Muzaffar Shah I

Muzaffar Shah I
Governor of Gujarat, Delhi Sultanate Sultan of Gujarat
Reign	1391 - 1403
Predecessor	Farhat-ul-Mulk Rasti Khan
Successor	Muhammad Shah I
Reign	1404 - 1411
Predecessor	Muhammad Shah I
Successor	Ahmad Shah I
Died	1411
Burial	1411 Anhilwada Patan
Dynasty	Muzaffarid dynasty of Gujarat
Father	Wajih-ul-Mulk
Religion	Islam

Muzaffar Shah I, born Zafar Khan, was a ruler of the Muzaffarid dynasty, who reigned over the Gujarat Sultanate from 1391 to 1403 and later again from 1404 to 1411. Appointed as the governor of Gujarat by Tughluq of Delhi sultanate, he declared independence and founded the Gujarat Sultanate when there was a chaos in Delhi following Timur's invasion. He was disposed by his ambitious son Tatar Khan but he regained shortly the throne when he died.

During the rule of Muhammad bin Tughluq, his cousin Firuz Shah Tughlaq was once on a hunting expedition in area what is now Kheda district of Gujarat. He lost his way and lost. He reached village Thasra. He was welcome to partake in hospitality by village headmen, two brothers of Tanka Rajput family, Sadhu and Sadharan. After drinking, he revealed his identity as a cousin and successor of the king. The brothers offered his beautiful sister in marriage and he accepted. They accompanied Firuz Shah Tughluq to Delhi along with his sister. They converted to Islam there. Sadhu assumed new name, Samsher Khan while Sadharan assumed Wajih-ul-Mulk. They were disciple of saint Hazrat-Makhdum-Sayyid-i-Jahaniyan-Jahangshi aka Saiyyd Jalaluddin Bukhari. Finally, in 1351, when Firuz Shah Tughlaq ascended the throne, he made Shamshír Khán and Zafar Khán, the son of Wajíh-ul-Mulk, his cup-bearers, and raised them to the rank of nobles.

Wajih-ul-Mulk had a son Zafar Khan. According to a legend, saint Bukhari promised Gujarat to Zafar Khan prophetically in return of food provided to Fakirs at his house. He gave him handful of dates and declared, "Thy seed like unto these in number shall rule over Gujarat". The number of seeds varied from eleven to thirteen according to various sources.

Muhammad Bin Tughluq was on an expedition to intervene in a war but he died at Thatta on bank of Indus river in 1351 from fever induced by a surfeit of fish. As he had no sons, his cousin Firuz Shah Tughluq succeeded.

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