208 
H. Beveridge —The Khiirshid Jahdn Numd of 
[No. 3, 
Sultan Ghayasu-d-din and whose father died (after the son was grown up) in 
786, or at latest in 800. 833 and 851 are also, I think, too late, especially as 
Nur Qutb’s brother A‘zam Kh an is said to have been the Wazir of Muhammad 
Tu gh luk who died in 752.1 There is, however, a way of explaining the 
inscription which is compatible with chronology, and with the suggestion 
that it belongs to N ur Qutb’s tomb. This is to take the date 863, as refer¬ 
ring to the erection of the tomb by Latif Kh an, and not to that of the death 
of the saint. This is how Sir Alexander Cunningham, 1. c., p. 85, has under¬ 
stood it, though he seems to have overlooked the fact that Blochmann’s 
translation, which he has accepted, makes 863 the date of the death. 
Apparently it is only a question of punctuation. A little alteration in this 
will make the date refer to the erection of the tomb, and this is perhaps 
which we should naturally expect to be the case. For the object of the 
inscription seems to be to moralise on the inevitableness of death. This is 
enforced by the fact that the Sun of the Faith, &c., also tasted death. 
Possibly this Sun of the Faith, &c., may be Nur Qutb, though one might have 
looked for a clearer reference to his name or title, viz., the Pole Star. It 
may mean the Prophet Muhammad. 
Ilahi Bakhsh mentions that on one of the pillars of Nur Qutb’s tomb, 
on the right hand side, there is an inscription which says that the 
pillars were presented by Pirzad Khan in the year 1000 (1592). I do not 
find that this inscription has been published anywhere, though Cunningham 
says 2 that the fifth pillar at the head of the sarcophagus has a Persian 
inscription. The poetry is illegible. 
Ilahi Bakhsh then proceeds to give notices of Shaikh Rafaqu-d-din and 
Shaikh Anwar, the eldest and younger sons of Nur Qutb. 
Rafaqu-d-dln was celebrated for his humility, and used to say that 
he was of less account than a market-dog. His tomb is beside his 
father’s. Shaikh Anwar is said to have died a martyr at Sonargafi at 
the hands of Rajah Kans. He was famous for his generosity and used 
to have sheep fattened and killed for tbe faqirs, though he did not 
touch the meat himself. His tomb is near his father and brother. 
The author has already referred to him in his account of the place in 
Maldah called Sir Bari. 
Between the tombs of the two sons, there are two graves which the 
custodians say are those of two brothers, who were devoted servants of 
Nur Qutb. One was called Ma‘inu-l-islam and the other Ainu-l-islam. 
It appears from the Riyazu-s-salatln (110) that a Shaikh Ma‘inu-l-islam 
Abas was the father of Badaru-l-islam. Perhaps this is his tomb. 
Shaikh Zahid was the son of Rafaqu-d-din and grandson of Nur 
Qutb. He had ten sons. His death was 17th Rabi‘u-l-awwal 860 
9 
(1455). The chronogram is (860) 
1 See Bloohmann, 1. c. He admits the difficulty caused by this circumstance. 
2 I, 1. c., 83. 
