Najib is the vizier of Muhammad, as well as a close friend. He is a trusted guide and adviser and when he is killed, the Sultan is deeply hurt. He is blamed for the misdeeds of the King and is called his evil genius, but in reality he is more sinned against than sinning. He does his duty and says what is right and proper at a particular moment. He is a politician holding an important and essential post in the court, and is to be judged as such.
Najib’s Faith in Islam
Najib was a Hindu, but he gave up Hinduism because “Hinduism did not speak of salvation of society. It only talked of the soul-my individual soul-while a poor frenzied world screamed in agony around.” So he became a Muslim. “Islam is worried about this world” he said
“It’ll bring the kingdom of Heaven on earth. But I know now-it won’t work. There is only the present moment and we must grasp it firmly.”
Compared with Barani
Najib is a contrast to Barani. Barani is a historian-he’s only interested in playing chess with the shadows of the dead. And Najib is a powerful politician-he wants pawns of flesh and blood. He doesn’t have the patience to breathe life into dry bones. He needs Ain-ul-Mulk, Sheikh Imam-ud-din and Shihab-ud-din for that. To him as to Aziz, politics is a whole new world. In politics he sees his future. It is bread and butter to him. It is in his blood-stream.
“It is a beautiful world full of wealth, success, position and power.”
Devil of a Politician
Najib is a devil of a politician. To him in politics courage, honesty and justice are hollow words. They are not required in dealing with a political problem. Imam-ud-din to him is a traitor and so is Ain-ul-Mulk. The Sultan has already made a plan to meet Ain-ul-Mulk and deal with the Sheikh. Najib obliquely suggests that he has a striking resemblance to the Sultan. The Sultan is startled at his hint, stares at Najib and slowly says: “You are a devil, Najib. Good we will think about that.” And the Sultan hatches a plan to persuade the Sheikh to go to Ain-ul-Mulk as his envoy. The Sultan first arranges a meeting for the Sheikh to address but none comes to listen to him. The people take him to be spy of the Sultan. His popularity is thus ended. When the Sheikh is face to face with the enemy and calls to them, the Sultan’s trumpeter sounds the charge. The battle is on. Arrows pour into the Sheikh and within minutes he looks a gory human porcupine. The enemy is convinced that the Sultan is dead and they pursue the Sultan’s men. They walk right into the trap. It is the bloodiest massacre and the Sultan wins. Sultan begins the battle not Ain- ul-Mulk. He make good use of Sheikh’s resemblance with him.
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Najib’s Political Principles
Najib’s dictum is, “A traitor is a traitor, friend or saint, and he must be crushed.” Shihab-ud-din has joined the rebel Amirs and has made a plan to murder the Sultan at prayer. Najib gets a letter from Ratan Singh disclosing the entire conspiracy and Shihab-ud-din is stabbed by the Sultan himself who cries in anguish. “Why must this happen, Barani? Are all those I trust condemned to go down in history as traitors ?” Najib suggests to the Sultan that Shihab’s father should not know the reality. This incident should be kept a secret and so he says:
“I am afraid we will have to hang everyone who was here-even the Hindu guards. They remained loyal to your Majesty but they have seen it all and are bound to talk. It does mean more corpses. But then that’ll only make the show more impressive.”
Najib’s Perfect System of Espionage
Najib like a true politician suspects everyone. He is suspicious by nature and fortunately his duty also demands it of him. He says: “It’s my job to be suspicious and I can’t exempt anyone from it…… not even the Sultan.” Through his spies he comes to know of anything and everything that is going to happen. He knows all about the movements of those who are attached to or are against the Sultan” Barani was once present in a meeting when Imam-ud-din was disparaging the Sultan as anti-Muslim, a disgrace to Islam and charging him with patricide and fratricide. Najib comes to know it and to put Barani in an embarrassing situation, he asks him’ in the presence of the Sultan about Imam-ud-din: “And what else he says, you may ask Barani.” and Muhammad says:
“So you’ve heard him, Barani. What is he like? Is it true he looks like me?” Barani is flustered and begs forgiveness of the Sultan and says that he doesn’t like being spied upon. The reply of Najib is:
“It is my job to know. That’s why I asked you to come here with me now.”
Not a Flatterer
The step-mother of the Sultan and Barani think that Najib is a “yes” man of the Sultan and he caters to his whims and impulsive nature. But he has his own convictions and at times he disagrees with the Sultan’s doings. Like a very loyal adviser he is very unhappy at the Sultan’s treating Ain-ul-Mulk kindly and setting him free after he is caught in the battle. He frankly tells the Sultan: “I hate to say anything critical on this happy occasion, Your Majesty, but that would be really testing another torch into the chaos at Avadh.” He disapproves the orders of the Sultan after the murder of Shihab-ud-din:
“There will be no more praying in the kingdom, Najib. Anyone caught praying will be severely punished. Henceforth the moment of prayer will witness my streets in silence and leave without a trace.”
Najib suggests,
“But that would only be playing into the hands of the Ulemas Your Majesty. I suggest we say there’ll be no more prayers till Ghiyas-ud-din Abbasid, the descendant of the Khalif visits us. God alone knows when he’ll come. Besides, it’ll make such beautiful paradox.”
Conclusion
The step-mother gets him killed. She considers Najib to be the evil genius of the Sultan. She happily tells Sultan:
“I’m glad Najib’s dead. He was leading you astray. It’s because you wouldn’t trust anyone as much as him, that the kingdom is in this state. Ulemas are against you, the noblemen are against you, the people hate you. It’s all his work. I’m glad he’s dead. He should have died a long time ago.”
The Sultan is very much impressed by his loyalty to the throne. His death is an irreparable loss to him. He sends his step-mother to death, when he comes to know that she is responsible for Najib’s murder. She is to be stoned to death as an adulteress.
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