SEPT. 6, 1872.]
MUGHUL GRANDEES.
259
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BIOGRAI’HICAL NOTICES OF GRANDEES OF THE MUGHUL COURT. By H. BLOCHMANN, M.A., CALCUTTA MADRASAH.
(Continued from p. 76.) ON TITLES.
SHALL say, by way of introduction, a few
ibn Ahmad, the governor of Sijistán, with the
words about the titles that were in use at
title of ‘Sultán.’ From this time the title of ‘Sultán' becomes
the Dihli Court.
The kings up to the time of Bábar had the title of Sultán ; with the Mughuls the higher title of “Padisháh’ came into use.
In fact we
find that the Mughul dynasty brought a new court ceremonial to India. The word ‘sultán' is an Arabic noun and means ‘power.” It then became, like other abstract nouns, a title ; but it is still used in the sense of “saltanat, or ‘rule.’ ‘Salat' is an old Shemitic root. In Chaldee we have “shallit,” in the books of Da
niel and Ezra, which is used in the sense of ‘strong,” and as a substantive, ‘a prince,” whilst in Hebrew it occurs in Ezekiel in the sense of ‘a hard, impudent woman.' In Arabic, the root ‘salata,’ like its cognates ‘galada' and ‘galaba,” means ‘to be hard, and its secondary meaning ‘to rule’ is generally ascribed to Syriac influence.
The word sultán occurs very often in
the Qorán; but it has there the meaning of hukm, and refers chiefly to that power which a prophet as such has over men. The meaning will be come still clearer when we compare Act. Apost. VIII. 19, where the #ovala, or power communi
cated by laying the hands on any one, is trans lated in Syriac and Arabic by ‘sultán.” Among the Arabians the use of the word ‘sultán' as
a title belongs to the times after Muhammad. The pre-Islamitic Arabians used al-amir, malik,
common, and is occasionally interchanged with the Persian Shahinshah or Pádishdh, or the Tur kish Khāqān or qāān. The idea of dependence
on the Khalīfahs of Baghdād was always im plied, and the early Sultáns of Dihli, Jaunpur, &c., tried to confirm their claims as reigning princes by calling themselves négiru amiril miminón, helper of the commander of the Faith ful, or mumiddu khalifatilláhi, assister of the Khalifah (vice regent) of God, &c., and sending embassies to Baghdād, and later, to Egypt with presents to obtain the coveted acknowledgment (taqlid) as lawful rulers. Bábar, however, and his descendents based their right upon conquest, and from his time the emperors of Dihli are styled Pádishah or Pádishah i Ghazi.
That the title of ‘Pādishah’ was looked upon as a higher title than ‘Sultán,’ is best seen from the fact that from the time of Bábar the word
Sultán, and in two instances the word ‘Shāh'
also, became the title of the Imperial princes, and ‘Sultán Begum' that of imperial princesses, whilst the sons of princes, i. e. the grandsons of
the reigning emperor, were called ‘Shāhzādahs.” Immediately after the conquest of Dihli under Iltitmish (Altamsh), we find that the princes also were called ‘Sultán, and the grandees ‘Maliks,’ a title which was only abolished by Bábar. From the time of Balban, we observe that the
shaikh, and later al-wali, in the sense of “a king.’ Some Arabian chiefs had peculiar titles. Thus ‘tobba' was the title of the kings of Yaman; and foreign kings were called by their foreign
princes get the title of “ Khān,” or higher titles as Khánkhánán, Ulugh Khán (great Khán)
titles, as kisrá (king of Persia), qaigar (“Caesar', Emperor of Constantinople), &c. The first clear
and Humāyún we also see the word ‘Mírzá' applied to them, which is a Persian usage, and later we find that two Princes, Khurram (Shāh
case of ‘sultán' having been used as a title
and Ikit Khán (young Khán). Under Bábar
over Fārs under the Khalifah almuti 'billah,
jahán) and Muhammad Mu’azzam (Bahádur Sháh), got the title of Sháh, which they even
who bestowed it, according to Abulfidá, in A.H.
retained after accession.
338, or A.D. 949, upon his nephew 'Imád ud
The queens had the titles of ‘Malikah,’ ‘Malikah i Jahān,’ ‘Makhdūmah Jahán' (pr. served by the world), &c. Under the Mughuls the title of Pádishah Begum appears (Nür Jahán
belongs to the time of Ruknuddaulah deputy
daulah. A later, though better known, example refers to the reign of Mahmūd of Ghazni, who in 393 A.H., or 1002 A.D., dignified Khalf
- In the title of the Princesses, the name was inserted be
tween Sultán and Begum ; thus Sultán Zebunnisé. Begum. The word Shāhzādah is occasionally employed in histories
for the sons of the emperor ; but the word is then used as an epithet rather than a title.
