G. H. Dam ant —Notes on Shah IsmaHl Ghazi. 
217 
1874.] 
ing of the 22nd of Sha’ban, 1042, [22nd February, 1638] be and bis com¬ 
panions were sitting near the tomb of Shall Isma’fl Ghazi, the Arab, the 
greatest of martyrs, when Shaikh Kabir, Shaikh Latif, Shaikh Mas’ud, and 
other keepers of the tombs in Kanta Dual* and Jala Maqam, faithfully 
related some memorable events in his public life. 
The audience listened to the narrative with wrapt attention and great 
interest, and thought that the events mentioned should be recorded and 
written in a book. The task was conferred on this humble individual, who 
in the reign of Shihabuddin Muhammad Shahjahan Padishah i Ghazi,—may 
God make his kingdom and reign everlasting !—faithfully performed it, and 
named the book “ R i s a 1 at ush-Shuhada,” hoping that mistakes, if 
there be any, will be corrected and errors rectified by the learned of the 
time. 
Tradition states that Isma’il Ghazi, a descendant of the family of the 
prophet, was born in fhe holy city of Mecca. From his youth, he 
was a devout follower of religion, and spent his time in preaching and 
teaching. A hundred and twenty wise men and their tutor Maulana Husam- 
uddin of Arabia always attended him. The Maulana had a brother, 
named Kamal-uddin, who happened to be reading the Qoran, and came across 
the passage, 1 the martyrs to their God shall have a great reward,’ a text 
which inspired all the after-actions of Isma’il’s life. No sooner had he 
heard it, than he felt a great contempt for an inglorious life and an earnest 
desire to exalt himself to the rank and honour of a martyr. At last, he 
opened his mind to his tutor, the Maulana, who gave him every encourage¬ 
ment in his noble pursuit, and he addressed his friends as follows, “ You 
know, my friends, that ‘ attempt is from man, but success is from God 
bless me then, that God may give me success in my undertaking and the 
everlasting happiness which I desire.” They were much affected at hearing 
these words, and became equally desirous to reap the honour of martyrdom, 
which they considered to be above all terrestrial and celestial glory, so they 
promised Isma’il to assist him in rooting out infidelity wherever they went, 
and to devote themselves wholly to the cause of God. Inspired by the 
holy words, “ Say not that they have perished who are slain while in the 
The author, therefore, of this work, who during the reign of Shahjahan was Muta- 
walli of Isma’il’s tomb at Kanta Duar, in Tlianah Pfrganj, Rangpur, belonged to the 
Shattaris. 
Pir Muhammad’s father is called ’A'qil Muhammad Farkhari. Farkhar is the 
name of a place in Badakhshan, above Tali khan ; but the name Farkhar is also given 
to a tract between Kliata (Cathay) and Kashghar. Farkhar is often mentioned in Per¬ 
sian poems as famous for the beauty of its inhabitants; vide Tazkirali i Daulatshahf, 
under Ustad Farkhari, towards the end of Chap. I. The Mutawallis of Isma’il’s tomb 
are, therefore, not of Arabian origin as Isma’il himself. 
