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THE INDIAN ANTIQUARY
(MAY, 191
and Vijayanagar and, at a later date, Sholâ pûr between Bijâpûr and Ahmadnagar and Påthri between Aḥmadnagar and Berar. Raja Aḥmad probably believed that he could commit this act of aggression with impunity, for Muzaffar was then engaged in warfare, but he would not submit tamely to this insult and, suspending his operations against the Hindûs, marched at once to Nandurbar, expelled Raja Ahmad, and besieged him in his own capital of Thalner. Muzaffar, however, had yet to establish his authority in his own kingdom, where the continuance of his cule was threatened by turbulent Rajputs, and asked but to live in peace with his Muhammadan neighbours, so that Ahmad found no difficulty in obtaining terms and Muzaffar withdrew after obtaining from Ahmad satisfactory assurances that the district of Nandurbâr would not again be molested.
Raja Ahmad died on April 29, 1399, and was buried at Thalner. The distinctive epithet of Faruqi applied to his dynasty is derived from his claim to decoent from 'Umar, the second orthodox Khalifch of the Muslims, who was entitled al-Farûq, 'the Discriminator (between truth and error).' Ahmad's descent from Umar is thus given by Firishta 8 :- Malik Râja (Abmad), son of Khânjahân (Khvâja Jahân), son of 'Ali Khân, son of 'Uthmân Khân, son of Sham'ûn, son of Ash'ath Shah, son of Sikandar Shah, son of Talhah Shah, son of Daniyal Shah, son of Ash'ath Shah, son of Urmiyâ Shah, son of Ibrahim Shah Balkbi, son of Adham Shah, son of Mahmûd Shah, son of Ahmad Shah, son of Muhammad Shah, son of A'zam Shah, son of Asghar, son of Muhammad Ahmad, son of Muhammad, son of 'Abdallah, son of 'Umar the Discriminator.
Raja Ahmad left two sons Naşir (not Nâşir, as he is called in the Imperial Gazetteer of India) entitled Jahangir Khân, who succeeded him, and Hasan, entitled Malik Iftikhar According to Firishta Raja Ahmad had intended to divide his small dominions permanently between his two sons, leaving Naşir ruler of the greater part of the state, but establishing Hasan as permanent and independent governor of the town and district of Thalper. Nasir established his authority throughout the eastern districts of Khandesh, which appear to have been neglected by his father, captured the hill fortress of Asirgashoby stratagem from the pastoral chieftain called by Firishta Asa Ahir, from whom it took its name, and by the command of Zain-al-din, the spiritual guide of his family, who came from Daulatâbâd to visit him, founded the city of Burhanpûr which, in accordance with Zain-al-din's injunction, he named after the great saint Burhan-al-din, who is buried in the hills above Daulatâbâd. On the southern bank of the Tậpti, which Zain-al-dîn refused to cross. Naşir founded, on the spot where the saint lodged, a mosque and a village, which he named Zainabåd.
Having thus established himself in eastern Khandesh Naşir resolved, by expelling his brother Hasan from Thalner, to extend his authority over the whole state, and to this end sought aid of his brother-in-law, Hûshang Shah, who had succeeded his father on the throne of Malwa. Hashang sent his son Ghazni Khân to the assistance of Naşir, and in 1417 Thalner was captured and asan was imprisoned by his brother. Hasan had sought aid of Ahmad I of Gujarat, but assistance had not reached him in time and Nasir, partly with the object of forestalling the interference of Gujarât in the domestic affairs of Khandesh and partly, doubtless, with that of repairing his father's discomfiture, attacked Nandurbar. On the arrival of reinforcements sent by Abmad of Gujarat Nasir fled to Thalner and Ghazni Khan to Manda, and Malik Mahmad, an amir of Gujardt, besieged Nayir in Thalner
Sii, 543.
