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DECEMBER, 1921) HISTORY OF THE NIZAM SHAHI KINGS OF AHMADNAGAR.
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sed in the royal favour that in a short time there was none in the court more trusted or more intimate than he. The general opinion is that it was owing to his influence that Murtaza Nizâm Shâh conceived a distaste for public business and for the society of the officers of state, as will be hereafter set forth.
Another who came into prominence at this time was the learned and accomplished Qâzi Beg Tihrâni, who was appointed to the high post of Vakil. Sayyid Murtavê was promoted from the ear-i-naubati of the left wing to the sar-s-naubaté of the right wing, and Salâbat Khân, an account of whom will be given hereafter, was appointed to the ear-snaubati of the left wing. In a short time Sayyid Murtaga was raised to the degree of amir, or rather to that of amir-ul-umard, and Salâ bat Khan was appointed to the sar-i-naubali of the right wing.
At this time the king withdrew himself from public business, and carried his avoidance of it so far that he entirely shunned the company of men.
Another person who obtained promotion about this time was H ain Khân, who at length became well known under the title of Sahib Khân. He was at first a seller of fowls, and was employed in this capacity about the royal kitchen when the king's kiud'y glance fell upon him, and Murtaza Nizâm Shâh pitying his wretched state, raised him from the dust of disgrace to the height of honour, and his power and influence became so great that, like all mean and lowly born people so raised, he became tyrannical and oppressive and stretched forth his hands to the shedding of the blood and the unveiling of the honour of bond and free, and had even a design of sharing the kingdom, thus raising strife and disturbances which led to the ruin of the kingdom and the dispersal of its subjects, and in the course of which he perished.
In his early days of office &8 valal, Sayyid Qazi Beg managed the affairs of the kingdom with unlimited power, under commission from Murter Nizam Shah giving him absolute authority to act in all matters in his name and purporting to transfer to him the king's responsibility to God for his dealings with his people.202
The king also commanded that a chain of justice should be hung in the plain of the Kala Chabútra and that a court of justice coraposed of several of the leading officers of state should sit daily in that building to hear such cases as should be brought before them. Say. yid Qazi Beg saw that this court of requests sat, as commanded by the king, and devoted his time to serving the interests of the king's subjects, whether small or great.
At this time Ghiyâs-ud-cin Muhammad, entitled I'tibâr Khân, who was the envoy at the court of Murtaza Nizâm Shâh from 'Ali `Adil Shâh, displayed a forged order, purporting to be under the hand of Murtaza Nigâm Shâh, to the effect that the king had bestowed upon I'tibâr Khân the jewelled waist belt which had been received in the royal treasury from the kingdom of Vijayanagar, and that it should be given to him without delay. Qazî Beg and the rest of the great officers of state, regarding such a gift.as in keeping with the king's generosity, yet agreed that some consideration was necessary before the belt was given to
203 Firishta says that Murtaza Nizam Shah, on his return to Ahmadnagar from Berar, assembled the principal Foreign amirs and told them that he was not fit to rule, as he was incapable of discriminating between justice and injustice. He feared the judgment of God, and therefore proposed to retire from the world and attempt to atone by penance for the murder of Changiz Khan. He transferred the administri tion of his kingdom, with all the responsibility attached to it, to Sayyid Qazi Beg Yazdi; he took them all to witness that he was no longer responsible for the administration, and he cited them to bear witness for him to this effect at the last day. He authorized QA, Beg, if he could not perform his duties alone, to Resocjate to himself Amîn-ul-Mulk, Mirza Muhammad Taqi, and Qasim Bog. He then retired to the Baghdad palace, where Såhib khan was the only person admitted to his presence-F. ii. 271, 272.
