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JULY, 1920]
HISTORY OF THE NIZAM SHAHİ KINGS OF AĦMADNAGAR
125
Mahmad Shah heard of the approach of Sultan Mahmud, he was much alarmed, for be knew that he was not strong enough to meet the army oferujarat, and he therefore appealed for help to Ahmad Nizam Shah, and sent him a letter in which he complained of the high-handed conduct of Sultan Mahmûd, and besought him to come to his assistante.52
Ahmad Nizam Shah, who was ever ready to help the weak and oppressed, when he read Mahmed Shah's letter, started at once with his army for Burhanpur, and refrained from consulting Masnad-i-Ali Nasir-ul-Mulk Gujarati, lest he should be opposed to an expedition against the king of his native land. Naşir-ul-Mulk, who was accustomed to being consulted in all matters of importance, obtained information of Ahmad's intention, but although he adduced clear proofs of the danger of entering into this quarrel, the king would not follow his advice.
Ahmad Nizam Shah marched to Burhanpur and encamped there, but Maspad-i-'Ali was still endeavouring to allay the strife and was ever revolving plans to this end, in order that nothing might happen which should lead to the ruin of the country, or the harassing of the king's subjects, for the enemy's army was twice as strong as that of 'Ahmad Nizâm Shah, and victory and defeat depended upon the will of the Almighty. It occurred to him that it would be well to open a correspondence with those who were nearest to the person of Sultan Mahmûd of Gujarat and by this means to try to pour water on the fire of strife which was about to burst into flame. Accordingly he sent a letter to one of his intimate 'friends who was in the confidence of Sultan Mahmad, saying that although, in accordance with the decrees of fate, he was in the service of Ahmad Nizam Shah, yet he did not forget that Gujarât was his birth-place, and was a sincere well-wisher of Sultan Mahmud, and made bold to represent what he thought was for his interest. He wondered, he said, that the person to whom he was writing, who was a wise and prudent man, should have arranged, and was continuing to arrange, that Sultan Mahmod should engage personally in an expedition concerning so trivial a matter as the affair of Mahmud Shah (of Burhanpar) whose rank was no more than equivalent to that of one of Sultan Mahmad's amirs, especially when Ahmad Nizam Shah had come to the assistance of the Burhanpäri with his powerful army. He said that the Gujaratis could hardly be aware of the strength and valour of the army of the Dakan, who knew no fear at the prospect of a fight, but regarded it rather as others
63 Major King, in a note to his preface to The History of the Bahmant Dynasty, says that Firishta never mentions the Burhdn-s-Ma'dir, unlons he alludes to it under some other title, and adde, “Professional jealousy probably accounts for this.”
Firishta does mention this work, but under another title. In connection with this story of Ahmad Nizam Shah'a viotory over Mahmod of Gujarat he writer (ii, 189): "In the Wagd''.-Nizdmahdhiyyah which Sayyid Al Sammani was writing in the reign of Barhan Nizam Shah II and which he did not live to finish, it is written (and the responsibility for the account is on him who wrote it,) oto."
Then follows a narrative based on the nocount here given but connected with Ahmad's siege of Daulatábad. The story is not exactly copied, a Firlahta's habit is, but corresponda fairly with its original. Firishta concludes the passage with the following criticiano, which can hardly be said to err on the side of neverity.
"It would appear from the internal evidence supplied by this account that it has been hastily compiled or copied and that no attempt ha. been made to comment on it. But God knows the truth."
Firinhta's wonloons was not professional jealousy, but shameless plagiariam.
It may be added that Nigam-ud-din Ahmad, author of the Tabagdt-s-Akbart, probably refers to the Burhdn-i-Ma'dşir in the following romark appended to his extremely briof notice of the reign of Ahmad Nizam Shah.
"As I have seen a long work on the history of thin dynasty I have confined myself to thin brief account."
