The 'Muntakhab-ut-Tawarikh', a Persian history of the Muslim rulers of India up to Akbar's reign, was written by:

The "Muntakhab-ut-Tawarikh" ("Selection of Histories"), a Persian history that includes a critical account of Akbar's reign, was written by Abdul Qadir Badauni.

About Badauni:

• He was born in 1540 at Toda (Rajasthan), and grew up at Badaun (Uttar Pradesh), from which he takes his name.
• He was a learned scholar of Islamic theology, history, music and astronomy.
• He joined Akbar's court in 1574 and served as an imam and translator.
• Akbar asked him to translate Sanskrit works into Persian, including the Ramayana and parts of the Mahabharata.
• He was an orthodox Sunni Muslim and disapproved of Akbar's liberal religious policies.

About the Muntakhab-ut-Tawarikh:

It is in three volumes:

• The first deals with the history of Muslim rulers in India from the Ghaznavids to Humayun.
• The second deals with Akbar's reign, up to about 1595.
• The third contains biographies of scholars, poets, physicians and saints of the time.
• It was written secretly, as it was critical of Akbar, and was published only after Akbar's death, during Jahangir's reign.

Its importance:

• It gives a different picture of Akbar's reign from the official history.
• Badauni criticised Akbar's religious discussions, the influence of Abul Fazl and Faizi, the Mahzar, and Akbar's spiritual order.
• He accused Akbar of abandoning Islam.
• Historians use it to balance the official accounts, though they recognise Badauni's bias.

Other histories of Akbar's reign:

• The official history: written by Abul Fazl.
• "Tabaqat-i-Akbari": by Nizamuddin Ahmad, a general history of India up to Akbar's reign.
• "Tarikh-i-Alfi": a history of the first thousand years of Islam, compiled on Akbar's orders.

Why not the other options?

• ✗Abul Fazl wrote the official history.
• ✗Nizamuddin Ahmad wrote the "Tabaqat-i-Akbari".
• ✗Faizi was a poet.