Page:The Oriental Biographical Dictionary.djvu/38

Ahma 26 Alima king charges against him. He was in consequence dis- graced and imprisoned for 13 years in one of the forts of India. He was released by Sultan Mas'ud, son and successor of Mahmud, and reinstated in the responsible oflB.ce of minister, which he held for some time. He died a natural death in the year 1033 A. D., 424 A. H. Ahmad bin-Idris, U^J'^^ (^i >>-^, a lawyer of the sect of Blalik, was the author of many works, and died about the year 1285 A. D., 684 A. H. Ahmad bin-Israil, cJ-Ji'j/^^l e?: '^■♦■=>-|^ a great astro- loger who lived under the khilafat of Wasik Billah of Baghdad. Ahmad bin-Kasir, ttH "i^^t, also called Muham- mad bin-Kasir and Kasir al-Farghani, is the same person whom we call Alfaraganius, a great astronomer, who lived diu'ing the reign of the EZhalifa al-Mamtin. Vide Farghani. Ahmad bin-Muhammad al-Ghafifari al-Kazwini, ^jUiJt ^^ li^+a^lj a kazi, and a descendant of 'Ahdul-GhaflFar, the author of the " Hawi". He is the author of the work called " Naskh-i- Jahan-ara" which he composed in the year 1563 A. D., 971 A. H., of which number the title forms the chronogram. It is also called " Tarikh-i-Mukhtasir, an abridged history of Asia, from Adam down to Shah Tahmasp of Persia, A. D. 1525. It also contains memoirs of the Muhammadan kings of Spain, from A. D. 755 to 1036. It was dedicated to Shah Tahmasp. We are also indebted to him for the better known work, entitled " Nigaristan". We learn from the " Tarikh Badaoni" that, having resigned his employment in Persia, he went towards the close of his life on a pilgrimage to Mecca, and that landing in Dibal in Sindh, for the pui-- pose of paying a visit to Hindustan, he died at that port in 1567 A. D., 975 A. H. Fide Dowson, Elliot's Histy. of India, II, 504.] Ahmad bin-Muhammad al-Kastalani, ^^^^^■^^h (jj'J 'J>*'=^t^ an author who died in the year 1527 A.. D., 933 A. H. ; vide Kastalam. Ahmad bin-Muhammad Kuduri, ls'J'^' ix^s^ '^^'^ author of a work on jurisprudence, called " Kuduri", and several other works. He died in 1046 A. D., 438 A. H. Ahmad bin-Muhammad bin-'Ali Bakr al-Hanafi, author of the " Khazanat-ul-Fatawa," a collection of deci- sions made towards the end of the eighth century of the Hijra, and comprising questions of rare occm-rence. Ahmad bin-Tulun, <1})^J-^ i^?- the founder of the Tuliinide dynasty in Egypt ; vide Ahmad Ibn-Tuliin. Ahmad bin-Yahya bin-Jabir al-Biladuri, ^^j^iLi] or i_sj 'i^ii, surnamed also Abu- Ja' far and Abul- Hasan, was the instructor to one of the princes of the family of al-Mutawakkil, and died in A- H. 279, A. B. 892. His " Futuh-ul-Buldan" is one of the earliest Arabic chronicles. He also wrote a geographical work, entitled " Kital?-uI-Buldan," the Book of Countries.] Ahmad bin-Yahya, <V^t, author of the mar- ginal notes on the " Wikaya", a woik on jurisprudence. Ahmad bin-Yusuf, ^'^Ji an historian and author of the " Akhbar-ud-dawal", written in 1599 A. D., 1008 A. H., which is said to be an abridgement of Jana- bi's " Tarikh-ul-Janabi", called alao " Bahr-uz-Zakhkhar". Ahmad Chap, Malik, was Naib-Barbak under Fi'ruz Shah II (Khilji) of Dihli, whom he warned in vain ag-ainst 'Ala-uddfn. He was blinded by 'Ala-uddin after his accession.] Ahmad (Shaikh), (^yyi ii.+s^| ^a*^ of Ghaznf, author of the work entitled " Makamat-i-Shaikh Ahmad." containing the Life of Ahmad Jam, Shaikh-ul-Islam of Ni'shapur ; with a minute account of the miracles performed by him. Vide Ahmad Jam. Ahmad (Shaikh), ^^iyo^ J.*=^| ^xi^ commonly called MuUa Jiwan, of Amethi, was the tutor of the emperor ' Alamgir, and author of the " Tafsi'r-i-Ahmadi." He died in 1718 A. D., 1130 A. H. Vide Mulla Jiwan. Ahmad, Shaikh, second son of Shaikh Salim Chishti of Fathpur Sikii. He served under Akbar, and died in 985 H.] Ahmadi, the poetical name of Mir Sayyid Lutf- uUah, who died in 1633 A. D., 1043 A. H- Ahmadi, a Turkish poet, whose proper name was Khwaja Ahmad Ja'fari, and of whom we have the follow-: ing anecdote. The great Tartar conqueror Amir Timur (Tamerlane) being on his march through Anadoli, halted for a while at Amasia, where Ahmadi lived ; and the poet took the opportunity of presenting him with an ode. This led to further intimacies, Timur being a patron of literary men ; and one day when both were in the bath, the monarch amused himself by putting crochetty questions to Ahmadi, and laughing at his answers. " Suppose now," said he, pointing to the surrounding attendants, " you were requii-ed to value these beautiful boys, how much would you say each was worth ?" Ahmadi answered with becoming gravity, estimating one at a camel-load of silver, another at six bushels of pearls, a third at forty gold wedges, and so made the circuit of the ring. " Very fair," said Timur, " and now tell me. What do you value Me at ?" " Four and twenty aspers," replied the poet, "no more and no less." "What!" cried Timur, laughing, "why the shirt I have on is woEth that." " Do you really think so ?" asked Ahmadi, with the greatest apparent simplicity — " at that rate you must be worth nothing, for I included the shirt in the yaluation !" Muclj to his credit, Timur, instead of being angry, applauded and rewarded the wit and boldness of the poet. Ahmadi was a contemporary of Shaikhi, and is the author of the " Kulliyat-i-Khwaja Ahmad Ja'fari." He also composed a heroic poem on the actions of Tamerlane, and a Sikandar-nama in the Turkish language. He died in A. D. 1412. Ahmad Ghaffari, vide Ahmad bin-Muhammad al-Gha£farl, Ahmad Ghazzali, vide GhazzaH (Ahmad). Ahmad Ibn-' Arab- Shah, vide 'Arab-Shah. ^hmad Ibn-Hanbal, ride Hanbal (Imam.) Ahmad Ibn-Tulim, u-!' "^-^I, the founder of the ■ Tulunide dynasty in Egypt, a Turkish slave, who being entrusted by al-Mu'tamid, the khalifa of Baghdad, with the government of that country and Syria in A. D. 879, set up for himself, and maintained his authority notwith- standing all attempts to depose him. He reduced Damascus, Hims, Hamat, Kinnisrin, and ar-Rakka, situated upon the eastern bank of the Euphrates. His mosque in Cairo may be seen to this day. He died in A. D. 884, 270 A. H., and was succeeded by his son IDiumirwaih. Egypt continued to be governed by his successors for several years when it was again reduced in A. D. 905 by Muham- mad, general of the khalifa of Baghdad al-Muktafi; I