with less detail, in the A.kbar-nama, of which the gist is that Khalifa planned to supersede Humayun and his three brothers in their Father's succession.1
The story, in brief, is as follows: At the time of Babur's death Nizamu'd-dln Ahmad's father Khwaja Muhammad Muqim Harawi was in the service of the Office of Works.2 Amir Nizamu'd-dln 'All Khalifa, the Chief of the Administration, had dread and suspicion about Humayun and did not favour his succession as Padshah. Nor did he favour that of Babur's other sons. He promised " Babur Padshah's son-in-law {ddmad) " Mahdl Khwaja who was a generous young man, very friendly to himself, that he would make him Padshah. This promise becoming known, others made their salam to the Khwaja who put on airs and accepted the position. One day when Khalifa, accompanied by Muqim, went to see Mahdl Khwaja in his tent, no-one else being present, Babur, in the pangs of his disease, sent for him 3 when he had been seated a few minutes only. When Khalifa had gone out, Mahdl Khwaja remained standing in such a way that Muqim could not follow but, the Khwaja unaware, waited respectfully behind him. The Khwaja, who was noted for the wildness of youth, said, stroking his beard, " Please God ! first, I will flay thee!" turned round and saw Muqim, took him by the ear, repeated a proverb of menace, " The red tongue gives the green head to the wind," and let him go. Muqim hurried to Khalifa, repeated the Khwaja's threat against him, and remonstrated about the plan to set all Babur's sons aside in favour of a stranger-house.4 Here-upon Khalifa sent for Humayun,5 and despatched an officer with orders to the Khwaja to retire to his house, who found him about to dine and hurried him off without ceremony. Khalifa also issued a proclamation forbidding intercourse with him, excluded him from Court, and when Babur died, supported Humayun.
' E. andD.'s History of India v, 187 ; G. B.'s Humdyun-nama trs. p. 28.
2 dar khidmat-i-diwdni-i-buyutdt; perhaps he was a Barrack-officer. His appointment explains his attendance on Khalifa.
3 Khalifa prescribed for the sick Babur.
* khanwdda-i-bigdnah, perhaps, foreign dynasty.
5 From Sambhal; Gul-badan, by an anachronism made some 60 years later, writes Kalanjar, to which place Humayun moved 5 months after his accession.
