign of Firoz Shah, incursions of Chengiz Khan's Mongols have absolutely stopped. Neither has it been possible for them to cross the borders for the purposes of looting and plundering nor do they come with protestations of sincerity and well wishing and get away with enormous treasures, taking recourse to one ruse or the other. Though they did venture twice and even once crossed the river Sodhra and entered those territories, some of the armies of Islam confronted these villains and with divine help, which always accompanies the royal standards of Firoz Shah, some of those rabbles were killed and many taken as prisoners. Those taken into custody were put on camels with pillories in their necks and were taken to the capital and paraded there. Some of these while retreating and taking to flight in a condition when they could not distinguish between hand and foot and between rein and a crupper, were drowned while trying to cross the river Sodhra. Again when the Mongols tried to capture Gujarat and reached the region by forced marches, some of them died due to nonavailability of water and others perished at the hands of the armies of Islam while some others were destroyed in the night attack launched by the muqaddams of Gujarat. Even one-tenth of the wretched Chehgezid Mongols could not reach the borders again.

Lord Almighty had vouchsafed divine victory to the Sultan of the age and time, Firoz Shah al Sultan, may Allah perpetuate his power and authority. Wherever royal standards and his servants go, they are always victorious and triumphant.

I, Zia ud din Barani, the author of the Tarikh-i Firoz Shahi, have brought the history to this point with the description of the victories of the standard of Islam. The annals and events of the Sultan of the age and time that I witnessed during the period of six years, I have penned it to the best of my abilities in eleven chapters. God willing, if I live any more and if I get some respite from death, the annals and events of the reign of the Sultan of the age and time that I will witness, other chapters will be added to these chapters and I include it in the Tarikh-i Firoz Shahi. However, if death overtakes me, the glories and excellence of the lord of the world will surely not remain unrecorded. I have undergone much trouble in the writing of this book and I hope that the Almighty will not let my exertion go waste. He had said in the exalted Qur'an 'Allah does not waste the reward of those who do good.' Praise be to Allah and peace on Muhammad and his entire progeny.