Life of Ahmad — Page 10
AHMAD’S as FOREFATHERS as 10 mainly for members of the royal family. 1 In addition to it the Emperor also conferred on him the title of Az a dud Daula , i. e. , Strong Arm of the Government. After the death of Mirza Faiz Muhammad, his son, Mirza Gul Muhammad, was engaged in a desperate struggle against the forces of anarchy, in the Punjab. This happened during the reigns of Muhammad Shah, Shah Alam and Alamgir II, and from the imperial despatches which were addressed to him it appears that he continually warned the Emperors at Delhi of the coming dangers. He, however, received no actual support from Delhi beyond verbal promises of help; and, unaided by the central government, he continued his struggle for the consolidation of imperial authority. When the power of the Mughals declined and the Punjab was torn up by petty chiefs, the family remained in quasi- independent possession of Qadian and its surrounding country, about 60 square miles in area. Mirza Gul Muhammad was a very able man and he became the independent chief of Qadian. His army, consisting of infantry and cavalry, numbered 1,000. He had three guns. He ruled over 85 villages. He was a very righteous and generous man. Hundreds of people ate at his table. He patronised learning and paid stipends to about 500 persons. He was a holy man and loved the company of the righteous. 1 Maulaw i Muhammad Zak a ullah says in his History of India that the Nizam of Hyderabad (Nawab M i r Qamar-ud-D i n Khan) was also given the rank of Haft Haz a r i (Vol. 9, p. 108).