''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, is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by area, seventh-largest country by area; the List of countries by population (United Nations), most populous country since ...

, covering the period from the days of

Ghaznavid The Ghaznavid dynasty ( ''Ġaznaviyān'') was a Persianate Muslim dynasty of Turkic ''mamluk'' origin. It ruled the Ghaznavid Empire or the Empire of Ghazni from 977 to 1186, which at its greatest extent, extended from the Oxus to the Indus Va ...

reign until the fortieth regnal year of Mughal Emperor

Akbar Akbar (Jalal-ud-din Muhammad Akbar, – ), popularly known as Akbar the Great, was the third Mughal emperor, who reigned from 1556 to 1605. Akbar succeeded his father, Humayun, under a regent, Bairam Khan, who helped the young emperor expa ...

Overview

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

from

Sabuktigin Abu Mansur Nasir ad-Din wa'd-Dawla Sabuktigin (; 940s – August-September 997) was the founder of the Ghaznavid dynasty, and amir of Ghazna from 977 to 997. Sabuktigin was a Turkic slave who was bought by Alp-Tegin, the commander of the r ...

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 ( ''Ġaznaviyān'') was a Persianate Muslim dynasty of Turkic peoples, Turkic ''mamluk'' origin. It ruled the Ghaznavid Empire or the Empire of Ghazni from 977 to 1186, which at its greatest extent, extended from the Oxus ...

Ghurid dynasty The Ghurid dynasty (also spelled Ghorids; ; self-designation: , ''Šansabānī'') was a Persianate dynasty of eastern Iranian Tajik origin, which ruled from the 8th-century in the region of Ghor, and became an Empire from 1175 to 1215. The Gh ...

Mamluk Dynasty (Delhi) The Mamluk dynasty (), or the Mamluk Sultanate, is the historiographical name or umbrella term used to refer to the three dynasties of Mamluk origin who ruled the Ghurid territories in India and subsequently, the Sultanate of Delhi, from 1 ...

Babur Babur (; 14 February 148326 December 1530; born 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 father and mother respectively. He was also ...

and

Humayun Nasir al-Din Muhammad (6 March 1508 – 27 January 1556), commonly known by his regnal name Humayun (), was the second Mughal emperor, who ruled over territory in what is now Eastern Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Northern India, and Pakistan from ...

. 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 (31 August 1569 – 28 October 1627), known by his imperial name Jahangir (; ), was List of emperors of the Mughal Empire, Emperor of Hindustan from 1605 until his death in 1627, and the fourth Mughal emperors, Mughal ...

'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 and exonym, endonym Farsi (, Fārsī ), is a Western Iranian languages, Western Iranian language belonging to the Iranian languages, Iranian branch of the Indo-Iranian languages, Indo-Iranian subdivision ...

text of this book was published in 1864 from

Lucknow Lucknow () is the List of state and union territory capitals in India, capital and the largest city of the List of state and union territory capitals in India, Indian state of Uttar Pradesh and it is the administrative headquarters of the epon ...

, 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 (; , , ) is an Indo-Aryan languages, Indo-Aryan language spoken chiefly in South Asia. It is the Languages of Pakistan, national language and ''lingua franca'' of Pakistan. In India, it is an Eighth Schedule to the Constitution of Indi ...

, and it was then published by Munshi Navalkishore's Press,

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, ...

''Tārīkh-i Badāūnī''
a translation from Volume V of The History of India, as Told by Its Own Historians, 1867 * "Bada'uni, 'Abd al-Qadir."

Encyclopædia Britannica The is a general knowledge, general-knowledge English-language encyclopaedia. It has been published by Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc. since 1768, although the company has changed ownership seven times. The 2010 version of the 15th edition, ...

. 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