On this day Ḥakīm Rūḥu-llah was exalted with the gift of Rs. 1,000. Badīʿu-z-zamān, s. M. S͟hāhruk͟h, came from his jagir and waited on me. On Tuesday, the 26th, marching from the Kānkrīya tank, I halted at the village of Kaj.[84] On Wednesday, the 27th, I pitched my camp on the bank of the river at Maḥmūdābād called the Īzak[85] (now called Meshva). As the water and air of Aḥmadābād were very bad, Maḥmūd Bīgara, by the advice of his physicians, founded a city on the bank of the aforesaid river and lived there. After he conquered Chāmpāner, he made that place his capital, and until the time of Maḥmūd the martyred[86] the rulers of Gujarat chiefly lived there. This Maḥmūd was the last of the Sultans of Gujarat, and he took up his residence at Maḥmūdābād. Undoubtedly the water and air of Maḥmūdābād have no resemblance to those of Aḥmadābād. By way of testing this I ordered them to hang up a sheep on the bank of the Kānkrīya tank after taking off its skin, and at the same time one at Maḥmūdābād, that the difference of the air might be ascertained. It happened that after seven gharīs of day had passed in that place (Aḥmadābād) they hung up the sheep. When three gharīs of day remained it became so changed and putrid that it was difficult to pass near it. They hung up the sheep at Maḥmūdābād in the morning, and it was altogether unchanged until the evening, and began to be putrid when one and a half watches of night had passed. Briefly, in the neighbourhood of Aḥmadābād it became putrid in eight sidereal hours, and in Maḥmūdābād in fourteen hours.
On Thursday, the 28th, Rustam K., whom my son of prosperous fortune, S͟hāh-Jahān, had appointed to the charge and government of Gujarat, was honoured with the gift of an elephant, a horse, and a special parm narm (shawl), and given leave to depart, and the Jahāngīrī officers who were attached to that Subah were presented with horses and dresses of honour according to the rank and standing of each. On Friday, 29th S͟hahrīwar, corresponding with 1st Shawwāl, Rāy Bihārī was honoured with the bestowal of a dress of honour, a jewelled sword and a special horse, and took leave to go to his native place. His sons were also honoured with horses and dresses of honour. On Saturday I ordered Sayyid Muḥammad, grandson[87] (?) of S͟hāh ʿĀlam, to ask for whatever he desired without concealment, and I took an oath on the Qoran to this effect. He said that as I had sworn on the Qoran he would ask for a Qoran that he might always have it by him, and that the merit of reading it might accrue to His Majesty. Accordingly, I gave the Mīr a Qoran in Yāqūt’s[88] handwriting. It was a small, elegant[89] volume, and was the wonder of the age. On the back of it I wrote with my own hand that I had made this gift on a certain day and in a certain place to Sayyid Muḥammad. The real reason for this is that the Mīr is of an exceedingly good disposition, endowed with personal nobility and acquired excellencies, of good manners and approved ways, with a very pleasing face and open forehead. I have never seen a man of this country of such a pleasing disposition as the Mīr. I told him to translate this Qoran into plain language without ornament, and that without occupying himself with explanations or fine language he[90] should translate the Qoran in simple language (lughāt-i-rīk͟hta) word by word into Persian, and should not add one letter to its exact purport. After he had completed it he should send it by his son Jalālu-d-dīn Sayyid to the Court. The Mīr’s son is also a young man of external and internal intelligence. The signs of piety and blessedness are distinct on his forehead. The Mīr is proud of his son, and in truth he is worthy, as he is an excellent youth. As I had repeatedly shown kindness to the holy men of Gujarat, according to their merits, I again bestowed on each cash and jewels, and dismissed them to their homes.
As the climate[91] of this country was not suited to my temperament, the physicians thought it right that I should decrease somewhat my usual number of cups. According to their advice I began to decrease their number, and in the course of a week reduced them by the weight of one cup. At first it was six cups every evening, each cup being 7½ tola, or altogether 45 tolas. The wine was usually mixed with water. Now I drank six cups, each of which was 6 tolas and 3 mās͟has,[92] altogether 37½ tolas.
Sixteen or seventeen years ago I had vowed with my God at Allahabad that when I reached fifty I would give up shooting with gun and bullet, and would injure no living thing with my own hand. Muqarrab K., who was one of my confidants, knew of my determination. At this date I have reached the commencement of my fiftieth year, and one day, in consequence of excessive fever (dūd u buk͟hār) my breath was short and I was very unwell. While in this condition the compact I had made with my God came, by Divine inspiration, into my mind, and I resolved that when my fiftieth year was completed and the period of fulfilling my vow had arrived, I would, on the day[93] on which I visited my father’s tomb—may the light of God be his testimony—by God’s help, seek the confirmation of my resolve from my father’s holy elements, and renounce the practice (of shooting). As soon as this thought occurred to me, my illness and trouble disappeared. I revived, and opened my mouth to praise God, and tasted the joy of thanksgiving for His mercies. I hope that I shall be sustained.
“How well said Firdūsī of pure nature
May mercy rest on that (his) pure tomb.
“Ah! spare yon emmet[94] rich in hoarded grain,
He lives with pleasure, and he dies with pain.”
On Thursday, the 4th of the Divine month, Sayyid Kabīr and Bak͟htar K., the Wakils of ʿĀdil K., who had brought his offering to the exalted Court, obtained leave to return. Sayyid Kabīr was honoured with a dress of honour, a horse, and a jewelled dagger, and Bak͟htar K. with a horse, a dress of honour, and a jewelled ūrbasī,[95] which the people of that country (the Deccan?) wear round their necks, and a present of 6,000 darbs was given to each of them for expenses.
As ʿĀdil K. was constantly asking for a likeness of myself through my prosperous son S͟hāh-Jahān, I sent him one with a ruby of great value and a special elephant. A gracious farman was issued that he should be presented with whatever territory of Niz̤āmu-l-mulk or Qut̤bu-l-mulk he might get into his possession, and whenever he should require any support and assistance, S͟hāh-nawāz K. should prepare an army and appoint it to assist him. In former days Niz̤āmu-l-mulk was the largest of the rulers of the Deccan, a superior whom all acknowledged, and whom they considered as their eldest brother. At this period ʿĀdil K. did approved service, and was honoured with the exalted title of “son.” I appointed him the head and leader of the whole country of the Deccan, and wrote this quatrain on the portrait with my own hand: