1888.] 
Shyarnal Das— The mother of Jahangir. 
73 
Jaipur princess, the daughter of Jagat Singh (son of Man Singh and 
grandson of Bhag’wan Das). 
Q. 6. Jahangir’s mother was not a Hindu lady, but a Muham¬ 
madan, the widow of Bairam Elian. 
This affirmation is contradicted by the statements made in answer¬ 
ing the last question. 
The widow of Bairam Khan, named Salimah Sultan Begam, was 
a very intelligent lady, possessing many virtues and accomplishments ;* 
she had certainly been married to Akbar, and was the most distinguished 
of his wives, as Mr. Beveridge says, and commanded the respect of all 
the ladies in the zanana : but the lady, who had the honour of giving 
birth to Jahangir, was a Jaipur princess—a princess, Hindu by origin.! 
Q. 7. Was Nur Jahan entrusted by Jahangir to Ruqiyyah Begam 
or to Salimah Sultan ? 
Nur Jahan, when brought to Court after the assassination of her 
husband Slier Afgan, was kept in the charge of Ruqiyyah Begam (the 
daughter of Mirza Hindal, one of Babar’s sons), the Begam of Akbar, 
next to Salimah Sultan in respect. 
Q. 8. Is the word Ruqiyyah or raqabah in the Iqbalnama P 
The Iqbalnama^ has the word Ruqiyyah , the name of the daughter 
of Khalifah ’All, cousin and son-in-law of the Prophet—which being 
regarded as a blessed one, is given by the Moslems to their daughters. 
The word raqabah § would make no sense in the passage in question. 
Q. 9. What is the correct meaning of the words wdlidah sabab-i- 
Jchesh ? 
This expression does not mean “ own mother,” but a lady regarded 
as a mother for some reason ( sabab ). 
Q. 10. What authority is there for the statement that Salimah 
had adopted Jahangir, after his own mother’s death ? 
Salimah Sultan was considered the guardian of Akbar’s zanana, 
and all the children of Akbar and Jahangir were tended by her : it was 
for this very reason that she mediated on Jahangir’s behalf, when he 
had fallen out with Akbar, and brought him to Court from Allahabad. 
Jahangir regarded her as his mother, and she in turn looked upon 
* The Mirat-i-’Alam and the Tdrikh-i-Khurshid Juki give the details of her noble 
attributes. Her metrical compositions were signed MciJchfi ( hidden, anonymous). 
f It was impossible that a Hindu lady could, when married to a Muhammadan 
king, continue a Hindu, at least in the eyes of the Hindus ; in that sense, it can 
be said that Jahangir’s mother was not a Hindti lady. Trans. 
$ Lucknow Ed. 1870, p. 529. 
§ Evidently there is a misprint in the Bib. Ind. Ed., the letter u,' having lost 
a dot, we read raqabah ( ), instead of ruqiyyah ( ). Trans. 
* 
J 
