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and engaging manners, learned (according to the
standard of the times) in Arabic aud Persian,
quick-witted and with a sparkle of arch humour in
his eyes, and a persuasive speaker As a writer he
had attracted some attention by his Ayat-e- Baiyya-
nat, a treatise in refutation of the Shia doctrine,
based upon Quranic texts. He seemed to be well
qualified by his talents to take a prominent place
and shine in any society, both in private and
public life.
It was said of him, that by his fine ' promising
manner' of listening to peoples' requests he always
sent them away satisfied! There is an amusing
anecdote about his peculiar humour. Some man
from the North once came to seek employment
and was received by Moulvi Saheb with his usual
courtesy and asked to take a seat. After a few
minutes he was introduced to those present with
• the remark : "This gentleman is one before whose •
ancestors mine have sometimes bowed their heads/
It became known afterwards that the person
referred to was descended from a barber ! Men
seeking employment were coming in increasing
numbers in those days—and this was beginning to
be resented by the people of Hyderabad. The
Mulki Non-Mulki question was formulating itself.
Moulvi Mehdi Ali Khan became Political and
Financial Secretary under the Second Sir Salar
Jung and was given the title, Nawab Munir Nawaz
Jung and some years later he became Nawab
'Mohsin-ul-Mulk, "benefactor of.the country/' He
continued in this office when Sir Asman Jah became