''Muntakhab-ut-Tawarikh (منتخب التواریخ) or'' ''Tarikh-i-Bada'uni'' (تاریخ بداؤنی), ''Selection of Chronicles'' by `Abd al-Qadir Bada'uni (1540–1605) is a book describing the early Mughal history of

India India, officially the Republic of India (Hindi: ), is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by area, the second-most populous country, and the most populous democracy in the world. Bounded by the Indian Ocean on the so ...

, covering the period from the days of

Ghaznavid The Ghaznavid dynasty ( fa, غزنویان ''Ġaznaviyān'') was a culturally Persianate, Sunni Muslim dynasty of Turkic ''mamluk'' origin, ruling, at its greatest extent, large parts of Persia, Khorasan, much of Transoxiana and the northwest ...

reign until the fortieth regnal year of Mughal Emperor

Akbar Abu'l-Fath Jalal-ud-din Muhammad Akbar (25 October 1542 – 27 October 1605), popularly known as Akbar the Great ( fa, ), and also as Akbar I (), was the third Mughal emperor, who reigned from 1556 to 1605. Akbar succeeded his father, Hum ...

Overview

''Muntakhab-ut-Tawarikh'' is a general history of the Muslims in

from

Sabuktigin Abu Mansur Nasir al-Din Sabuktigin ( fa, ابو منصور سبکتگین) ( 942 – August 997), also spelled as Sabuktagin, Sabuktakin, Sebüktegin and Sebük Tigin, was the founder of the Ghaznavid dynasty, ruling from 367 A.H/977 A.D to 38 ...

to 1595, commenced in 1590 followed by biographies of shaykhs, scholars, physicians and poets. `Abd al-Qadir Bada'uni began writing this history in the first half of 1590. The book was completed by October 1595. Its comprises on the 618 solar year's historic events. ''Muntakhab-ut-Tawarikh'' is based largely on Khawaja Nīzām-ud-Din Ahmad Sirhindi's Tabakāt-i-Akbar Shāhi (also known as Tabakāt-i-Akbari), with characteristic asides by `Abd al-Qadir Bada'uni. The work contains three volumes. The first volume contains historic accounts about the rulers and kings of the

Ghaznavids The Ghaznavid dynasty ( fa, غزنویان ''Ġaznaviyān'') was a culturally Persianate, Sunni Muslim dynasty of Turkic ''mamluk'' origin, ruling, at its greatest extent, large parts of Persia, Khorasan, much of Transoxiana and the northwest ...

Ghurid dynasty The Ghurid dynasty (also spelled Ghorids; fa, دودمان غوریان, translit=Dudmân-e Ğurīyân; self-designation: , ''Šansabānī'') was a Persianate dynasty and a clan of presumably eastern Iranian Tajik origin, which ruled from th ...

Mamluk Dynasty (Delhi) The Mamluk dynasty ( fa, سلطنت مملوک, Salṭanat Mamlūk) was founded in Northern India by Qutb ud-Din Aibak, a Turkic Mamluk slave-general of the Ghurid Empire from Central Asia. The Mamluk dynasty ruled from 1206 to 1290; it was th ...

Babur Babur ( fa, , lit= tiger, translit= Bābur; ; 14 February 148326 December 1530), born Mīrzā Zahīr ud-Dīn Muhammad, was the founder of the Mughal Empire in the Indian subcontinent. He was a descendant of Timur and Genghis Khan through his ...

and

Humayun Nasir-ud-Din Muhammad ( fa, ) (; 6 March 1508 – 27 January 1556), better known by his regnal name, Humāyūn; (), was the second emperor of the Mughal Empire, who ruled over territory in what is now Eastern Afghanistan, Pakistan, Northern ...

. It records the history of India from the coronation of

, founder of

Empire (A.D 977) down to the death of Mughal Emperor

(24 January 1556). The second volume covers the first forty years of Mughal Emperor

's reign from 14 February 1556 to October 1595. Abd al-Qadir Bada'uni was Eye-witness of

's era. This volume is an unusually frank and critical account of Akbar's administrative measures, particularly regarding religion and his conduct. This volume was kept concealed till Akbar's death and was published after Jahangir's accession (approximately in 1605). The third part contains the biographical accounts of the Saints, Poets and men of letters who were either known to him, or were attached to the court of

. The accounts relate to 38 Shaykhs (religious leaders), 69 scholars, 15 philosophers, physicians and 67 poets. The work is noted for its hostile comments on

's religious activities. Its existence was apparently kept secret until at least the tenth year of

Jahangir Nur-ud-Din Muhammad Salim (30 August 1569 – 28 October 1627), known by his imperial name Jahangir (; ), was the fourth Mughal Emperor, who ruled from 1605 until he died in 1627. He was named after the Indian Sufi saint, Salim Chishti. Ear ...

's reign (1615). When Mullā 'Abd al-Bāķī Nahawandī, author of Ma'āthir-i- Rahimī, did not know of it when he completed his work in 1616. According to Shaykh Muhammad Baķā Sahāranpūrī, author of Mir'āt al-'Ālam, composed in 1667, said `Abd al-Qadir Bada'uni's children asserted to

that they did not know of the existence of the work.

Publications

The first

Persian language Persian (), also known by its endonym Farsi (, ', ), is a Western Iranian language belonging to the Iranian branch of the Indo-Iranian subdivision of the Indo-European languages. Persian is a pluricentric language predominantly spoken and ...

text of this book was published in 1864 from

Lucknow Lucknow (, ) is the capital and the largest city of the Indian state of Uttar Pradesh and it is also the second largest urban agglomeration in Uttar Pradesh. Lucknow is the administrative headquarters of the eponymous district and division ...

, but is no longer available and has since likely been lost. The second printed edition of the text of this work was published by the College Press, Calcutta in 1865. This work was later translated into English by G.S.A. Ranking (Vol.I), W.H. Lowe (Vol.II) and T.W. Haig (Vol.III) (published by the Asiatic Society, Calcutta between 1884-1925 as a part of their Bibliotheca Indiaca series). Maulavi Ehtisham-ud-Din Muradabadi was the first to translate it into

Urdu Urdu (;"Urdu"
''

in 1889.

Abstract version

Abd-Shukur ibn Sheikh Abdul-Wāseī Thattahvi wrote an abstract version of this book in

References

{{Reflist

External links

The Muntakhabu-’rūkh by ‘Abdu-’l-Qādir Ibn-i-Mulūk Shāh, (Al-Badāoni)

Packard Humanities Institute The Packard Humanities Institute (PHI) is a non-profit foundation, established in 1987, and located in Los Altos, California, which funds projects in a wide range of conservation concerns in the fields of archaeology, music, film preservation, an ...

''Tārīkh-i Badāūnī''
a translation from Volume V of

The History of India, as Told by Its Own Historians ''The History of India, as Told by Its Own Historians'' is a book comprising translations of medieval Persian chronicles based on the work of Henry Miers Elliot. It was originally published as a set of eight volumes between 1867-1877 in London. T ...

, 1867 * "Bada'uni, 'Abd al-Qadir."

Encyclopædia Britannica The (Latin for "British Encyclopædia") is a general knowledge English-language encyclopaedia. It is published by Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc.; the company has existed since the 18th century, although it has changed ownership various time ...

. 2005
Encyclopædia Britannica Online
16 Nov. 2005 . * '' Muntakhab al-Tavarikh'' (in Persian) Volume 2 . * All three volumes of his Muntakhab al-Tavarikh (in English) are available and searchable here: http://persian.packhum.org/persian/
''Muntakhabu-t-tawārīkh, Volume 1'' (1898)
History books about India 1595 books 1865 non-fiction books Books about the Mughal Empire 16th-century Indian books 19th-century Indian books Indian chronicles Historiography of India