TRANSLATOR'S NOTE ON 936 to 937 AH. 1529 to 1530 AD.
It is difficult to find material for filling the latuna of some 15 months, which occurs in Babur's diary after the broken passage of Muharram 3rd 936 AH. (Sept. 7th 1529 ad.) and down to the date of his death on Jumada I. 6th 937AH. (Dec. 26th 15 30 AD.). The known original sources are few, their historical matter scant, their contents mainly biographical. Gleanings may yet be made, however, in unexpected places, such gleanings as are provided by Ahmad-i-yadgar's interpolation of Tlmurid history amongst his lives of Afghan Sultans.
The earliest original source which helps to fill the gap of 936 AH. is Haidar Mirza's Tarikh-i-rashidi, finished as to its Second Part which contains Babur's biography, in 948 AH. (1541 AD.), 12 years therefore after the year of the gap 936 AH. It gives valuable information about the affairs of Badakhshan, based on its author's personal experience at 30 years of age, and was Abu'l-fazl's authority for the Akbar-ndma.
The next in date of the original sources is Gul-badan Begim's Humdyun-ndtna, a chronicle of family affairs, which she wrote in obedience to her nephew Akbar's command, given in about 995 ah. (1587 ad.), some 57 years after her Father's death, that whatever any person knew of his father (Humayun) and grandfather (Babur) should be written down for Abu'l-fazl's use. It embodies family memories and traditions, and presumably gives the recollections of several ladies of the royal circle.1
1 Jauhar's Humdyun-nama and Bayazld Blydfs work of the same title were written under the same royal command as the Begim's. They contribute nothing towards filling the gap of 936 ah. ; their authors, being Humayun's servants, write about him. It may be observed that criticism of these books, as recording trivialities, is disarmed if they were commanded because they would obey an order to set down whatever was known, selection amongst their contents resting with Abu'1-fazl. Even more completely must they be excluded from a verdict on the literary standard of their uay- Abu'1-fazl must have had a source of Baburiana which has not found its way into European libraries. A man likely to have contributed his recollections, directly or transmitted, is Khwaja Muqim Harawi. The date of Muqim's death is conjectural only, but he lived long enough to impress the worth of historical writing on his son Nizamu'-d-din Ahmad. (Cf. E. and D.'s H. of I. art Tabaqtit-i-akbari v, 177 and >07 ; T.-i-A. lith. ed. p. 193 ; and for Bayazld Biydfs work, JASB. 1898, p. 296.)
