Ruhullah Khan

Ruhullah Khan (d. 1691/1692) was one of the highest-ranking nobles of the Mughal Empire during the reign of Mughal emperor Aurangzeb. He is known for his tenure as the mir bakhshi (paymaster-general) of the empire during the latter's rule. He actively participated in Aurangzeb's military campaigns in the Deccan frontier, such as the Siege of Bijapur (1685–1686) and Siege of Golconda. He served as the subahdar (governor) of Mughal Hyderabad in the province's nascent stages.

Personal life Ruhullah Khan was the son of Khalilullah Khan and Hamida Banu. He was of Iranian descent. His mother was a sister of emperor Aurangzeb's mother, making him well-connected in the Mughal nobility. Ruhullah Khan was a Shia Muslim; Shi'ism was viewed with hostility by the Sunni Aurangzeb and most nobles of the court. Ruhullah Khan had a daughter named Aisha Begum, who was married to the Mughal prince Azim-us-Shan. He also had a son named Mir Hasan, who bore the titles Khanazad Khan and Ruhullah Khan successively. In 1685, he participated in the Siege of Bijapur, acting as one of the two commanders of the siege army. He began siege operations alongside Qasim Khan on the first of April. The siege progressed slowly, and eventually Aurangzeb sent both commanders to other missions; Ruhullah Khan was sent to Ahmadnagar in July.

In 1686, Ruhullah Khan was made mir bakhshi (paymaster-general) of the empire, succeeding Ashraf Khan. He would hold this post until his death in 1692, after which the post was filled by Bahramand Khan.

In 1689, following the Mughal occupation of the Bedar territories, Ruhullah Khan was deputed to capture Raichur fort, which was under the control of a Bedar chief. Its capture required a siege that began on the 10th of July and ended successfully on the 29th of November. Ruhullah Khan sent the fort's chief to Hyderabad, where the latter was executed. In May 1691, as Bedar power grew and centered at Wakinkera Fort under Pidia Nayak, Ruhullah Khan was deputed to besiege the fort. He led a failed assault against the fort, followed by an unsuccessful two-month siege. He then opened negotiations with Pidia Nayak, which lasted to the end of 1691. Ruhullah Khan was subsequently withdrawn from the field by Aurangzeb, who sent a new force to attack the fort.

Death Ruhullah Khan died around the years 1691/1692; historian Jadunath Sarkar estimated around June 1692.