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Ali Asghar
Ali Asghar
Reign	18th century
Full name	Khan Zaman Khan Bahadur Ali Asghar
Born	Ferozepur Jhirka
Died	1743; Shahjahanbad
Buried	Ferozepur Jhirka
Noble family	Qadi
Spouse(s)	Shah Bibi
Father	Qazi Ghulam Mustafa
Mother	Bibi Rasti

Ali Asghar (died ca 1155 AH/1743 AD) was one of the prominent Emir and nobleman during the Mughal empire. He was entitled 'Khan Zaman Khan Bahadur' by Emperor Farrukhsiyar. He remained in many important posts during the successive rules of Bahadur Shah I, Jahandar Shah, Farrukhsiyar, Rafi ud Darajat, Shah Jahan II and Muhammad Shah.

The fort at Ferozepur Jhirka was built by him. He died in Shahjahanbad (Delhi) on 4 Dhu al-Hijjah 1155 AH/30 January 1743 at the age of 70 years.^[1]

Biography

Ali Asghar was the son of Kartalab Khan Bahadur Shahi Qazi Ghulam Mustafa and Bibi Rasti, the daughter of Qazi Syed Rafi Mohammad. He was Mansabdar Punj Hazari (5,000) Emir.

His forefathers were settled in Ferozepur Jhirka for a long time and made a big estate (riyasat) in that town. His grandfather Dewan Shaikh Asaf and great grandfather Dewan Maskeen raised both name and fame. They were chief revenue officers of the province Mewat and were entitled Dewan by Mughals.

In Shahnama Munawwar, he was mentioned as a "Mewati Ansari Khanzada"^[2] as he was the son of 'Nawab Kartalab Khan', hence 'Khanzada' and belonged to the family 'Ansar' of Medina, hence 'Ansari'. His mother was the daughter of Syed Rafi Mohammad, a Sayyid of Gurgaon, Haryana.^[3]^[4]^[5]

Nawab Khan Zaman Khan Bahadur handed over the keys of the Red Fort along with some treasures to Bahadur Shah I on 1 Rabi' al-awwal, when emperor was staying near Delhi^[6]^: 10

Nawab Khan Zaman Khan Bahadur along with some other nobles like Muhammad Khan Bangash, Mir Musharraf and Chabila Ram Nagar came with the treasure to join prince Izzuddin (Prince Azzu-ud-Din/Izz-ud-Din Bahadur) son of Jahandar Shah^[7]

In the book, 'Muraqqa'e Dehli' or 'The Delhi Album' or 'The Delhi during Muhammad Shah', a great detail of Nawab Khan Zaman Khan Bahadur's life and works are mentioned^[8]

Awards and honours

Shah Alam I alias Bahadur Shah I in his third Juloos (royal procession / parade) on 16 Jumada al-awwal awarded Khalat-e Barani^[6]^: 60
Shah Alam I in his third Juloos on 7 Dhu al-Qi'dah awarded him Mansab Teen Hazari (3,000) and Do Hazari Sawar (2,000)^[6]^: 82
'Khan Zaman Khan Bahadur' and his close relative Islam Khan V (Barkhurdar Khan II) were invited to attend the marriage ceremony of the prince of Shah Alam I^[6]^: 92
Shah Alam I in his fourth Juloos on 22 Shawwal awarded Khalat-e Fakhra^[6]^{: 3 and 1}
Shah Alam I in his fifth Juloos on 5 Safar promoted 'Khan Zaman Khan Bahadur Ghalib Jung' with additional Mansab Char Hazari (4,000) and zaat wa sowar^[6]^: 121
On Friday 15 Dhu al-Hijjah, in the second Juloos of Emperor Farrukhsiyar, 'Khan Zaman Khan Bahadur' and his close relative Islam Khan V (Barkhurdar Khan II) attended the Friday prayer along with Emperor Farrukhsiyar^[6]^: 171
In between 7 and 12 Ramdan at the third Juloos of Emperor Farrukhsiyar, he was appointed as Naib Subahdar at Azimabad (Patna).^[6]^: 202 In the same year at the end Ramdan, he was awarded with Rs. 1 lac^[6]^: 203
On 3 Moharram in the fourth Juloos of Farrukhsiyar, he was appointed as Naib Subahdar at Multan and was awarded with another Khalat.^[6]^: 216 In the fifth Juloos of Farrukhsiyar on 27 Dhu al-Qi'dah, Aqidat Khan ibn Ameer Khan was appointed Naib Subahdar of Multan because of the transfer of 'Khan Zaman Khan Bahadur'^[6]^: 226
'Khan Zaman Khan Bahadur' visited the fort of Farrukhsiyar and presented 100 moharen (gold coins) and 7 horses and in return, he was awarded Khalat-e Khaas^[6]^: 229
On 5 Safar in the 6 Juloos, he was appointed as Subahdar at Awadh and Faujdar at Moazamabad and was awarded Mansabdar Punj Hazari (5,000) and 3,000 Sawar. This appointment was made in place of Aziz Khan Chughtai.^[6]^: 234 On 22 Rabi' al-awwal in the 7 Juloos, Mahabat Khan was appointed as Subahdar of Awadh in place of 'Khan Zaman Khan Bahadur' and in place of Sar Buland Khan, 'Khan Zaman Khan Bahadur' was appointed as Subahdar of Azimabad (Patna) with the award of another Khalat^[6]^: 236
Muhammad Shah on 15 Jumada al-Thani in his 4 Juloos, appointed 'Khan Zaman Khan Bahadur' as his 'Naib Mir Atish' (the 'master gunner') with the awards of Khalat and "Sar Pech".^[6]^: 237 Muhammad Shah also in his 4 Juloos on 16 Shawwal awarded him Khalate Fakhra and ‘'Sar Pech Marsah'’^[6]^: 340
He was also appointed as 'Khidmat Daroghgi Topkhana', a store of Armory (military) at Multan^[9]

Marriage and children

He was first married to the sister of Islam Khan V also the daughter of Abdul Khaliq, son of Barkhurdar Khan I. His second wife was Shah Bibi, daughter of Qazi Syed Asadullah of Rewari and maternal granddaughter of Abdul Hadi, son of Qazi Ibrahim of Tijara.

References

^ Later Moghuls and Urdù literature by Iqtida Hasan, 1995, 319 pages
^ Shahnama Munawwar Kalam by Shiv Das Lakhnavi, page 232
^ Tarikh Mohammadi by Mirza Mohammad bin Rustam Mukhatib ba Motamid Khan, Vol 2, No. 6: Ed. Imtiaz Ali Arshi, Department of History, Aligarh Muslim University, Aligarh, 1960. pp28
^ Tazkirat us-Salatin Chaghta – A Mughal Chronicle of Post Aurangzeb Period (1707–1724) by Muhammad Hadi Kamwar Khan; edited Persian text and with an Introduction by Muzaffar Alam (1980), Centre of Advanced Study, Department of History, Aligarh Muslim University, Aligarh (U.P.) -202001, India
^ Tarikh-i-Muzaffari, Mohammad Ali Khan Ansari (ca 1212 AH/1797 AD), Manuscript extant in the Raza Library, Rampur
^ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e ^f ^g ^h ⁱ ^j ^k ^l ^m ⁿ ^o ^p Tazkirat us-Salatin Chaghta – A Mughal Chronicle of Post Aurangzeb Period (1707–1724) by Muhammad Hadi Kamwar Khan; edited Persian text and with an Introduction by Muzaffar Alam (1980), Centre of Advanced Study Department of History, Aligarh Muslim University, Aligarh (U.P.) -202001, India
^ Muslim society in northern India during the eighteenth century by Muhammad Umar, 1998, pp 717
^ 'Muraqqa'e Dehli' by Dargah Quli Khan Ed. Khaliq Anjum, Samar Offset Printers, New Delhi, 1993
^ Hakim Syed Zillur Rahman (2008). "Chapter: Qazi Rafi Mohammad". Hayat Karam Husain (2nd ed.). Aligarh/India: Ibn Sina Academy of Medieval Medicine and Sciences. pp. 25–29. ISBN 978-81-906070-5-6.