Khushi Srivastava

University of Delhi
Mushtaqi

Sheikh Rizqullah Mushtaqi was born in 1495-6 and died in 1581-2. He

belonged to an old family of Delhi. His ancestor, Agha Muhammad Turk, came
to India with his tribal following during the reign of Sultan Ala-al din Khalji.
Agha Muhammad continued to hold an important rank even after the
overthow of the Khalji Dynasty. Eventually, he abandoned his military
profession and settled in the khanqah of Sheikh Salah-al-din Suharwardi in
Delhi. He had hundred and one sons out of which only Malik Mu’izz u’d din
survived. Mushtaqi’s ancestors preferred a life of chastity and poverty to the
life of comfort of the ruling class. It is important to discuss Mushtaqi’s social
milieu, education and profession, and the importance of his contribution to
historical writings.

Important developments
Mushtaqi lived during the Afghan period. This was the time of important
developments.
- The gap between the conquered and the conquerors of Hindustan was
bridged.
- The process of integration of Hindu and Muslim cultures was not only
getting accelerated but also getting completed in certain areas of North
India.
- Certain religious movements and groups were developing like the
Mahdavi movement and the Shattaris.
Mushtaqi was initiated under the discipleship of Sheikh Mohammad Magan at
an early age by his father. Later, he sat at the feet of Sheikh Buddan of the
Shattari silsilah who emphasised upon ishq-i-ilahi. This influence made
Mushtaqi a devout sufi. He observed the three-fold obligation of poverty,
chastity and resignation to the will of Allah. He spent his nights in constant
vigil. As for his profession, he was an imam like his father Sheikh Sa’ad Ullah.
His patrons were the nobles of Sultan Sikander and Ibrahim Lodi. He wrote
poems of love in Hindawi and Persian, by the pen names Rajan and Mushtaqi,
respectively. He was an orthodox religious person but free from fanaticism. He
had eveloped regard and tolerance towards other religions.
He wrote from personal experience and information gathered from his father
and other important people whom he mentions at certain places. He was
keenly interested and wrote about the sufi saints along with the kings and
nobles. His work Waqi’at-i-Mushtaqi was completed in 1570, during the reign
of Akbar. He writes nostalgically because conditions had deteriorated during
Akbar’s reign. He depicts the generosity of the Afghan rulers. His account of
Sher Shah and Islam Shah is fair and just. His work helps historians to analyse
the historical forces operating during the 15th and 16th centuries.
His account is full of stories. Many of the stories in the Waqi’at-i-Mushtaqi
reveal the medieval Indian life in its full colour. Not only the commoners
believed in spirits, ghosts and genii, the intelligentsia also had a credulous bent
of mind. Platonic love was famous among sections of mystics and recluses.
There are also stories which shed light upon the socio-economic conditions
obtaining in Northern India during the period under review.
- The Brahmins were held in high esteem even by Sultan Sikander Lodi.
- Strict purdah was observed was observed by the women of the
aristocratic Muslim families.
- The Hindu brokers and bankers carried out a brisk trade in almost all
important cities of North India.
- The stories reflect the condition of the common man, peasant, and
artisan in relation to the social and political institutions.
- Apparently, the picture that emerges is that of contentment, peace, and
prosperity.

Defects
As per the glaring defects in the Waqi’at-i-Mushtaqi, they reduce its
importance to some extent.
- For instance, in one anecdote, Mushtaqi confuses some other Jamal
Khan with Jamal Khan Sarang Khani, one of Bahlul Lodi’s nobles.
 - Similar mistakes can be found in this account regarding Sher Shah’s early
career. The details about the letter which Sher Shah’s brother wrote to
him in Agra during the reign of Ibrahim Lodhi are incorrect.
- Other events have also been noted in a rambling way.
- As regards to the writing style, it does not possess any literary charm.
The language is plain and shaky.
- It seems that he had no taste for investigation and research.
- The author never employs the technique of methodical doubt and
questioning of evidence to ascertain facts.
- His treatment has no unity of theme and chronology. One may seldom
find the date of any evet in the Waqi’at-i-Mushtaqi.
- The account of the kings is interspersed with stories of miracles,
enchantment, and platonic love and are put down wherever the author
wanted to. Consequently, reading becomes difficult and uninteresting.
- His main defect is that he presents some stories as facts of history.

Lodi Dynasty
The history of the Lodi Sultans begins with a brief account of Bahlul Lodi’s
childhood, his career and rise to prominence in the Panjab. According to
Mushtaqi, Bahlul was a horse merchant who obtained the throne of Delhi with
the help of ecstatic dervish. Mushtaqi’s junior contemporary rejects this
particular detail stating that it was wrong to say that Bahlul and his uncle, Islam
Shah Lodi, ever dealt with the trade of horses. Firishta is conclusive on this
point.
Mushtaqi’s account of Bahlul’s political behaviour and the policy followed by
him towards the religious and political elite is interesting. His account is
supported by circumstancial evidence provided both in Tabaqat-i-Akbari and
Tarikh-i-Khan-i-Jahani. Mushtaqi notes Bahlul as a God-fearing king, having a
great interest in the welfare of people under his rule. The Sultan treated the
ulama and the mashaikh with respect. The soldiers and nobles were given due
considerations. He did not sit on the throne in the social assembly and forbade
the nobles to stand in the assembly. All used to sit on the fine carpets and the
Sultan referred the nobles as Masnad-i-Ali (exalted lordship).
There is one interesting account of the destruction of Tatar Khan Yusuf Khail.
He was a trusted noble of the Sultan and held the charge of territories beyond
the River Sutlej. He began to assume an air of independence when Prince
Nizam Khan was ordered to march against this rebel.
Mushtaqi’s account of the reign of Sultan Sikander Lodi is more detailed than
that of his father. He gives an eye-witness account of many of the events.
Moreover, he was acquainted with the nobles of the Sultan from whom he got
information about the character and the social and administrative reforms of
the Sultan. The Sultan banned the visit of women to the shrines of tombs of
the celebrated saints. The Sultan was religious and imparted impartial justice
to the people under his rule. But he shaved his beard and drank wine in
private.
The Sultan and his nobles were seriously interested in the progress of
agriculture. They encouraged peasants to cultivate virgin lands and granted
loans to them in times of need. The Sultan’s attitude towards the noble was
also liberal. If the iqta assigned to them yielded more than was recorded in the
papers, they were allowed to keep it. No noble had the courage to deprive any
person of his wajah-i-maash (land given to pious people). Charity houses were
opened where needy people got financial help, musicians and poets were
patronised and educational institutions got financial aid. The Sultan had keen
interest in music and appointed several nobles to interview musicians for the
royal court.
The account of the reign of Sultan Ibrahim Lodi is comparatively brief.
Mushtaqi is critical of the Sultan and blames him for maltreating some nobles
of Sultan Sikander’s time. His justification of the rebellion of the nobles reflects
his prejudice towards the Sultan.

SUR DYNASTY
Sher Shah Sur and Islam Shah impressed Mushtaqi by their sense of justice and
interest in the welfare of the people. He does not consider Sher Shah as a rebel
against Humayun. On the whole, his account of the Sur Dynasty is fair. Sher
Shah’s campaigns against Malwa, Ra’isin and Jodhpur have been described in
full details. In fact, the Waqi’at-i-Mushtaqi is one of the earliest works
reflecting upon Sher Shah’s works of public utility. For instance, he fixed a good
amount of money to be distributed among the needy daily. He also
commissioned two kitchens, one for the poor and one for the harem and the
royal offices. Mushtaqi’s is the only account which notes that Sher Shah left
the palace of Gaur in an attractive condition to lure and entrap Humayun. As
regards to the administrative system, the parganah and Sarkar officers have
been mentioned along with subordinate officials. The author notes the
introduction of the dagh system (horse-breeding) by Sher Shah. He also notes
about king’s interest in personally reviewing the sawars and fixing their
allownces. Information has also been provided about the construction of
caravan serai, wells, roads, etc. Two clerks, one Persian writer and one Hindi
writer were appointed to keep records of the soldiers. It is here only that we
find details of the clash between Khawas Khan and Islam Shah.
Mushtaqi infuses a new spirit in medieval historiography by taking note of the
activities of even the lower strata of the society. As per the defects, they do
not minimise the importance of the work. Besides that of the Lodis and the
Surs, account has also been provided about the Sultans of Malwa, Gujarat and
Jaunpur. With the king, the wandering sufis and dervishes also find mention in
Mushtaqi’s work.