The Mughals, the Sufi Shaikhs and the Formation of the Akbari ...

FORMATION OF THE AKBARI DISPENSATION 147
words of Abu al-Fazl the ‘weighty appellation with its majesty and
sublimity, was not readily pronounceable or current on the tongues
of the Turks, the name Babur was [thus] also given to him’. 31 In
Farghana, the Khwaja also had a close association with the important
families of the nobles and high officials. One such was the family of
‘Abd-Allah who made use of the joint name of Khwaja-Maulana-Qazi
because he combined in his house the positions of muqtada (religious
guide), shaikh al-Islam and qazi. 32
The Mawarannahri Shaikhs and the Early Mughals
Although associated with the moment of his birth, Khwaja Ahrar had
died by the time Babur rose to power. But the prince nevertheless
attributes several of his achievements to the Khwaja’s blessings.
Shortly before he took Samarqand in 1501, he had seen the Khwaja
in a dream. He writes:
His Highness Khwaja Ubaid-Allah seemed to come; I seemed to go out to
give him honourable meeting; he came in and seated himself; people seemed
to lay a table-cloth before him, apparently without sufficient care and, on
account of this, something seemed to come to his Highness Khwaja’s mind.
Mullah Baba ( Pashagari) made me a sign; I signed back, ‘Not through me
the table-layer is in fault’. The Khwaja understood and accepted the excuse.
When he rose I escorted him out. In the hall of that house he took hold of my
right or left arm and lifted me up till one of my feet was off the ground, saying
in Turki, ‘Shaikh Maslahat has given (Samarkand)’. I really took Samarkand
a few days later. 33
As a matter of fact, in that town the followers of the Khwaja held a
considerable position at the turn of the century. They did not pay any
levies to the government under the Khawja’s principle of himayat and
they sometimes even dictated who should have the supreme power
in the town. For only a brief while, in 1494, they had some difficulty
when Sultan Mahmud Mirza was for a few months in possession of
the town, made new regulations, and treated them with harshness
and oppression. 34 Khwaja Ahrar’s son Khwaja ‘Abd-Allah (better
known as Khwajagi Khwaja) and Khwaja Muhammad Yahya were
31 Akbarnama, Vol.I,p.87, English trans., p. 225.
32 Baburnama, Beveridge trans., pp. 89–90, Thackstone trans., p.65.
33 Ibid., Beveridge trans., p. 132; Thackston trans., p. 98–99.
34 Ibid., Beveridge trans., p. 41, Thackstone trans., p. 28.
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