'Tarikh-i-Firoz Shahi', an important source for the history of the Delhi Sultanate, was written by:

"Tarikh-i-Firoz Shahi" ("The History of Firoz Shah") was written by the historian Ziauddin Barani, and completed in 1357, during the reign of Firoz Shah Tughlaq.

About Ziauddin Barani:

• He was born in about 1285 at Baran (the old name of Bulandshahr, in Uttar Pradesh), and died in about 1357.
• He belonged to a family of officials who served the Sultans.
• He was a close companion (nadim) of Sultan Muhammad bin Tughlaq for about 17 years.
• After the death of Muhammad bin Tughlaq, he lost his position at court, and wrote his works in poverty.
• He was a disciple of the Sufi saint Nizamuddin Auliya, and a friend of the poet Amir Khusrau.

About the Tarikh-i-Firoz Shahi:

• It describes the history of the Delhi Sultanate from the accession of Balban (1266) to the early years of Firoz Shah Tughlaq.
• It gives detailed information about the reigns of Balban, the Khaljis, and the Tughlaqs.
• It is the main source for Alauddin Khalji's market reforms and revenue policy, and for Muhammad bin Tughlaq's reforms and experiments.
• It continued the history from where an earlier chronicle had stopped.

Barani's views:

• He was a strong supporter of the nobility of high birth, and disliked the appointment of people of low birth to high offices.
• He believed that the Sultan should follow the Sharia and the advice of the ulema, but he also recognised that the rulers needed their own laws (zawabit) for the state.
• His other important work is the "Fatawa-i-Jahandari", which describes his ideas on kingship and good government.
• His account of Muhammad bin Tughlaq is critical, and modern historians use it with caution.

Other historians of the Sultanate:

• Shams-i-Siraj Afif: wrote another history of Firoz Shah Tughlaq, with the same title, after Barani.
• Amir Khusrau: wrote "Khazain-ul-Futuh" (on Alauddin's conquests), "Tughlaq Nama" and other works.
• Isami: wrote "Futuh-us-Salatin".

Why not the other options?

• ✗Minhaj-us-Siraj wrote an earlier chronicle.
• ✗Shams-i-Siraj Afif wrote a later history of Firoz Shah.
• ✗Amir Khusrau was a poet and historian of the Khalji period.