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Muhammad Saleh Kamboh Lahori was a noted Punjabi Muslim[1] calligraphist and official biographer of Emperor Shah Jahan and the teacher of Mughal Emperor Aurangzeb. Though a widely read person,[2] little is known of the life of Muhammad Saleh Kamboh other than the works he composed. He was son of Mir Abdu-lla, Mushkin Kalam, whose title shows him to also have been a fine writer.[3] He is believed to be younger brother of Inayat-Allah Kamboh[4] and worked as a Shahi Dewan (Minister) with the governor of Lahore. He held the title of Sipahsalar.
Muhammad Saleh Kamboh | |
|---|---|
.jpg) Portrait of Muhammad Saleh Kamboh, 17th century, Metropolitan Museum of Art | |
| Born | |
| Died | c. 1675 Lahore, Mughal Empire (now in Pakistan) |
| Education | Fluent in Arabic, Persian, Urdu |
| Occupation | Court chronicler |
| Relatives | Inayat Allah Kamboh (brother) |
Muhammad Saleh is best remembered for his work Amal-i Salih, also referred to as Shah Jahan Namah (The History of Shah Jahan), which he completed in 1659–60 AD. Amal-i-Salih is an account of the life and reign of Shah Jahan. However, the work also includes information on Shah Jahan's predecessors (particularly Akbar and Jahangir) and a compendium of biographies of the Shaikhs, poets, and other notables who were contemporaries with Shah Jahan. It is considered to be one of the most important original sources of events during Shah Jahan's reign. Muhammad Saleh was known as a poet by the Persian title Kashfi and by Arabic Subhan and is also stated to be an accomplished Urdu singer.[4][5] During the rule of Aurangzeb, Muhammad Saleh served as his spiritual teacher who taught him a strict Islamic teaching.[Notes 1] It is also stated that when Shaikh Makhdum was appointed imperial "Sadr-us-Sadur" (Chief Sadr, Chief Administrator or Prime Minister) after death of Sadr Sharif Khan during the reign of Aurangzeb, Muhammad Salih Kamboh was appointed Peshdast (deputy).[9]
In the list of mansabdars, Muhammad Saleh Kamboh is put down as a commander of five hundred soldiers.[10][11]
It is claimed by some accounts that Muhammad Saleh Kamboh served as a Mughal Admiral and was killed while fighting alongside his fleet against the Ahoms at Pandu on Bengal-Assam border while helping General Abdus Salam, the Faujdar (infantry commander) of Hajo, during the tenure of Islam Khan Mashadi, the Mughal Governor of Bengal.[12] The event referred to above is said to date 1636 AD, which is incorrect, since Muhammadd Saleh was very much alive and is known to have completed his Amal-i Salih in 1659/60 AD soon after Aurangzeb (Reign 1658 AD-1707 AD) became the emperor of India in 1658 AD. According to Naimur Rehman Farooqi, the work was completed in 1669 AD.[13]
The date of Muhammad Saleh's death is not certain.[14] S. M. Latif states on unspecified authority in his works that Muhammad Saleh Kamboh died in A. H. 1085 (1675 AD) [15] which is accepted by some writers.
A mosque known as Saleh Kamboh Mosque has been built with his name in Mochi Gate, Walled City of Lahore.[16][17] He is buried in Lahore, though his grave location is currently disputed by the owners of the property.[18]
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