ÿþ<HTML><HEAD><TITLE>IBRATN&#256MAH 3</TITLE> <style type="text/css"> .BODY { background-color: #EAF1F7; background-image: url('images/gtbh.jpg'); background-repeat: no-repeat; background-attachment: fixed; background-position: center; color: #0066CC;} .C1{text-align: justify;color: #0066CC;FONT-size: SMALL;FONT-family: Tahoma;} .BIB{text-align: center;color: #000099;FONT-size: SMALL;FONT-family: Tahoma;} .CONT{text-align: right;color: #FF0000;FONT-size: SMALL;FONT-family: Tahoma;} </style><META http-equiv="content-type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8"></HEAD> <BODY class="BODY" oncontextmenu="return false" ondragstart="return false" onselectstart="return false"> <FONT ALIGN="JUSTIFY" FACE="Tahoma"> <p class="C1">&#65279'<i>IBRATN&#256MAH</i>, by Sayyid Muhammad Q&#257sim of Lahore, is a rare manuscript in Persian containing the history of the empire of Delhi from the death of Aura&#7749gz&#299b to the fall of the two Sayyid brothers, Abdullah and Husain 'Al&#299, known as <i>b&#257dsh&#257hgar</i> or king-makers. Its author was a protege of Am&#299r ul-Umar&#257 Husa&#299n 'Al&#299, one of the Sayyid brothers, and was therefore a firsthand witness to contemporary affairs of State. Apart from some well-known episodes and the three wars of succession, he writes about the disturbed rule of Farrukh S&#299yar, the effete rulers like Raf&#299 ud-Darj&#257t, Raf&#299 ud-Daulah and shadowy figures such as Ibr&#257h&#299m and Nek&#363 S&#299yar. The manuscript treats of the Sikhs and their religion in comparatively sympathetic terms. B&#257b&#257 (Gur&#363) N&#257nak is portrayed as a <i>faq&#299r</i> or dervish who, born of a Hindu family, had assimilated much from Islam and who, turning aside from all name and fame, had advocated peace and justice for all. Gur&#363 N&#257nak's formula describing the Divine, viz. "<i>Ek o&#7749k&#257r satn&#257m, kart&#257r (sic), nirbhau, nirbair, ak&#257l m&#363rat</i>, "was, according to Q&#257sim, on the lips of every Sikh. He passed on his high ideas not to any of his sons, but to a disciple of humble origin. Q&#257sim mentions other early Gur&#363s and notices the new developments under later Gur&#363s, Te<u>gh</u> Bah&#257dur and Gobind Si&#7749gh, the latter having laid the foundation of the <u>Kh</u>&#257ls&#257 Panth. <i>'Ibratn&#257mah</i> also contains a detailed account of Band&#257 Si&#7749gh. Here, however, Q&#257sim becomes partisan. He refers to Band&#257 (Si&#7749gh) pejoratively as <i>saf&#257q-i-beb&#257k</i> (reckless blood-shedder), <i>dajj&#257l</i> (impostor), <i>shu'badahb&#257z</i> (conjurer) and <i><u>kh</u>irs</i> (bear).</p> <p class="C1">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; He describes in detail his pillage of Sam&#257&#7751&#257, Sun&#257m, Mustaf&#257b&#257d, Sa&#7693haur&#257, etc., his inroads upon the Gangetic Do&#257b, sack of Sirhind, escape from his besieged headquarters, Lohga&#7771h, his last stand near Gurd&#257spur and ultimate capture and execution. The author could not however help adm&#299ring the zeal and desperate valour of the Sikhs. He states that when he was in the service of the deputy <i>n&#257zim</i> or administrator, '&#256rif Beg, he observed with his own eyes the superiority of these people and the cool courage that they displayed in sallying out of the Fort with swords, arrows, and guns in their hands and repelling the imperial army.</p> </font> <p class="BIB"> BIBLIOGRAPHY<p class="C1"><ol class="C1"><li class="C1"> Kirpal Singh, <i>A Catalogue of Persian and Sanskrit Manuscripts</i>. Amritsar, 1962<BR> <li class="C1"> Ganda Singh, <i>A Bibliography of the Panjab</i>. Patiala, 1966<BR> </ol><p class="CONT">Syad Hasan Askar&#299<br></p><BR> </font> <img src="counter.aspx" width="1px" height="1px" alt=""> </HTML></BODY>