THE MALIGNANT ESTRANGEMENT BETWEEN DARA SHIKOH AND MIAN SAADULLAH – FANTASTIC INFORMATION GIVEN BY FRANCOIS BERNIER AND NICHOLAS MANNUCI.

The Western world as well as the Hindu world are so fond of quoting foreign travelers to the region of Hindustan. They rest not on peace as they go on telling us what these people saw here. But what is not in their interest, they erase from their memories and studies at will. One is the statement made by both Francois Bernier and Nicholas Mannuci, that Dara Shikoh felt threat from the closeness of Emperor Shah Jahan to his Prime Minister Nawab Saadullah Khan, and secretly poisoned the intellectual of Shah Jahani’s age, out of existence.

There is no doubt that the phenomenal rise of Saadullah Khan from an ordinary immigrant to the city of Lahore to the post of Prime Minister of the country, disturbed the existing hierarchy. Dara Shikoh was disturbed most, as he felt that Saadullah favoured Shah Shuja as a worthy inheritor of the kingship.  So Dara Shikoh started making complaints to the Emperor about the honesty of the Nawab. After thorough investigation, it was found that it was just a foolish blame, as Saadullah  was scrupulously honest in his job. This did not stop Dara Shikoh from further intrigue. He continued to fill his father’s mind with notions against the Prime Minister. This went to the extent that Shah Jahan took Dara Shikoh with him to inquire about the health of the sick Nawab to dispel such an impression. But that was not to go. Shah Jahan understood the foolish gesture of his son Dara Shikoh well. But could do nothing. Both Bernier and Manucci say that the Emperor knew of this poisoning bid of Dara Shikoh on the life of the great man of this region. Arrogance and foolishness swept away by Hindu Pandits carried him to hell himself. His end was exactly according to Allah’s Law of Mukafat. So the two bit scholars who talk of objectivity lose the same even in the short run.  No money in telling the truth!