Altruistic World Online Library

FIFTH SECTION

Description of the buildings of the august reign of Firoz Shah which are among the most wonderful buildings of the world and had become a means of much benefit for the people

Since Almighty God had created the auspicious person of the Sultan of the age and the time, Firoz Shah al Sultan, as a mine of charities and source of good deeds and had made him a source of benefits for the public, therefore in the very beginning of his reign such buildings were constructed which had no parallel either in the capital of Delhi nor in other countries and those who had traversed lands and seas are wonderstruck by them. One such building is the main congregational mosque (Jami' Masjid).

It was on the 24 Muharram in 752 H [1350], that with the consensus of all the people, commoners and elite, the Sultan of the age and time, Firoz Shah al Sultan, ascended the throne.

-- Chapter 6: The Sultan of the Age, One Who is Supported by God, Firoz Shah al Sultan, Excerpt from "Tarikh-I Firoz Shahi, An English Translation" [Written by Zia ud Din Barani], by Ishtiyaq Ahmad Zilli

The jami masjid is a remarkable structure not so much because of the mosque proper but because of a peculiar structure, the lat pyramid, which is located on its north side. The lat or pillar which is embedded in it is believed to have served as a minar to the mosque. Although the mosque and lat pyramid are conceived as a single mosque complex, they were built at two different times. Firuz Shah ordered the construction of the mosque early in his reign. Following his return to Delhi in 755/1354-1355 after the first campaign to Bengal, he selected the site and commenced the building of Firuzabad. The date of the jami masjid, inferred from historical references, coincides with the founding of the city. ‘Afif does not mention the construction of the mosque specifically but implies its existence when he discusses the addition of the lat pyramid fifteen years later. The mosque contains no surviving historical epigraphs. Following his return in 762/1360 from the second campaign to Bengal, Firuz Shah resumed the building of his capital but the mosque is believed to have been completed prior to this time. The building activities began once more in 769/1367 with the erection of the lat pyramid. The Sirat-i Firuz Shahi records this event to have occurred during Muharram 769/September 1367 and reports that the lat was raised to its upright position on 4 Safar 769/30 September 1367. [Sirat-i Firuz Shahi, pp. 33-42. The Sirat, pp. 35 and 41, mentions that the discovery of the lat occurred in 769/1367, after the conquest of Sind. Carr Stephen, Archaeology and Monumental Remains, p. 129 places the event in 757/1356 citing as his source J.D. Beglar, Archaeological Survey of India, Report, v. IV (1874). This date is repeated in the Archaeological Survey’s Lists of Monuments, v. 2 Delhi Zail (1919), p. 74. Sayyid Ahmad Khan assigns the event to 770/1368. Athar al-Sanadid in Journal asiatique (August-September 1860), p. 231.]

-- The Architecture of Firuz Shah Tughluq, Dissertation Presented in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree Doctor of Philosophy in the Graduate School of The Ohio State University, by William Jeffrey McKibben, B.A., M.A., 1988

Ziauddin Barani (1285–1358 CE) was a Muslim political thinker of the Delhi Sultanate located in present-day Northern India during Muhammad bin Tughlaq and Firuz Shah's reign.

-- Ziauddin Barani, by Wikipedia

The arches of this mosque vie with the dome of the sky. Since this good deed, which is the greatest among good deeds, has been graced with the divine acceptance, the Sunni people at large and devout monotheists make utmost endeavour to offer their fuma prayers in this mosque so much so that on Fridays due to the great number of worshippers no room is left anywhere either inside the mosque, in the courtyard or even on the roofs. Many are obliged to perform their prayers in the adjoining streets forming lines for prayer there. This particular preference of Muslims for this mosque that despite many other mosques, they make every endeavour to perform their prayers in this mosque and take the trouble of coming over to it from various places in such large numbers that they could not be accommodated in it is in itself an important indication of the divine acceptance of this place of goodness. May Allah make this edifice of goodness and other buildings a source of blessing for the Sultan of the age and time, depending upon the divine help of All Merciful Abul Muzaffar Firoz Shah al Sultan and prove to be a means of the longevity of his life.

The second among the buildings of the lord of the world is the Madrasa-i Firoz Shahi, a wonderful building on the bank of Hauz-i Alai. The building of this madrasah has surpassed the buildings throughout the world in the loftiness of its domes, beauty of its buildings, measure of its courtyards, elegance of its sitting places, excellence of its dwelling places and the beauty of its carpets. It is such a wonderful building and amazing edifice that anyone who enters it, whether traveller or resident, would think that he had entered the paradise of Aden or that he had found his way to the highest heavens. Simply by entering it, all burden from the mind is removed and viewing the refreshing building of the Madrasa-i Firoz Shahi gladdens saddened hearts. The view of the soul-nourishing spectacle of the edifices revives sagging spirits and long entrenched grief is removed from the hearts of spectators. They become so enamoured of the buildings of the madrasa and captivated by its general ambience that they forget their own hearths and homes. Overlooking their own needs and obligations, they find themselves unable to step out of the premises of the madrasah. As far as the residents of the city are concerned, they are so enchanted with the breathtaking environment of the madrasah, that abandoning their old habitations they build houses for themselves in the vicinity of the madrasah and don't feel content and satisfied until they visit it ten or even twenty times. Due to the milieu of the madrasah, the travellers forget the purposes and prospects of the journey and take up residence there resolving to remain there for the rest of their lives. Any traveller who reaches there from any part of the world and sees its wonderful edifices and has a feel of its pleasant atmosphere, swears with the most solemn oaths and states that he had travelled through much of the world and seen so many cities but had never seen anything like this madrasah in the entire expanse of the world as far as the beauty of the buildings and the pleasantness of its atmosphere are concerned. In fact, the madrasa is among those rare and exceptional buildings which deservingly vie with the edifices of Khawarnaq, Satma and the palace of Caesar in the matter of beauty of buildings, scale of structure and exhilarating atmosphere. As the Madrasa-i Firoz Shahi constitutes a fountain of good deeds and both obligatory as also those devotions whose benefit accrues to others as well, the five obligatory prayers are performed in congregation as prescribed by the Prophetic traditions, the Sufis offer prayers of chasht, ishraq, awwabin (supererogatory devotions, which are offered at various times of day and night) and the one offered when the shadow begins to lengthen and tahajjud (prayers offered during the night). They are engaged day and night in the remembrance of God and prayers and praise for the king. Maulana Jalal ud din Rumi [30 September 1207 – 17 December 1273] who is an expert in many sciences is continuously engaged in giving lessons in the religious sciences and educates students who study the sciences of tafsir, hadith and fiqh. [???!!!]

Maulana Jalaluddin Rumi was born in 1207 C.E. ( i.e. Common Era aligned with A.D.) in Balkh. This city was then in the Persian province of “Khorasan” but is now in Afghanistan. Balkh was then a prominent city and his family had a tradition of service there in legal and religious offices. Despite this background he moved, in his youth and with his family about 1218 C.E., away from Balkh in order to avoid the warlike Mongols who were then conquering extensively under the leadership of their Khans.

The family traveled to Baghdad, to Mecca on pilgrimage, and to Damascus and eventually settled at Karaman near Konya in what is now western Turkey.

Following this move to Konya, then the capital of the western Seljuk Turks Jalaluddin's father was busy as an Islamic theologian, teacher and preacher. Jalaluddin followed in this tradition and, upon his father's demise in 1231 C.E. succeeded to his post as a prominent religious teacher.

This part of the world was then known to its inhabitants as Rum, a name derived from the Byzantine Roman Empire that had formerly held it. Jalaluddin's name in religion and literature -- Rumi -- is itself derived from Rum.

Rumi is today thought of being a Persian mystic and poet and is closely identified with Sufism and Sufi mysticism. This Sufism being a mysticism within Islam where devotees sought a mystical union with God.

-- Maulana Jalal Ud Din Rumi .... His life and Works, by Islam & Spiritualism, Accessed 12/7/21

The hafizs remain busy in completing the recitation of the entire Qu'ran every day several times over. The sound of takbir raised by the travellers reaches the skies. The muezzins call for prayer five times a day and raise their resounding voice with their prayers for the king of Islam and Muslims. Each of these classes of people get stipends, gifts, rewards and charities in cash and every day tables full of delicacies are laid before them. Therefore the devotees, students, hafizs, worshippers, those busy in the remembrance of Allah, those immersed in devotions and worships as well as the rest of the creatures of Allah have chosen the Madrasa-i Firoz Shahi and enjoy pleasures and comforts and remain engaged day and night with contented hearts in prayers for the longevity of the life of the king of Islam. Their prayers are met with acceptance in the presence of Almighty Allah. If this auspicious building and august edifice, which is a source of so much bounty and goodness for the ulama, pious, devotees and residents as well as travellers, is given precedence over the edifice of Iram that was built by Shaddad of 'Ad and from which inauspicious building neither any man or jinni could derive any benefit either due to the fact of the perfection of religion and the extreme piety and religiosity of its founder, i.e. Sultan of the age Firoz Shah al Sultan or even because of the great amount of acts of piety, devotion and good deeds which are performed there, none of the learned and wise would find any fault on the precedence of Madrasa-i Firozi over the Iram and every body would concede to this superiority from the points of view of religion, justice, wisdom and piety. Although the earlier sultans of Delhi, may God sanctify their graves, had built many edifices in the capital city and expended enormous money on their construction, now they had turned into abodes of demons and ghosts and the beauty, elegance and comfort in which this building is suffused could not be traced in any other edifice and no other building had been seen which is possessed of such beauty.

There could not be any edifice with such beauty
And if there is one it could not possess such beauty.

The third building is the structure of Balaband in the area of Siri which vies with the skies in height and in the matter of beauty of construction and purity of climate it is the envy of the buildings of the inhabited world and among the fine structures -- there is none like it. In fact a wonderful structure has come up there. It suits it fine if they call it a palace but it would be equally good in case it is turned into a khanqah. It would be still better if it is said to be a madrasa. If there is a building that could lay a claim to be equal to the Madrasa-i Firozi it is this building of the Balaband. Its very admirable climate takes a page from the climate of the Garden of Aden. From whichever angle spectators see it, it presents a spectacle of gardens of Paradise and its verdant meadows. The wonders of that structure are so varied that the pen of those who seek to describe it are unable to enumerate its merits. These days due to the attention of the king of Islam a great building had been built there and Maulana Saiyid Najm al din Samarqandi, who is one of the most excellent teachers, had been appointed as a teacher at that auspicious building and stipends and villages have been assigned to him. Further, a number of students have been given stipends there to take lessons in the religious sciences every day from this teacher.

Moreover, with the ever increasing power and authority of Firoz Shah, the fort of Firozabad had been built on the banks of the Jamuna on the best of sites. If I set to describe its soul-nourishing climate, its many excellencies and auspiciousness of the construction of the city of Firozabad, which will with the passage of time emerge as an envy of great cities, it would require a separate volume for the purpose. Another fort with the name of Fathabad had been constructed in between Hansi, Siristi and Firozabad. It is a stronger fort in the vicinity of Bhatnir. For the benefit of the people, canals have been excavated and brought from long distances, their water has been made to flow and it has been brought to the foot of these forts. With the help of this water, gardens and agriculture had been begun and deserts which were full of the thorns of acacia have now been turned into gardens and flower beds and the process is gaining ground day by day.

‘Afif ... also states that upon arrival into Delhi from Bengal, the town of Firuzabad was "not yet populous" and the kushk (palace) and fort were not yet constructed.

-- The Architecture of Firuz Shah Tughluq, Dissertation Presented in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree Doctor of Philosophy in the Graduate School of The Ohio State University, by William Jeffrey McKibben, B.A., M.A., 1988

May Allah by the grace of the Qu'ranic verse: 'That which benefits the people, remains in the ground' keep and maintain the Sultan of the age and the period, Firoz Shah al Sultan, who is in fact the means of the benefit to the people on the throne of kingship for many years to come. Amin O Lord of the universe.

SIXTH SECTION

Description of excavating canals that is concerned with public welfare in deserts and uncultivated lands where people would die due to thirst and lack of water and birds and animals too perished due the unavailability of water

[T]he task of identifying the engineer of numerous canals and dams, or builder of the many ba’olis, which remain in northern India, is ambitious, if not impossible. Nonetheless, Firuz Shah’s reputation for undertaking such projects on a grand scale led Firishta to claim 50 dams, 30 reservoirs, 5 wells, 150 bridges and 10 public wells to his credit. In the case of waterworks, such numbers are probably not exaggerated.

-- The Architecture of Firuz Shah Tughluq, Dissertation Presented in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree Doctor of Philosophy in the Graduate School of The Ohio State University, by William Jeffrey McKibben, B.A., M.A., 1988

During the auspicious reign of Firoz Shah, canals like those around the Jamuna and Ganges have been excavated from as far as 50-60 karoh (about two miles) [2 miles long] and made to flow in deserts and wastelands where there has never been any thing like a well (and these canals are so wide that) there arose a need for boats (to cross it).

Firuz Shah is credited with excavating the largest network of canals in India until the 19th century.79 [Raychaudhuri and Habib, Cambridge Economic History, p. 49.] Barani writes in the Ta’rikh-i Firuz Shahi:80 [Barani, Ta'rikh (Bibliotheca Indica), p. 567; translation given in Siddiqui, "Waterworks and Irrigation System in India during Pre-Mughal Times," Islamic Culture (Jan. 1984), p. 13.]

During the auspicious Firuz Shah’s reign, the canals, one hundred and twenty miles long, [120 miles long] were led off from the rivers, the Jamuna and the Ganges. The water flowing through them irrigated the desert and desolate tracts where no well or lake existed [before]. The depth and width [of certain canals] has made the use of boats possible, people travel in boats covering distance from one to the other place.

-- The Architecture of Firuz Shah Tughluq, Dissertation Presented in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree Doctor of Philosophy in the Graduate School of The Ohio State University, by William Jeffrey McKibben, B.A., M.A., 1988

Given the width and great volume of water so brought, the people ride boats and cover distances by this means. Among the sultans of Delhi, God Almighty had vouchsafed the opportunity and ability to undertake this great good work, which is in fact the source and basis of many good things as it provides respite from thirst and lack of water as well as being a means of production of fine grains, sugar cane, gardens and rice, to the Sultan of the age, Firoz Shah al Sultan.

Under the diligent care and noble exertions of the Sultan, flowing water and long canals have appeared in the barren wastelands and burning deserts. In a land where travellers and wayfarers did not dare to set foot in, out of fear of thirst and waterlessness and always travelled with complete preparedness, limiting themselves to travelling only during the nights, in those vast and arid wastelands where there were no ponds, wells and pools and the herds of beasts and flocks of animals perished due to thirst and birds died due to want of water, now this land had been excavated for miles and water flows in it just like on the Ganga and Jamuna. Even if an army alights at the banks of one of the canals that have been dug in pursuance of the orders of the world-protecting king, Firoz Shah al Sultan, and remains put there for ages, it will not lead to any decrease in its waters.

Only God knows how many thousand villages will come up on the banks of these canals with the passage of time and through means of cultivation and sowing, how many kinds of harvests and delicacies will be grown there. Following this abundance, no doubt even prices of commodities will fall. Even today extensive cultivation is being carried out and gardens are being laid and delicacies are being reaped. From the date Hindustan was inhabited, the people of these lands, instead of keeping their animals in villages and habitations kept them moving from place to place and head to any place where they came to know about the existence of water. In this way, throughout the twelve months of the year they continued to live in tents along with their children and women folk. Now after this (development) under the auspicious dominion of Firoz Shah, the inhabitants of these lands would put up their own villages and build houses and they and their children and women would be relieved of the distress of living under the tents. Instead of moth and sesame that they cultivated and took with them to the desert, now they would cultivate with the help of the water, wheat, sugar cane and gram and bring (and store) the harvest in their houses. Due to an abundance of canals which are just like rivers, and enough water to provide for land and community, their animals would multiply. In consequence of the favours of Sultan Firoz Shah, the people of those lands would prosper. Also, because of the expansion of population it will be easier for governors and muqtas to control villages more effectively. Moreover, the realization of revenue from these lands would lead to the stability of the treasury. The people of those territories had never set eyes on sugar cane, wheat, gram, fruits and garden flowers nor had they ever heard about these. As far as sugar, wheat and gram are concerned, the merchants would bring them as part of their merchandise from Delhi and its vicinity and offered them on usual commercial prices. However, the people of these regions never bought sugar and ate wheat and gram except on occasions of feasts and festivities. Now after the digging of numerous royal canals they will cultivate sugar cane, wheat and gram and other such produce and will attain prosperity, also stocking their houses with all kinds of delicacies. When earlier sugar, wheat and gram was brought from the capital of Delhi and its environs to these regions as items of merchandise, now they will be taken from these lands to other areas. This entire region will rest satisfied and at peace in the enjoyment of many good things and will derive much felicity. The people of these regions will be engaged in the prayers for the longevity of the life of this world-protecting ruler who is the originator of this great good thing and the eulogies and praises of Sultan Firoz Shah will be prolonged until the end of time.

The eulogies and acclamations of Firoz Shah are bound to be invested with an eternal quality because in the vast deserts where nothing except thorns and thorny bushes could grow and for miles and miles nothing could be seen except wild gourd, acacia and other thorny plants, one would see now extensive cultivation and plantation of gardens, farming of rice which becomes possible due the abundance of water from canals. And now in those gardens would grow flowers such as the red rose, the hundred petal rose, the flower of the red gooseberry and sewti, etc. Moreover, there will cultivated in these gardens fruits like pomegranate, grapes, apple, melons, orange, jhaneri, fig, lemon, red gooseberry, jhawang, mango, beans and poppy besides black sugar cane and paranda. They also plant there trees of khirni, jamun, tamarind, badhal, cinth, peepal, and flowering plants. Due to the increasing felicity of the ever-increasing royal fortune of Firoz Shah in a very short time, an abundance of every kind of good thing would grow in those lands and which will be brought for sale at the capital of Delhi. The digging of canals is such a good deed that a thousand benefits accrue from it to the people at large -- which will increase with the passage of time. As time passes, more benefits will come the way of the people. Travellers who were obliged to perform their prayers in these lands with tayammum will now he able to.perform the five times prayers with bathing. Moreover those who were obliged to travel in this tract of land at night due to the very hot winds that blow here and were compelled to keep onions suspended from their necks, now can travel easy under the full blaze of day and do not keep with themselves any kind of vessel containing water.

Now both human beings and jinn pray and will continue to pray for the lord of the world for this great work of goodness. Even the wild beasts, animals and birds that have been relieved from thirst also pray and will continue to do so in their own way for the longevity of his life. This is a good deed whose effect will remain among the people for years and ages. This is definitely one of the reasons for the longevity of the life of the king of Islam. The Prophet had said that an act of continuous charity (sadqa-i jaria) that remains among the people for a long time in fact applies both in appearance as well as in meaning to the act of digging canals which continue to flow all the time. In fact, the benefits accruing from the canals of Firoz Shah are such that they could not be expressed through writing or speech. Since I, the author of the Tarikh-i Firoz Shahi, have not witnessed in my life such good deeds from any past king, the benefits of which accrue to all creatures, both men and animals, that I have witnessed from the king of the time and age, Firoz Shah al Sultan, therefore, I say that I don't remember another king who combines the good qualities and excellences in his person as having ascended the throne of Delhi. The Almighty had enabled the Sultan of the age and time, Firoz Shah al Sultan, from among all the kings of the past to do so many acts of goodness whose benefits are greater than each other and has distinguished him with much good fortune and felicity.

SEVENTH SECTION

Description of the stability of regulations whose implementation brought state affairs and imperial interests together in a short time. The dissensions, discord and disturbance that had arisen in the body politic due to a variety of tyrannical and repressive ways were set right in the very first year, as witnessed by the overwhelming majority of masses and elite of the capital city of Delhi

Before the accession of the Sultan of the age, Sultan Firoz Shah al Sultan, to the imperial throne, the territories of Hind and Sind were shaken upside down for a variety of reasons that include famine, epidemic, rebels and insurgents, excessive punishments and hatred and resentment among the people. It had further led to complete chaos in the life of the various sections of society, including elite, masses, the intelligentsia, mystics, clerks, troopers, well known and lesser known people, gentlemen and free people as well as the plebeian, bazaar people and merchants, cultivators and workers and those without any work and every class of people that was badly affected and every community subjected to anarchy and disorder. Many people perished due to famine, others died due to epidemics, many were destroyed as a result of punishments, others abandoned their hearth and home and migrated to distant regions and opted for a life of exile and destitution. Still others left for jungles and took themselves to mountainous regions.

Sultan Sultan Firoz Shah, may his rule be prolonged for a thousand years, introduced a number of regulations and with their help within one year, i.e. in the very first year of his accession, restored such order and managed the affairs of this country that was so badly affected by anarchy and disorder that it appeared as if no famine had ever taken place here nor was it ever affected by any kind of epidemic subjected to harsh punishments and killings or any kind of disorder and chaos. Due to the great felicity and fortunes of Sultan Firoz Shah, in the vast dominions of Hind and Sind from east to west and from north to south, one could see nothing but tranquillity and peace, populated areas, cultivation gardens, vineyards, sown fields, all kinds of profits and advantages, peace, repose, total freedom from sorrow, full enjoyment of life, affluence, pleasures and splendour everywhere. In this reign people are happy and successful with their earnings and income.

The first regulation of the reign of Firoz Shah that was adopted for the betterment of the affairs of state was the renunciation of harsh punishments and killings. In the ever increasing power of the dominions of Firoz Shah, the blood of any Muslim, monotheist, Sunni, obedient, zimmi (protected people, i.e. non-Muslims), the oppressed, helpless, religious, irreligious had not been shed in the capital in front of the doors of the royal palace.

The Hindus and idol-worshipers had agreed to pay the money for toleration (zar-i zimmiya) and had consented to the poll tax (jizya), in return for which they and their families enjoyed security. These people now erected new idol temples in the city and the environs in opposition to the Law of the Prophet which declares that such temples are not to be tolerated. Under Divine guidance I destroyed these edifices, and I killed those leaders of infidelity who seduced others into error, and the lower orders I subjected to stripes and chastisement, until this abuse was entirely abolished. The following is an instance: — In the village of Maluh there is a tank which they call kund (tank). Here they had built idol-temples, and on certain days the Hindus were accustomed to proceed thither on horseback, and wearing arms. Their women and children also went out in palankins and carts. There they assembled in thousands and performed idol worship. This abuse had been so overlooked that the bazar people took out there all sorts of provisions, and set up stalls and sold their goods. Some graceless Musulmans, thinking only of their own gratification, took part in these meetings. When intelligence of this came to my ears my religious feelings prompted me at once to put a stop to this scandal and offence to the religion of Islam. On the day of the assembling I went there in person, and I ordered that the leaders of these people and the promoters of this abomination should be put to death. I forbad the infliction of any severe punishments on the Hindus in general, but I destroyed their idol temples, and instead thereof raised mosques. I founded two flourishing towns (kasba), one called Tughlikpur, the other Salarpur. Where infidels and idolaters worshiped idols, Musulmans now, by God's mercy, perform their devotions to the true God. Praises of God and the summons to prayer are now heard there, and that place which was formerly the home of infidels has become the habitation of the faithful, who there repeat their creed and offer up their praises to God.

Information was brought to me that some Hindus had erected a new idol-temple in the village of Salihpur, and were performing worship to their idol. I sent some persons there to destroy the idol temple, and to put a stop to their pernicious incitements to error.

Some Hindus had erected a new idol-temple in the village of Kohana, and the idolaters used to assemble there and perform their idolatrous rites. These people were seized and brought before me. I ordered that the perverse conduct of the leaders of this wickedness should be publicly proclaimed, and that they should be put to death before the gate of the palace. I also ordered that the infidel books, the idols, and the vessels used in their worship, which had been taken with them, should all be publicly burnt. The others were restrained by threats and punishments, as a warning to all men, that no zimmi could follow such wicked practices in a Musulman country.

-- XVII. Futuhat-i Firoz Shahi of Sultan Firoz Shah, 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. 374, 1871

The population grew. As a result, great numbers of people and their vast multitudes belonging to every section of society and every walk of life appeared in the capital city of Delhi. The territories of the dominions got populated and inhabited afresh and peace and tranquillity smiled over the people. I, Zia-i Barani, the author of the Tarikh-i Firoz Shahi, have completed 74 years of my life time, which is equal to two-and-a-half qarn, whenever I go to any mosque where Juma is offered or the congregations of Ids that I attend or any inn where I go, the multitudes of people, the prevalence of peace and tranquillity and the prosperity and affluence of the people make me wonder. Where were so many people with expertise in various fields and from where they have come? I see a large number of ulama, mashaikh, Sufis, students, astanadars, those confined in the corners of the zawias, ascetics, pious, Haidaries and Qalandars and I don't recognize any one of them; I have not seen any one of them before.

One would see many amirs, sipahsalars, notables and eminent people. Clerks who had but vanished like 'anqa (a mythical bird and hence the word is used for anything that is rare) and philosopher's stone could now be seen in plenty. Due to the exemplary dispensation of justice, bounty, extreme kindness and compassion, as well as the concern of the Sultan of the age and time, Firoz Shah al Sultan, for the welfare of the people, many skilled and experienced people gathered together and assembled in such large numbers. I have not seen anything like this in any earlier age. Moreover, I don't remember that ever there have been so many people with such prosperity, affluence, excellent things of life, peace and fearlessness. I know for certain and wise people also know that due to the proclamation of justice and equity and fame of forbearance and modesty and the reputation for kindness and compassion of Sultan Firoz Shah, many who had left now returned, those who hid themselves had come out and those who had fled had returned, those who had scattered had recollected, those who were fearful and afraid were granted quarter, the rebel and recalcitrant turned obedient. In brief, the general resentment and hatred was removed, rebellion and recalcitrance was buried under the ground, the world blossomed and smiled again and the inhabitants prospered and flourished and the affairs of the country were brought together again.

The second regulation of Sultan Firoz Shah that led to the prosperity and affluence of the people of Hind and Sind is that the kharaj and jizya were to be realized in accordance of actual produce (hukm-i hasil) and all kinds of additional demands and imaginary assessments were eliminated from among the people.

Fourth Mukaddama. — Levy of the Jizya from the Brahmans.

*** The Jizya, or poll tax, had never been levied from Brahmans; they had been held excused, in former reigns. But the Sultan convened a meeting of the learned men and elders, suggested to them that an error had been committed in holding Brahmans exempt from the tax, and that the revenue officers had been remiss in their duty. The Brahmans were the very keys of the chamber of idolatry, and the infidels were dependent on them. They ought therefore to be taxed first. The learned lawyers gave it as their opinion that the Brahmans ought to be taxed. The Brahmans of all the four cities then assembled and went to the Kushk-i Shikar, where the Sultan was engaged in building, and represented that the Brahmans had never before been called upon to pay the Jizya, and they wanted to know why they were now subjected to the indignity of having to pay it. They were determined to collect wood and to burn themselves under the walls of the palace rather than pay the tax. When these pleasant words (kalimat i pur naghmat) were reported to the Sultan, he replied that they might burn and destroy themselves at once, for they would not escape from the payment. He could not overlook the matter as former kings had done, and they must give up all hope of it. The Brahmans remained fasting for several days at the palace until they were on the point of death. They clearly perceived that the Sultan did not intend to spare them. The Hindus of the city then assembled and told the Brahmans that it was not right to kill themselves on account of the Jizya, and that they would undertake to pay it for them. In Dehli, the Jizya was of three kinds: 1st class. Forty tankas; 2nd class, Twenty tankas; 3rd class, Ten tankas. When the Brahmans found their case was hopeless, they went to the Sultan and begged him in his mercy to reduce the amount they would have to pay, and he accordingly assessed it at ten tankas and fifty jitals1 [[x]] for each individual.

-- 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

The seekers of muqata'a [boycott; interference; disruption] and those who sought to make higher evaluation were not allowed to come near the 'iqtas and other regions of the dominions.

Revenue that the subjects could pay without any harshness, ill will and resentment, with contentment of heart and mind was considered adequate. With cultivators, who are in fact treasurers of the Bait ul Mal of Muslims, no kind of hardship and oppression was practiced. With the implementation of this regulation, the dominions flourished and almost every karoh farsakh (a league) of land was brought under cultivation, so much so that deserts and plains were also put under cultivation. The result was that cultivated lands were joined together with other cultivated lands and, gardens with other gardens and villages with other villages. The hatred and resentment that was entrenched in the hearts of people was uprooted in one go. Since the kharaj and jizya were fixed on the basis of actual production (hukm-i hasil), no calamity ever befell any amil, mutasarrif or karkun, rather on any muqta and wali, and no arrears ever remained to be paid in the 'iqtas and provinces. The officers were therefore never subjected to demands of the diwan-i wizarat and were not called to account. Therefore, no Muslim was subjected to imprisonment, chains, punishments and disgrace and humiliation. This phenomenon had not been witnessed in any age except during the reign of Sultan Firoz Shah.  

The third regulation of Sultan Firoz Shah through which justice and fair dealing of the Sultan disseminated throughout the royal dominions and the doors of oppression and tyranny were tightly closed, relates to the appointment of helpers, supporters, office holders of the court, governors (walian) and 'iqta holders. Those appointed to these posts were righteous, benefactors, just and equitable. The wicked, oppressors and those who have no fear of God in their hearts were not appointed to any post. Almighty Allah had adorned the Sultan of the age and time, Abul Muzaffar Firoz Shah al Sultan, with excellences of character, excessive kindness and compassion, extreme forbearance and modesty. Therefore, in accordance with the dictum, 'people follow the religion of their rulers,' all the helpers, supporters, and those who enjoy proximity to court, the governors, muqtas and chiefs and commanders of the troops reflect the same traits of character as of the king.

Due to the implementation of this rule, which is in fact the most important of them all, no wicked, depraved, perverse, tyrant, disgraceful, impious and bad tempered person could be appointed over Muslims and zimmis. The good and pious were not subjected to the oppressive rule of the wicked and bad. Due to the implementation of this regulation, the people, both elite and masses, are busy in the praise of the rule of Sultan Firoz Shah. The great majority of subjects want to throw themselves and their wives and children under the feet of the horse of the world-protecting Sultan, may his rule be perpetuated, out of sincerity and loyalty to him. If I, the author of the Tarikh-i Firoz Shahi, wish to put on record the excellent qualities of the helpers, supporters, chiefs and commanders of the army of Sultan Firoz Shah's government, I would not be able to do so as their excellent qualities are too numerous to be recorded. But there are some dignitaries, excellence of whose character must be mentioned in this book. Therefore I have adorned my book with the description of their laudable character and qualities.

Among the princes, mention must be made of the Prince of the world, the great and most respectable Shadi Khan, may his years be prolonged and his status exalted. He is adorned with a praiseworthy character and the etiquettes and qualities of a prince. The lord of the world is extremely pleased with his praiseworthy services and had assigned him the great responsibility of wakil-i dar, which is in fact the biggest responsibility associated with the court, along with a hundred thousand other favours and affections. He is so highly well bred, civil and highly respected and dignified that royal favour continues to increase with every passing moment. May the Almighty prolong the age of the great prince Shadi Khan and may he live long under the care of the Sultan. The other princes have also received titles of khan and have been assigned big 'iqtas, but they are still tender in age and are learning the Qur'an and calligraphy. Till date their establishments have not been put up separately and absolute authority (hukm-i mutlaq) has not yet been granted to them and their deputies look after their 'iqtas and troops. May our princes enjoy a happy and long life under the eyes of the king of the world and may every one of them have the distinction of ruling over a country and a region. Amin!

Since they are being educated and trained in the etiquettes of command and leadership under the supervision of the lord of the world, it is expected that they will rise to positions of leadership and command.

One (of them) conquers the world like Alexander
The other attains eternal life like Khizr.
Yet another brings Iraq and Khorasan under his subjugation
The other one finds the invincible skies at his door steps

This is particularly true about Fath Khan who is the light of the eyes of the Emperor. While he is still only six years old, he is adorned with the etiquettes of princes and qualities of leadership and dignity and is in fact a rare person among the princes. I, an old well wisher of the Emperor, am particularly an object of his special kindness. May Allah grant him long life under the eyes of the Emperor and vouchsafe to him the kingdom of a country. Amin!

As far as the brothers of the Emperor are concerned, every one of them is worthy of a thousand praises and applauses. No relationship could be esteemed to be better, nobler and higher in status than the brotherhood of the king and that too the King of Islam, as this relationship is undoubtedly the best and the highest of all relationships. However, in spite of this great honour they are adorned with excellence of character, the gift of gratefulness and a commitment to discharge their obligations and duties and faithfulness. They are in fact fountainheads of grace and a source of justice and equity and thereby they have attained a very high status.

One of the brothers of the lord of the world is Qutb ul Haq wal Din, who is not only a malik but in fact resembles a malak (angel) in his attributes. He is one of the great maliks and elders of the court and is adorned with praiseworthy qualities and attributes as well as characteristics of extreme kindness, compassion and of being God fearing. It could well be the case that even the thought of causing injury or oppression to some one had not ever crossed his mind and even an ant would not have been harmed by him in his entire life. Most of the time this most venerated and highly respected malik could be seen busy dispensing charities and alms of the King of Islam. He is dependable, both in matters of religion as well as state. He always remains engaged in providing succour to those who have no support and extending and to the helpless. He had never been seen committing anything which is prohibited by religion.

The second brother of the lord of the world is Malik al Sharq (malik of the east) Fakhr al Daulah wal Din, the helper of Islam and Muslims, the malik of angelic qualities, Malik Ibrahim, naib-i barbak, may Allah strengthen his position. The dependence of the king on him in matters of state and his kindness and favours in his regard are more manifest than the sun. Out of the great consideration in which he is held by the lord of the world, Malik Naib has been given a very important assignment. An important aspect of this assignment relates to his responsibility to bring to the notice of kings, the problems of the needy. Due to the great imperial favour in which he is held, he always brings the needs of the people to the notice of the king and takes orders from the Sultan for the redress of their problems.

He also holds the same responsibility as that of Gabriel
In the presence of the lord of the world
No one has ever seen any unlawful action
being committed by this malik of angelic attributes.

As far as those whom the lord of the world had chosen from among the group of maliks and had distinguished them with titles of Khan and assignment of chatr (umbrella) and dur bash (baton), the imperial kindness and favour in their case and their loyalty and good wishes for the king is beyond description. One of them is Ulugh Qutlugh Azam Humayun Khan-i Jahan Wazir-i Mamalik Maqbul Sultani, may God perpetuate his exaltedness. For six years, the wizarat of the dominions had been entrusted to him and complete control of the diwan-i wizarat handed over to him and he had been granted absolute authority. The favours and special treatment that the lord of the world had vouchsafed to Azam Khan-i Jahan, had not been granted by any ruler of the capital of Delhi to the wazir of his time. His closeness to the king is such that it could not be put into words. Since the attributes of gratitude and faithfulness are embodied in the person of Khan-i Jahan to perfection, he considers himself inferior to the humblest of the humble servants of the royal threshold. It is always his desire to sacrifice his entire household and establishment on one of the servants of the king. His dealings in the diwan-i wizarat are such that all the dues of Bait ul Mal should reach the treasury and the payers never feel harassed by the severity of demand.

The second person who is held in special consideration at the august court is Tatar Khan Bahadur, the slave of amir ul muminin, may his status increase. In matters of sincerity, gratefulness and faithfulness to the king, he has surpassed all the maliks and amirs. Consequently, he has been distinguished with a very high status in the consideration of the king. In the service of the king, his status and proximity are above all other maliks. In addition to the title of Khan, which is the source of worldly dignity, he combines in his person qualities of piety, devoutness, modesty, holiness, engagement in the sciences of Hadith and fiqh (jurisprudence), prudence of opinion and grace of temperament. All this had made him a rare personality among the khans and maliks of the past and present. One person who had combined worldliness with religiosity is Tatar Khan, may God strengthen his position.

The third person among the elders, who is a recipient of a very large portion of the favours of the king, is Malik al Sadat, Sadr al Sudur-i Jahan Jalal al Haq wal Din Kirmani, may God perpetuate his glory. By lineage he is a descendant of the Prophet and the light of the eye of Murtaza (Ali). However in knowledge, he is the Ghazali of the time and Razi of the age. Due to the extreme kindness of the king who is the protector of religion and an asylum for it, the status of the Sadral Sudur-i Jahan Jalal al Din is above any other sadr-i jahan of the past who had ever occupied the chair of the justice of the capital city of Delhi. The King of Islam, may God perpetuate his rule and kingdom, had given him absolute authority in matters relating to the Shari'at and had assigned to him the power of granting stipends and gifts to the class of ulama of the capital city of Delhi and the rest of the imperial dominions. It is entirely dependent upon the order of Dar al Qaza. Since the Sultan of the age and time, Firoz Shah al Sultan, had surpassed all the rulers of the inhabited world in the veneration of the household of the Prophet and in love for his descendants and had risen to a very high status in this regard, whether it concerns sadr-i jahan or other Saiyids who have descended from Fatima and showers upon them greatest favours and consideration. It was because of his love for the Saiyids that he granted Khudawand Khan, i.e. the late Khudawandzada Qiwam al Din Tirmizi chatr, durbash and other insignia of kingship. His nephew, Malik Saif al Mulk, who is a descendant of the Prophet, is the Amir-i Shikar of the world-protecting King. Malik al Sadat Ashrafal Mulk, who is a light of the eye of Zahra (Fatima) and the pupil and light of the eye of Asadullah (Ali) is highly venerated in the reign of the King of Islam and is honoured with the high office of Niyabat-i Wakil-i Dar. He continues to receive incessant kingly favours. Saiyid al Sadat Ala ud Din Saiyid Rasul Dad is one of those people who are close to the court and is a recipient of many kingly favours and graces. Because of the great faith of the King and the resultant favours, all the Saiyids of the capital city of Delhi and those of the imperial dominions are distinguished with awards, offices, lands and villages and are held in great respect. One could say that all the Saiyids have received a new lease of life and are busy praying for the long life of the king.

Those who have been included in the favours of Sultan Firoz Shah due to their old services and have attained the status of great maliks and have in turn acquired the status of supporters and helpers of the king and progressed to high positions, are many. All of them are adorned with admirable qualities and are possessed of justice and equity and are well known for their good works and charities. However, even in this condition of glory and success, no unworthy act and untoward behaviour has ever been seen to have been committed by them.

In this regard particular mention may be made of Malik Sharaf Imad al Mulk Bashir Sultani 'Arz-i Mamalik, may God perpetuate his authority and power. He is adorned with attributes of grandeur, prestige, compassion and kindness. Diwan-i 'Arz [the Department of Military] Mamalik, which is in fact the source of livelihood of fighters of the religion (mujahidan-i din) and the devout, is adorned and decorated with the auspicious person of this malik of approved qualities. I am a witness and others also with that for the last several years Malik al Sharq Bashir Sultan is more kind to the troopers, who are protectors of both religion and state, than their mothers and fathers. Since he is among the closest and old servants of the Sultan, are submissions he makes to him regarding the welfare of the troops are invariably accepted. It is due to the ever increasing authority of the world protecting king that after decades such an Imad ul Mulk has been appointed over the troops, who is a virtual mine of kindness and compassion.

Another close and distinguished servant of the sublime court is Malik ul Umara Malik Shikar Bak Wimlan. He is an old imperial servant and is possessed of approved qualities, gratefulness and faithfulness. It is because of these qualities that he had become very close to the royal throne and is held in special consideration. It happens quite often that he reaches out to the hapless and destitute with the charities of the king and takes the supplications and submissions of the needy to his notice. Since he is an old servant and is very close to the King and his supplications are accepted, the guilty get a reprieve through his intercession. Malik Shikar Bak Wimlan Sultani, may he attain more proximity and consideration as the days pass in the life giving estimation of the King of Islam, had rendered great assistance to me, the author of the Tarikh-i Firoz Shahi, and said such things in my favour which only some one like him could say in my favour before the throne. Malik Shikar Bak, may God strengthen him, was assigned a very large number of troops and big 'iqtas. Due to the purity of his character and excellence of valour, his troopers and the subjects of his 'iqtas lead a carefree life of peace, prosperity, affluence and contentment. They keep busy, praying for the longevity of the life and power of the king of the world.

The other noble who has been raised by the world-protecting court and who is included among the old and close servants of the king, is Malik Mustaufi Iftikhar al Mulk, Naib-i Gujarat. For years he had served the court and is among the rare personalities of the age as far as gratefulness, faithfulness, skill, expertise, good advice and the ability not to cause harm to any one is concerned. Due to royal favour and consideration he has been appointed as the naib of Gujarat. With his great tact and efficiency, kindness and compassion, justice and equity he brought such a big country which was ravaged by so many disturbances and rebellions under control. He organized the revenue administration of this region so effectively that every year several lakhs began to reach the treasury, may Allah enhance it.

Yet another noble who had been raised and patronized by the world-protecting court, is Malik Mahmud Bak who has been honoured with the title of Sher Kahn. He is the recipient of many royal favours and considerations. This Sher Khan is included among the old amirs and maliks. He has passed the age of 90 years and is nbw approaching the hundred. Since the time of his father, who was also included among the great amirs, the family had been known for its loyalty, faithfulness and fidelity to the throne and had never been involved in any kind of rebellion, sedition and recalcitrance. This quality is highly valued among the amirs and maliks. Their children and grandchildren have derived much benefit from their faithfulness because this quality is appreciated by kings. One is amazed to think that ever since the time when he was sipahsalar and amir, till date when he is a Malik and his age has reached in the vicinity of a hundred years, he had never participated in any kind of rebellion and sedition and had led his entire life in loyalty and fidelity.

Another amir who was patronized by the sublime court is the exalted khan, Muazzam Khan who is honoured with the deputyship (niyabat) of wizarat, which is among the most important assignments after the wizarat in the exalted Diwan, may God elevate and exalt him. Almighty God had adorned him with qualities of honesty, decency and rectitude. He has memorized the glorious Qur'an and is unparalleled in the recitation of the Holy Book. He recites the Qur'an both in prayers and outside it in a way that deeply affects listeners and tears begin to roll from their eyes. A khan, a malik of this description is indeed a rarity among khans and maliks. Besides, he does not have a parallel in matters of expertise, efficiency, courage, bravery and generosity.

Another amir whom the Emperor had patronized and vouchsafed with many favours and kindnesses and had assigned the 'iqta of Multan to, is Ain ul Mulk Mahru who is adorned with praiseworthy qualities and many attributes of proficiency, skill, efficiency and discretion. He is well versed in many scholarly sciences and stands out for excellence of character and good qualities. He could be in fact included among those who impart equilibrium to the things they touch and the people they patronize and favour. He is noble by temperament and by lineage and is included among those who have been selected and patronised by Sultan Firoz Shah and has been assigned the niyabat of the territory of Multan. The consideration in which he is held by the Sultan is beyond description.

There are two other great gentlemen whose ancestors have held the command of toman (amiran-i toman) since the days of Chengiz Khan. Their forebears have always enjoyed great respect and esteem and now they have been included among the select who are distinguished by royal favours and consideration. They spend their days and nights in service of the throne and hold positions of intimacy in the royal presence. Their proximity to the royal presence is in fact beyond description. Since they are adorned with qualities of dignity and decorum and have descended from a distinguished lineage, their position at the court continues to increase. One of these two elders is a descendant of the great men of China and Khuta, Amir Qutbugha Amir-i Mahan (the great amir). The late Sultan Muhammad bin Tughlaq Shah held him in great respect and addressed him as Amir-i Mahan. He would very often say that Amir Qutbugha is the grandson of Amir Taman who had defeated Khan-i Shaheed and there was no other nobleman like him in entire Mughalistan. He embraced Islam and by nature is very upright. He deserved to be always distinguished with a high status. Traits like betrayal and disloyalty have never been witnessed from him. His faith in Islam is very firm. He had never shed anybody's blood unjustly. It is obligatory to hold him in respect and reverence.

The other revered Malik is Amir Ahmad Iqbal who is (a descendant of the) most distinguished nobles of Chengiz Khan. By ancestry he is an amir and son of amirs. Personally he is greatly respected and revered. Besides, he is faithful, keen to discharge his obligations, a sincere servant and well wisher of the Emperor. Our king is extremely well disposed towards him and had bestowed many favours upon him. He is worthy of distinction and leadership. He continues to be honoured by our king with successive largesses and favours. His closeness to this court is beyond description.

The only purpose of my giving the account of some of the helpers and supporters of Sultan Firoz Shah is to highlight that an age in which elders, those who are close to the court and the muqtas and walis of that period possessed of good character and of approved qualities, adorned with attributes of equity, justice, religiosity, piety, kindness and compassion, and an age in which the wicked, depraved, oppressors and tyrants have no role to play in the administrative affairs of the king of the time, is such an age, the affairs of the state and matters relating to governance are bound to take a correct course. The account of such a king and his supporters and helpers becomes worthy of description in the books of history and their glories continue to last until the end of time.

EIGHTH SECTION

Describing some conquests of the king of the age and time Firoz Shah al Sultan and the account of the march of the royal standards towards Lakhnauti, conquest of Lakhnauti and capturing the mountain-like elephants and enormous booty from those regions and subservience and submission of the ruler of that region to the royal court

In the very first year of the accession of Sultan Firoz Shah, while he was busy in matters of state and putting affairs of the inhabitants of the world to some kind of order and system with his justice and compassion, it was brought to the royal notice that Ilyas, the ruler (zabit) of Lakhnauti, who had usurped that region by force, had during this period collected a large number of payak and dhanuk of the waterlogged Bangala and out of sheer shortsightedness invaded the region of Tirhut causing much agony to both Muslims and non-Muslims (zimmis) of those territories.

Intoxicated by rebellion and lust for plunder and pillage and also having captured power through force, he had lost his senses and was busy destroying and despoiling those regions and causing much harassment to Muslims and other subjects. Due to the extreme depravity that had got hold of that most wicked person, he was devastating cities of Muslims. Since concern for religion, an honourable sense of duty towards the defence of the territories of Islam, kingly traits of vengefulness and conquest and royal qualities of the lord of the world that Firoz Shah had imbibed from the Prophet's cousin and Commander of the faithful in matters of kingship and affairs of the state, he came out of the capital city of Delhi with mighty armies and marched towards Lakhnauti and Pandawa. With forced marches he reached the region of Awadh. All the rayas, ranas and muqaddams of Hindustan who had resorted to rebellion and hid themselves for years before the accession of Sultan Firoz Shah, followed the royal standards towards Lakhnauti with their horsemen and infantry willingly and on their own accord. As a result, there was a very large number of people who assembled in the royal camp. The royal standard crossed the river Sarju with a great multitude of people for which it is difficult to form an estimate. Ilyas, the ruler of Lakhnauti, and his supporters came to know about the arrival of the royal standards in the region and consequently returned from these territories to Tirhut. In his fermented mind he was toying with the idea of giving fight to the imperial troops but now realized the gravity of the situation and opted to escape. When under divine protection, the King of Islam crossed river Sarju and the sky-reaching imperial standard cast its shadow over the regions of Kharosa and Gorakhpur and the victorious armies entered the territories of the Rayas, Ilyas, the ruler of Pandawa lost hope and speedily retired from Tirhut to Pandawa and got busy strengthening his position. When the royal standards reached Gorakhpur and Kharosa, the Rai of Gorakhpur who is a very powerful rai as also the Rai of Kharosa, who have been paying revenue to the shiq of Awadh before the general discord has set in that resulted into conflict and disturbances and now for several years had taken resort to rebellion and had withheld the revenue. When the royal standard reached there, these rais presented themselves before the imperial threshold and made enormous offerings that could not be counted and kissed the dust of the court. The Rai of Gorakhpur, besides other offerings, also presented elephants. The Sultan bestowed upon him chatr, crown, a bejewelled and goldplated gown, and good horses. Some other big muqaddams who had the status of rana were also granted robes. The Rai of Kharosa also made offerings commensurate with his chieftaincy and was granted a robe along with the muqaddams of his territory and received a robe of special favour. These rais, out of sincerity turned obedient and submissive to the sublime court. They paid to the treasury of the army many lakhs of silver tankas in the arrears of the last several years and for the future accepted a fixed amount of revenue and gave a written bond of their obligation of revenue to the Diwan. The collectors of revenue for their regions were appointed by the Sultan. These rais followed the royal army towards Lakhnauti and Pandawa with all their horsemen and foot soldiers.

The royal armies rested for few days in the territories of these rais and they exerted themselves to the best of their abilities in acts of obedience and submission. Out of regard for their obedience and submissive attitude as well as out of royal kindness and compassion, orders were issued to the victorious armies not to subject any of their villages to plunder and pillage and they were directed to be set free if any one had been taken as slave from there. When the royal standard commenced its march from the territories of those Rais towards Lakhnauti and Pandawa and Ilyas came to know about the imminent arrival of the royal troops, he abandoned the extravagant idea of giving fight and preferred to run away as soon as possible and retired to Pandawa. However, overcome by the fear of the imperial armies, he did not stay even there. There is a place near Pandawa by the name of Ekdila, which is surrounded by water on one side and forests on the other. He went to this place, fortified himself there and took all the able-bodied men along with women and children and hiding himself there, engaged in ensuring his protection. Due to the fear and terror of the King of Islam and the forays and raids of victorious armies, one would say that his soul had left his body and the bodies of his horsemen and footmen. In fact they saw their death in the mirror of experience and spent their days in Ekdila under conditions of extreme bewilderment and panic. The royal standards reached from Gorakhpur to Jagat and from there leisurely marched to Tirhut. The rai of Tirhut and ranas and zamindars of those territories presented themselves at the court and made offerings and were awarded robes of honour. The region of Tirhut therefore turned to be obedient and submissive to the imperial authority as it ever has been and it did not receive any injury from the hands of the armies of Islam. Officers to oversee implementation of the Shari'at and other affairs were appointed by royal decree and that region was reconciled and reorganized.

From Tirhut the royal standards proceeded towards Pandawa with forced marches. Ilyas, the ruler of Lakhnauti, had earlier vacated Pandawa along with his troops and inhabitants of Pandawa and had hid himself in Ekdila. Ilyas and his counsellors concluded among themselves that the rainy season was approaching and as the entire region is extremely low lying it could get waterlogged and become a breeding ground for big gnats, so much so that the royal armies would not be able to stay there or the horses withstand them. With the monsoons set to begin soon, they felt the Sultan would be forced to return from these lands along with his armies. With this calculation Ilyas went to Ekdila along with the people and his troops and made it his safe haven. When the royal armies reached Pandawa, the lord of the world issued orders to the effect that those hapless people who had remained there should not be harmed in any way. Moreover, the gardens of Ilyas were not to be burnt and destroyed and no injury was to be caused to Pandawa. Some of the horsemen and soldiers of the infantry of the vanguard entered Pandawa but did not cause any harm to the people of Pandawa. Some of the foot soldiers, however, put to sword the rebels who were hiding in the residence of Ilyas and plundered the horses which they found there. The royal troops alighted near the bank of the river opposite Ekdila and the armies of Islam pitched their camp in the plain. Orders were issued from the court for people to construct Kankhar and make preparations to cross the river. They were asked to build ships, bridges and other means that could facilitate people to cross the water in all haste. The lord of the world observed that when the preparations for the crossing were complete, orders would be issued for people to cross it in one go and launch a ferocious attack against Ekdila and overrun the place and turn it upside down. When the people had constructed the Kankhar, preparations were set afoot for crossing the water as soon as possible and overrun Ekdila. Due to the piety of the king, it occurred to him that when the royal army would cross the river and overrun the place, that kind of general assault will lead to the massacre of a large number of people, both guilty and innocent, and due to the rebellion of Ilyas, the blood of many innocent Muslims would be shed. Muslim and Sunni women would fall into the hands of ruffians, payaks and dhanuk, polytheists and idolaters and their chastity would be violated. The lives of Alavis, learned (danishmand), Sufis, students, durweshes, recluses, strangers and travellers would be wasted and the properties of the innocent, oppressed and hapless people would be pillaged by the reckless troopers. This was especially so in a situation when the evil of the rebels and the crime of the seditious could not be dealt with effectively without a general assault as they had fortified their position with the jungles and the river. Preoccupied with such thoughts, which are the consequence of piety and right faith, he used to supplicate after every prayer with great humility and earnestness to the Almighty to inspire Ilyas to come out of Ekdila with the rebel army and confront the army of Islam. These night prayers of the King of Islam were graced with acceptance. The noise and tumult of the people gave Ilyas and those close to him an impression that the army had returned to the city. And since divine perdition had caught up with them they did not investigate the news of the return of the army. Because of the intoxicated and fermented condition of mind and conceit, Ilyas came out of Ekdila along with his elephants, cavalry and infantry and with the intention of giving fight, took up position in the plain and put the elephants in front. Due to great conceit and arrogance he stood up in front of the army of Islam commenced fighting. The king of Islam first offered two rak'ats of prayer for thanksgiving that his prayers had met with divine acceptance, because of which the wicked were separated from the innocent and the rebels did come to the plain ready to give fight. He thanked and praised Allah for this and rode with the intention of offering battle.

When the fighters and the rank breakers of the army of Islam happened to see those luckless people whose fortunes had deserted them, it was like hunters seeing the herds of deer and stags in the plain and being gladdened because they visualized them as already tied to their saddle straps. Similarly, they were also pleased and imagined these rebels to have been trampled under the hooves of their horses and reduced to smithereens. Since they were convinced that they were in the right and the rebels were in the wrong and they had transgressed the limits of propriety and equity, therefore, they were strengthened by the hope of divine help. In the meanwhile those unfortunate people advanced a distance of a few arrow shots in front of the armies of Islam. The world-conquering king issued orders to some of the troops to launch an assault upon those ill-fated ones. Surrounding them, the armies of Islam took their swords out of their sheaths and raising their voices with takbir, in their very first assault completely defeated the armies of Ilyas, the ruler of Lakhnauti, who out of sheer arrogance nursed vain ideas about his entitlement to rule, with all his helpers, supporters, cavalry and infantry and completely routed it, caused rivers of blood to flow. In the very beginning of the battle, they seized chatr, fly whisk, kettledrum, and the standard of the ruler of Lakhnauti along with 40 elephants. Ilyas, who had insolently entertained absurd ideas of sovereignty was defeated in the twinkle of an eye and fled in such a disorderly manner that he could not distinguish the bridle from the crupper and stirrup from the wing.

The warriors of the army of Islam cut and hacked the heads of the horsemen and footmen of Ilyas as ripe grain is cut by the sickle and in a very little time huge piles of the bodies of the slain came up. The awe of the warriors of Islam had rendered the rebels dumb and deaf, so much so that they lost their senses and became so confused that they were unable to find a way of escape and could not distinguish the right from the left and discern a way of retreat. They received the blows of the swords of the warriors of Islam and soldiers of the religion and surrendered their souls to the custodians of hell. The renowned payaks of Bengal, who for years had got themselves addressed as the fathers of Bengal, and posed as brave men and had taken the bira from Ilyas the sweeper to prove their bravery, in front of that mad man they exerted themselves along with the reputed Rayas of Bengal. However, on the day of encounter confronted with the vanquishers of lions, they were so overawed that they threw swords and arrows from their hands, rubbed their foreheads on the ground and were consumed by the swords of the royal army. Hardly a watch (pas) of the day had passed and the entire plain was already full of the slain and everywhere mounds and heaps appeared. The army of Islam emerged victorious and countless booty fell into their hands, while not a single hair on the head of any one of them was twisted. They returned triumphant and laden with spoils of war.

When the time of the evening prayer drew near and that kind of great victory was achieved by the grace of the Almighty and signs of victory became quite visible, the king alighted in the royal pavilion and orders were issued to the victorious troops to rest in their own camps. Those important people of the ruler of Lakhnauti who were taken as prisoners were brought before the royal pavilion with their hands tied to their necks or behind their backs along with the chatr, fly whisk, other insignia of royalty and 44 elephants, as well as horses with saddles and without saddles. The elephants were paraded before the Sultan's throne and the spectators were struck with awe at seeing such mountain-like elephants. Old elephant keepers and elephant drivers of the royal stables were unanimous in declaring that they had never seen such magnificent elephants, every one of which was a mountain of iron and had a body of brass. Such elephants have never been brought to Delhi at any time and in any age. While watching the parade of elephants in front of the throne with the amirs and maliks, the Lord of the world observed that:

These elephants were in fact the cause of the affliction of Ilyas, the ruler of Lakhnauti and nurtured kingly arrogance in his mind. This put him on the course of conflict with the armies of Delhi. Now that he has been relieved of them he would not be lured by these temptations any more. He would now approach the royal court with complete sincerity and would invariably send all kinds of offerings and gifts to Delhi. Elephants and that too mount-like elephants like these are bound to breed vain ideas in the mind, particularly if they fall in the hands of a person who is not trained to think about the consequences of matters. Great kings have observed that elephants are meant only for the imperial stables because the kingship of such kings belongs as a matter of right. But in case few elephants fall into the hands of a reckless usurper one does not know how many calamities would lay their eggs in his head and it is more likely that these few elephants would lead to his downfall and destruction and he would be no more.

After this, orders were issued to take these elephants and the horses to the royal stables and the amirs and elders of the army of the ruler of Lakhnauti who were apprehended were to be given under the care of a commander (salar). Most of the time the Lord of the world remained awake and continued to offer prayers of thanksgiving and rendered thanks to the Almighty for this divine victory. The day after this victory, the common people of the victorious army, may God help them, both elite and commoners, horsemen and footmen, Muslims and Hindus, the bazaar people and troopers formed a crowd in front of the royal tent and submitted that Ekdila should be ravaged and this place along with the supporters of Ilyas be turned upside down. However, due to extreme piety, the Lord of the world did not allow the people of the army to ravage Ekdila. He observed that the majority of those who had rebelled and were at the root of the sedition were killed in the course of the battle. Moreover, the elephants which were the cause of the rebellion and disloyalty of Ilyas have been taken over in their entirety. It was being said, 'Almighty had granted us victory and now the rainy season is at hand. Now our sole concern is that all the Muslims and those who are present in the army of Islam and are safe till now should remain safe and may reach their hearth and home safe and sound. After such victory, taking such extreme postures is not desirable.'

The crowd that had assembled in front of the royal tent were turned back. The royal army headed for the capital city of Delhi and with forced marches reached the vicinity of Tirhut and Jagat. During that time officials were appointed in those territories. A general order was issued to free all the slaves who had fallen in the hands of the army of Islam from the territories of Bengal. From there the royal standards reached the banks of Sarju and the victorious army crossed the river with ease and riding the crest of victory, reached Zafarabad. Here the governors, amirs, rayas and muqaddams of the territories of Hindustan who were requisitioned for the campaign of Lakhnauti and Pandawa, were allowed to return to their own territories. When the royal standard reached the territories of Kara and Manikpur and crossed the Ganges, the elders and eminent people of Manikpur were honoured and many of them were granted 'iqtas, positions and retinue, the requests of the Saiyids, ulama and the people of Kara and Manikpur were acceded to. The poor and the needy of those regions were given ample alms. From there the royal standard reached Kol under divine protection. The poor and the needy people of the towns received royal alms. The elders, eminent people, officials and officers began to arrive at Kol in great numbers and in groups to offer congratulations for the victory. They were received with consideration and granted robes of honour. Azam Humayun Khan-i Jahan arrived in the vicinity of Jhajjar and Chandosh to offer congratulations accompanied by maliks, amirs, officers of Diwan-i Wizarat, kotwals, shahnas of the city, sadrs and sadr-i jahan and kissed the ground in front of the royal tents. The royal standard crossed the river at the ford of Qabulpur under divine protection and security. While the royal army was camped at Qabulpur, Azam Humayun made so many precious offerings including gold, silver, horses of Arab and Tartarian extraction of wide girth and with their backs without saddles in such numbers that the plain could hardly contain them. The eyes of spectators were dazzled from the spectacle of such a great variety of offerings. On 12 Sha'ban 757 royal standards arrived in the capital city of Delhi in a most auspicious and propitious moment after having achieved a great victory.

The elephants and horses had reached the royal stables from the victory of Lakhnauti and Pandawa and the nobles, elders and those who were close to Ilyas, the ruler of Lakhnauti, who were taken into custody were paraded in thoroughfares of the capital city of Delhi and the spectators of the city, both elite and masses, troops and market people, Muslims and Hindus, men and women as well as children and aged people rejoiced over the booty of Lakhnauti. Arches were erected in the city and [/size] offerings were made for the safe arrival of the Lord of the world with such a great victory. In every locality there were feastings, songs were sung and people danced for joy on roads and in the streets. Since the overwhelming majority of people are sincere well wishers and completely devoted to the imperial court of Firoz Shah, they could not contain their happiness and the hearts of the Sunnis were overjoyed at the spectacle of the booty that was captured from the rebels. They prayed for the Lord of the world and praised him.

The Lord of the world, may Allah perpetuate his authority and kingdom, granted imperial favours to the citizens of the city. Orders were issued to take big bags, full of money, to the congregational mosques and big graveyards and give alms to the needy, poor, paupers, indigent and destitute of the capital city of Delhi who had remained engaged in praying for the victory of the religion protecting king. The ulama of the capital received gifts, khanqahs of the saints received futuh, and astanadars received tabarruk. The King of Islam visited the mausoleums of the saints along with the army that was blessed with divine victory and distributed alms there. The safe, victorious and triumphant arrival of the royal standards laden with booty set the hearts of the people of the capital and the imperial dominions at rest. After this victory, Ilyas, the ruler of Lakhnauti, witnessing the might of the armies of Islam turned obedient and expressed sentiments of sincerity and well wishing. He had twice sent offerings and plenty of gifts at the hands of trusted people of those lands to the court and also wrote a letter of submission.

NINTH SECTION

Description of conferment of the Robe of Kingship and mandate and standard of Royalty twice by Amir ul Muminin, the Abbasid Caliph, upon the Sultan of the age and time Firoz Shah al Sultan with great honour and respect. The Government of the Lord of the World stands strengthened by it.

Since Almighty Allah had taken the King of the world and Sultan of the time and age under the umbrella of divine benevolence and had created him as the qibla of righteous ones, during the period of six years since the beginning of his reign, may Allah perpetuate his and his children's kingship till the end of time, he had twice received the mandate of kingship, robe of kingship and the standard of government from Amir ul Muminin (Commander of the Faithful), the Abbasid Caliph.

Almighty Allah graced him with the ability to accord full honour and reverence to the mandate of kingship and robe of honour and standard conferred by Amir ul Muminin as well as his ambassadors. He performed the requisites of holding the favours conferred by him in full reverence performing all that was needed in this regard. He treated the mandate (manshur) and the robe of honour (khil'at) as if it had descended from the skies and had come down from the presence of the Prophet (peace be on him). In return he sent enormous gifts along with a petition in an attitude of extreme submissiveness to the court of the commander of the faithful (Amir al Muminin). As a result of the benedictions of the caliphal mandate and blessings of the robes of honour of the Abbasid Caliph, the presence of common Muslims in Juma and Id congregations got a boost and as a consequence of the permission of the cousin of the Prophet (SAWS) divine grace began to continuously pour in this land and the doors of natural calamities such as famine and epidemic were closed. Moreover, due to the good faith, protection of religion and nurturing of religion by the King of Islam, the evil of the rebels and unruly have completely vanished from these territories. The hearts of the people, both elite and masses, turned towards obedience, submissiveness, sincerity and loyalty towards his throne. As a result, total peace and tranquillity prevails and all kind of disorders, confusion and fear have vanished from the hearts of the people. Moreover, due to the extension of the population, building activity and extensive cultivation, the gardens have become fresh and verdant and the world has turned into a paradise. Almighty Allah be praised for it.

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

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.