Misguided historians have written many falsehoods about the way we came to acquire sovereignty over Hindustan while our father Emperor Shah Jahan was still alive. They have maligned our name as a scheming self-seeker and a plotter. They forget that the holy book says: ‘God is the best of plotters.’ We were but the instrument of His design.

The stars and saints had foretold the shape of things to come. Our agent in the court of our father had informed us that once the emperor had asked a saint, who could read the book of future events, which of his four sons would sit on the peacock throne. The saint asked him the names of his sons.

‘Dara Shikoh is the eldest,’ replied the emperor.

‘His fate will be the same as of his namesake Darius who fell to Alexander.’

‘Shuja is the second.’

‘Though his name means ‘fearless’, he is not without fear.’

‘Murad is our youngest.’ (His majesty, as was his wont, often overlooked our existence).

‘Though his name means ambition, he will not achieve it.’

‘Then there is Aurangzeb.’

‘He has been justly named for he alone is fit for the throne. Wisdom and fortune are closely connected to each other. He who lacks wisdom will have no fortune either.’

We were in Burhanpur when we received the news that His Majesty had been taken ill on 6 September 1657. Our agent in Shahjahanabad sent us a message in code saying that His Majesty had been unable to pass motions or urine for several days and the physicians attending on him despaired of his ruling Hindustan for much longer.

We instructed or agent to keep us posted on His Majesty’s state of health and at the same time ordered our agents in the courts of our brothers to keep us informed of every move they made. In our letter praying for his speedy recovery, we sought His Majesty’s permission to attend on him at Delhi.

His Majesty sent us a very curt note to say that rumour-mongers had exaggerated a minor stomach upset; that he was in perfect health and proceeding to Agra. At the same time our agent in Delhi informed us that the royal hakeem, on being given a handful of gold mohurs, had expressed the opinion that unless Allah performed a miracle His Majesty’s sojourn in this troublesome world might soon be over. Our dear sister Roshanara Begum, who was in attendance on His Majesty, also sent us a cryptic message hinting at the machinations of our brothers and wishing us success.