Ala-ud-din was lying seriously ill when Kafur returned from Deccan sometime in 1314- 15. Ala-ud-din confided all his secrets to his favourite general who exploited the situation fully to his advancement. He got all his rivals removed from high positions one by one and put his own creatures in their places. Next he turned his attention to the sons of the sultan.

Shams-ul-Haq surnamed Khizr Khan who was the eldest son of the emperor and heir- apparent to the throne was the next victim of Kafur’s intrigues. He was able to obtain from the ailing king, a firman setting aside the claims of Khizr Khan to the throne, and imprisoning him in the Gwalior fort.

Thus there was hardly anyone to challenge his authority when Ala-ud-din closed his eyes on January 4, 1316. He raised Shihab-ud-din, an infant of 6 years, to the throne and himself became his regent.

He would now act like Ala-ud-din and all the nobles and officers were required to stand in his presence. He had already got Khizr Khan blinded and now hired some foot soldiers to blind the other prince, Mubarak Khan, who had been imprisoned.

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The latter not only escaped this attempt but was also able to turn the preparator of the crime against Kafur, the traitor whom they killed 35 days after the usurpation of power. Thus ended the life of Kafur who, to quote the poet Khusrau “had shown by the sword and the salt, so the salt became a sword and cut off his head”.