Indian Antiquary Vol 52

Author(s): Richard Carnac Temple, Stephen Meredyth Edwardes, Krishnaswami Aiyangar
Publisher: Swati Publications

Page 275

SEPTEMBER, 1923) HISTORY OF THE NIZAM SHAHI KINGS OF AHMADNAGAR
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were safe from Jamal Khân. Raja 'Ali Khân, the ruler of Burhanpur, sent safe conducts for Salábat Khân, Muhammad Khân, and Bahri Khân, and also scnt fodder for their animals and assigned to cach & dwelling in Burhanpůr, shewing them much courtesy and kindness.
In the course of this quarrel between Salábat Khan and Jamal Khân, Ibrahim Adil Shah II had marched into the Niyam Shâhi kingdom with a great army. Jamal Khân, there. fore, as soon as he was free from anxiety regarding Salábat khân, marched from Paithan with his army against the 'Adil Shâhi army, and when the two armies came within striking distance of one another, 323 they remained for a long time facing one another without venturing into the field. Jamal Khân, who was not strong enough to withstand Ibrâhîm
Adil Shah, opened negotiations for peace and strove to keep himself clear of any appeal to arms, and as the 'Adil Shâhî army was stronger than Isma'il Nizam Shah's army, they. rendered arrogant by their superiority, demanded the oession of Parenda and other forts as the price of peace. At length Nûr Khân went from Jamal Khan's army into the 'Adil Shahi camp and did his utmost to extinguish the fire of strife, offering a large sum as nasl baha 324 on condition that the Adil Shâhi army returned to its own country. Jamal Khan sent the promised sum and the 'Adil Shâhi army retreated to Bijapûr.
When the army had returned to Ahmadnagar, Jamal Khân, who had been made suspicious of the remnant of the Foreigners by the revolt of Salábat Khan, first considered plans for the massacre of them, and afterwards, moved by the intercession of Khudâ vand Khân, gave them their lives, but banished them from the country and appointed a body of men to collect all Foreigners from their hiding places into one place. He then sent some to Bijapur,316 some to Golconda, and some to Chaul and other ports, but would give permission to none to go to Malwa to pay his respects to the şahib Qiran.
of the great men and officers among the Foreigners, Shâb Rafi'ud-din Husain, Shah Haidar, Qasim Beg, Mir Sharif Gilâni, Sayyid Muhammad Samanâni and Mirza Muqim Riyavi were sent to Mecca. Jamal Khân then took his scat on the masnad of the vakil, nay, rather on the throne of the kingdom, with none to oppose or gainsay him, and bestowed much honour on the Mahdavi sect, the heretical belief of which is that Sayyid Muhammad of Jaunpur was the promised Mahdi 326 "He promoted several of these heretics to 'the ranks of amirs and vazirs, and placed every member of the sect above the reach of want.
338 At Ashti. F. ii, 205.
3* The amount of na'l bahd fixed was 70,000 (F. ii, 205) or 75,000 (F. ii, 116) huns. Another condition of the treaty was that Kha lijah Sultân, .widow of Husain Nixâm Shah II and sister of Ibrahim Adil Shah H, should be sent back to Bijapur.
335 It was now, Dec. 28, 1589, that the historian Muhammad Qasim Firishta fled from Abmadnagar to Bijapur, where he entered the service of Ibrahim 'Adil Shah Il.
836 Early in the tenth century of the Hijrah era Sayyid Muhammad of Jaunpur claimed to be the promised Mahdi. He died in A. H. 910 (A.D. 1504-05) while returning from a pilgrimage to Mecca, but not before he had gained many adherents, including Mahmud I of Gujarat. The movement was continued by Shaikh 'Ala'i of BiyAna who, in the reign of Islam Shah Sur of Dihli (1545-1852), travelled to Hindiya for the purpose of propagating his doctrine in the Dakan and gained many converts. Thence the doctrines spread to Ahmadnagar. Firishta is mistaken in saying that Sayyid Muhammad claizoed in A.D. 1653 to be tho Mahdi. The followers of Sayyid Muhammad and Shaikh 'Ala'i were schismatical Sunnis, for the Shi'ahs believe that the Mahdi is alive but concealed, and Firishta says that Jamal Khan, on establishing the Mahdavi herosy, abolished the Shi'ah Khutbah. He also says that many Mahdavia came from northern India to serve in a state where their religion had been established, for they had been persecuted early in Akbar's reign, and were still regarded as unorthodox.