The Emperor Who Offered His Life to Save His Son's Life
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If given the chance, what would you consider the most significant sacrifice to save a cherished person from death? Babur, who laid the foundation of the mighty Mughal Empire in the Indian subcontinent in 1526 CE, on learning the news of Humayun's illness and his declining health, went to meet his son personally. In the Humayun-Nama, written by Gulbadan Begum, the half-sister of Humayun records the conversation that occurred between Babur and one of his wives and the mother of Humayun, Maham Begum, highlighting Babur's ultimate sacrifice in order to save his son.
When his Majesty came and saw how it was, his light-revealing countenance at once became sad and pitiful, and this my lady said : 'Do not be troubled about my son. You are a king ; what griefs have you? You have other sons. I sorrow because I have only this one. His Majesty rejoined: ' Maham! although I have other sons, I love none as I love your Humayun. I crave that this cherished child may have his heart's desire and live long, and I desire the kingdom for him and not for the others, because he has not his equal in distinction.'
During Humayun's illness his Majesty walked round him and turned his face (in intercession) to his Reverence, Murtaza 'Ali Karimu-l-lah. He kept up that going-round from the Wednesday and made intercession from the Tuesday, in anxiety and deep dejection. The weather was extremely hot and his heart and liver burned. While going round he prayed, saying in effect: 'O God! if a life may be exchanged for a life, I who am Babar, I give my life and my being for Humayun.'
That very day he fell ill, and Humayun poured water on his head, and came out and gave audience. Because of his illness, they carried my royal father within, and he kept his bed for two or three months.
As he grew worse, a messenger was sent to summon his Majesty Humayun, who had gone towards Kalinjar. He came post-haste, and on paying his duty to the Emperor, noticed that he was very feeble. Filled with compassion, he began to break down, and kept saying to the attendants; 'How has he come to such a lamentable pass all at once? He sent for the doctors, and said to them; 'I left him well. What has happened all at once?' They said this and that in reply.
Gulbadan Begum in her account informs that it was the mother of Ibrahim Lodi (who fought against Babur in the Battle of Panipat in 1526 and Babur had defeated the Lodis and brought an end to the rule of the Lodi Dynasty as well the Delhi Sultanate), who had attempted to poison Babur. Ibrahim Lodi lost his life during the battle, but after the battle, the mother of Ibrahim Lodi kept looking for an opportunity to avenge her son's death. Babur in his memoirs, the Baburnama too mentions a plot by Ibrahim Lodi's mother by which she tried to poison Babur. However, she was not successful in her attempt as she was caught, and Babur gave her to a number of his men after confiscating all her property as a form of punishment.
When they felt his Majesty's pulse, they came to the opinion that there were symptoms of the same poison as that given to him earlier by Sultan Ibrahim's mother. Gulbadan Begum writes, "It was in this way: that ill-fated demon (the mother) gave a tola of poison to one of her maids, and said: 'Take this and give it to Ahmad the taster and tell him to put it in some way or other into the special dishes prepared for the Emperor.' And she promised him large rewards. The ill-fated demon did this although his Majesty used to call her "mother", and had assigned her place and lands with every favour, and had been kindly pleased to say: 'Consider me as in the place of Sultan Ibrahim.' But as ignorance prevails amongst those people, she did regard not his kindnesses.
... the cook (Heaven having made him blind and deaf,) spread the poison which had been brought and given to him, on the Emperor's bread only, and so little was eaten. But the symptoms of this illness were like that one's, seeing that day by day he lost strength and became more and more emaciated. Ever day the disorder increased and his blessed and countenance changed." As per the Humayun-Nama, Babur died on 26th December, 1530.
The Akbarnama, Vol. I, authored by Abul Fazl, Akbar's court chronicler, informs:
After some time spent in attendance, his Majesty sent his Highness Jahanbani to Sambal which was his fief (jagir). He remained happily there for six months and then was suddenly attacked by fever. The malady gradually increased and his Majesty Giti-sitani Firdaus-makani, growing disturbed at the alarming news, ordered, in his affection for him, that he be brought to Delhi and thence by water to Agra, in order that he might be treated by skilful physician under the Emperor's own eyes. A large number of learned doctors who were always in attendance at the royal Court, were directed to employ their talents in affecting a cure. In a short space of time, he was conveyed by boat. Though physicians used their skill and exhibited Messiah-like science, he did not get better. As the sickness was prolonged, the Emperor one day was seated with the wise men of the Age by the Jumna and considering about remedies. Mir Abu Baqa who was one of the most distinguished saints of the Age, represented that it had been received from the ancient sages, that in a case like this, when physicians were at a loss, the remedy was to give in alms the most valuable thing one had and to seek cure from God. His Majesty Giti-sirani said, "I am the most valuable thing that Humayun posseses; than me he has no better thing; I shall make myself a sacrifice for him. May God the Creator accept it."
Khwaja Khalifa and the other courtiers represented that Humayun would, by the grace of God, recover and attain to the limit of his natural life under the shadow of his Majesty's fortune. Why had such an expression come from his tongue? The meaning of the saying of the great men of old was that the most valuable article of property should be given in charity, consequently the priceless diamond which had in a mysterious way been obtained in the war with Ibrahim and had been presented to Humayun, should be sacrificed. He replied, " What value has worldly wealth? and how can it be redemption for Humayun? I myself shall be his sacrifice. He is in extremity and I have lost the power (taqat) to behold his powerlessness (bi-taqati), but I can endure all his pain." Thereafter he retired to his oratory and having performed such special rites as befitted the occasion, he thrice walked round his Highness Jahanbani Jannat-ashiyani. When his prayer had been heard by God, -Glory to His name!- he felt a strange effect on himself and cried out, "We have borne it away. We have borne it away." Immediately a strange feat of fever surged upon his Majesty and there was a sudden diminution of it in the person of his Highness Jahanbani. Thus in a short time he entirely recovered, while Giti-sitani Firdaus-makani gradually grew worse and the marks of dissolution and death became apparent.
Abul Fazl's chronicle provides 21st December, 1530 (6th Jumada'l-awwal, 937) as the date of Babur's death. He died on the banks of the Yamuna River at Agra.
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