Sourcde
Translated Letter of Durrani Shahenshah Ahmad Shah Abdali to Ottoman Gazavat-E-Sultan Mustafa III
Source: Mahmud-Nadir Şah Mektuplaşmaları 3 numaralı Hümayun Defteri (Mahmud to Nadir Shah Era Correspondences Volume - 3, Humayun Daftar), Letter no. 70. pg. 241 to 245.
Summary
Ahmad Shah Abdali describes his career before his engagement with the Maratha Empire. He credits himself with saving the Timurid Dynasty and saving Islam in India from the Maratha conquerors.
The Translation begins now.
MATTERS DISCUSSED:
- The ensuing (battles) of Afghan Ahmad Shah; Running to the rescue of the Indian Sultan and marching on the Magi (Marathas) in India;
- Defeating Ali Kuli Khan and confiscating all his property and taking Turkestan until Ceyhun (China). Annexation.
- Reinstating Shahrukh Mirza (grandson of Nadir Shah), who had been dethroned with a “mile (dirt) in his eye” through treachery), on the Iranian throne.
- He (Abdali) brought Alamgir Shah of Timur’s dynasty to the throne of India again, but later after this Shah martyrdom, he turned to the Magi (Marathas), who were marching against his own son Timur Shah, and put them to the sword in successive wars. He stayed in Cihanabad for a while and appointed Alamgir Shah’s son as the Sultan of India to do (ruling).
- The expectation of action from the Ottoman Empire on Iran (Zandshahi Dynasty) for treacherously conspiring with the Kafir Marathas.
- Granting land for the construction of a mosque in the vicinity of Ravza-i Mutahhara in Medina -i Münevvere.
Letter Begins:
From the Afghan Abdali,
The fact that the Safavid State was completely underfoot and the Iranian soil was intertwined with the revolutions was due to the failure to adhere to the principle of “Emri bi’l ma’ruf nehyi ani’l-munkar” (1), therefore, Nadir Shah was send to haunt the Iranian people with a divine punishment (2) Although he (also) intended to harm the Greek country, whatever he has damaged in Iran, Turan, Hind, Khorasan, Iraq, Azerbaijan and Turkistan, he has still saved the Anatolian people from this cruelty. He (God) protects.
After the death of Nadir Shah, his nephew Ali Kuli Khan ascended the throne under the name “Adil Shah” and persecuted the people; the Afghans, (people of) Kabul, Ghaznavids, (people of) Peshawar. And so the other Khans and Commanders in these regions cooperated (together) and demanded Afghan Ahmad Shah to ascend to the throne.
There was an intention to take over the entire) Sultanate and head towards Iran, but because India was wider and the damage to be done there was greater, a neighborhood called Punjab was reached in India in order to save the Indian Sultan, who was trapped by the infidels from there in Lahore against Ahmad Shah.
He (Abdali) returned to Iran only after Punjab, Multan and Kashmir was captured when Mir Mannu who entered in battle with a large number of soldiers and equipment was defeated. Around twenty elephant-rider commanders were executed, his soldiers were completely devastated after deserting him, and all his military equipment was seized.
Abdali then returned to Kandahar (from Iran) to head towards (Khurasan) when Ahmed Shah learned that Nadir Shah (Afsharidshahi dynasty) was dethroned while Shahrokh Mirza was on the throne, Ahmed Shah then headed to Khorasan, conquered Herat Castle and forgave its inhabitants, seizing all kinds of property and equipment in the castle and saved the people from oppression.
When they (Abdali) returned to Kandahar, they took over the lands of Turkistan until they reached the river (Amu Darya?), and appointed judges, they (Abdali) then marched against the (Zand) Shah with their soldiers and confiscated all his goods and equipment, then took over the Mashhad Fortress and put Shahrokh Mirza on the throne again. Ahmad Shah, who heard that they (Marathas) attacked and invaded Cihanabad (Delhi), this time turned to India and defeated the Indian soldiers, and then when he reached Cihanabad, Alamgir Shah from the Timurid dynasty declared himself (the Badshah).
After he welcomed Alamgir Shah with gifts and showed him love and condolence, he brought Alamgir Shah back to the throne of India, destroyed the idolaters and places of Worship of the infidels, killed many Magi (Marathas) and declared Islamic dominance, and gave to his own son Timur Shah (the lands from) Sirhind and Lahore to Multan, Khorasan, Persian, Azerbaijan etc..
He (Abdali) was forced to return to India when he heard that the Magians (Marathas), who took the Dean’s (Imad-Ul-Mulk) side as their headquarters/base. While (Abdali was) returning to Kandahar to put his Turkestan country in order, the Marathas) had attacked the Indian Caliphate center (Delhi) again, killed Alamgir Shah and captured their (Mughal) cities, as well as attempted to occupy the cities (Attock, Lahore, Peshawar, etc.) in the hands of Timur Shah, the son of Ahmad Shah.
His uncle Tatbil(Dattaji Patil), and He, the Magus (Maratha) named Cenguy (Maharaja Jankoji Shinde) mobilized everyone to reach Ahmad Shah with all their army, ammunition and equipment, as ordered by Tatbil(Dattaji) with a large number of soldiers. A great battle (Battle of Taraori) then took place by raiding, many of Tatbil’s (Dattajis) soldiers were broken and the remaining ones fled to Cenguy (Jankoji) they attacked again with all their might in the region called Vezirabad (Wazirabad), and Tatbil(Dattaji) died in the clash (Battle of Burari Ghat) that took place and Cenguy (Jankoji) escaped to their chieftain named Melhar (Subehdar Malharji Holkar), wounded. Know that the vast majority of his soldiers perished, that their assets and equipment were seized by Ahmad Shah, some of his captured soldiers were executed. The chiels of the aforementioned Magi (Marathas): Melhar (Malharji). Tanita (Antaji?). Cenguy (Jankoji) and other commanders, came together and attacked (the Afghans) and were defeated again.
When the incident was reported to the Raja named Nana Balaci Rav (Peshwa Nanasaheb Balaji Rao), who was the head of the Magusi (Maratha) tribesmen, six hundred thousand soldiers (3) were ordered to fight until there was not a single Muslim left in India and the Timurid lineage was completely broken, by getting help from all sides with the expenditure of many treasures, and they drove two hundred thousand soldiers against Ahmad Shah. The day came when the soldiers of both sides mixed with each other.
At the end of the long campaign (Third Battle of Panipat, 14th January 1761), their Commander (Sadashivrao Bhau) and the person they appointed as the Sultan (Vishwasrao) were destroyed, and after many Magus (Maratha) soldiers were put to the sword, the Shah and his soldiers victoriously seized all the booty, The Shah stayed in Cihanabad (Delhi) for a while and transferred to the son (Shah Alam) of the deceased Alamgir Shah, the Indian Sultanate.
After appointing him (Shah Alam), he (Abdali) returned to Kabul and Kandahar, and when he found Iran in a confused state while he was fighting in India, he learned that no action was taken against Iran by the Ottoman Empire, he said, “I hope the State of Aliyya will arrange a spruce up for Iran as soon as possible. It is stated here where the intention and expectation (of Ahmad Shah Abdali) are expressed, “I hope we will be a partner in this conquest (just) like (we were for our) pious activities in India”.”
In addition, Ahmed Shah in the vicinity of Ravza-i Mutahhara in Medina-i Münevvere is (thinking about) giving a suitable amount of land for the construction of a mosque.
He is not satisfied with the existing friendship between the two states (Durranis and Ottomans), for which it is demanded that orders be issued, but he wants us to be the friend of each other’s friend.
The “Name” (Dispatch) is conveyed to Sultan Mustafa III by Afghan Ahmad Shah, residing in Kandahar, with his three ambassadors to Baghdad, with the message that his enemy is also considered an enemy (by the Ottomans) and that the friendship is desired to be strengthened by sending mutual Name (Response Dispatch).
The End.
Footnotes:
(1) This is an Islamic Requisite from the Quran, “Enjoining what is right and forbidding what is wrong”, which means that one must be willing to do what is right and to be averse to what is not considered right.
(2) This shows Nadir Shah Afsharid was considered a tyrant for the Iranian people from the Afghan perspective as late as 1761.
(3) Abdali mentions 600,000 “soldiers” among the Marathas. This is not completely an exaggeration. He is referring to the entire rabble including civilians that accompanied the Maratha army to Panipat. 35,000 Marathas had left from Pune. 15,000 Pindaris, 3,000-4,000 Jodhpur and Jaipur Rajputs under their Vaqils, who had joined the Maratha army were left behind at Delhi after Marathas conquered it in 1760 with 6,000-7,000 Maratha horsemen to guard the Red Fort. The fighters at Panipat numbered only to about 45,000 men. The civilians in Maratha camp as also stated by Kashiraj Pandit numbered up to 500,000 people. Total roughly coming up to nearly 600,000 Hindu lives involved in the campaign. It is also somewhat true, according to Imad-Us-Sadaat, that Peshwa Balajirao swore to wipe out the very seed of the Pasthun race from the Earth and make Kandahar devoid of human beings.