Editing Muhammad Azam Shah (section)

==Early life==
===Birth===
Qutb-ud-Din Muhammad Azam was born on 28 June 1653 in [[Burhanpur]]<ref name=Sarkar1912>{{cite book |last1=Sarkar |first1=Sir Jadunath |title=History of Aurangzib Vol. I |date=1912 |publisher=M.C. Sarkar & Sons |location=Calcutta |page=71 |url=https://jambudveep.files.wordpress.com/2010/08/history-of-aurangzeb-vol-1.pdf}}</ref> to Prince Muhi-ud-Din (later known as 'Aurangzeb' upon his accession) and his first wife, [[Dilras Banu Begum]].<ref>{{cite book |title=The Mughal World: Life in India's Last Golden Age |last=Eraly |first=Abraham |year=2007 |publisher=Penguin Books India |page=147}}</ref><ref>{{cite book |title=Parties and politics at the Mughal Court, 1707–1740 |last=Chandra |first=Satish |year=2002 |page=50 |publisher=[[Oxford University Press]]}}</ref><ref name=Koch>{{cite book |last=Koch |first=Ebba |title=King of the world: the Padshahnama |year=1997 |publisher=Azimuth Ed |pages=104}}</ref><ref name=Nath>{{cite book |last=Nath |first=Renuka |title=Notable Mughal and Hindu women in the 16th and 17th centuries A.D. |year=1990 |publisher=Inter-India Publ. |location=New Delhi |page=148}}</ref> His mother, who died four years after giving birth to him, was the daughter of [[Mirza Badi-uz-Zaman Safavi]] (titled Shah Nawaz Khan) and a princess of the prominent [[Safavid dynasty]] of [[Persia]].<ref name=Annie>{{cite book |title=Captive princess: Zebunissa, daughter of Emperor Aurangzeb |last=Annie Krieger-Krynicki |year=2005 |publisher=[[Oxford University Press]] |page=1}}</ref> Therefore, Azam was not only a Timurid from his father's side, but also had in him the royal blood of the Safavid dynasty, a fact which Azam was extremely proud of and after the death of his younger brother, Prince [[Sultan Muhammad Akbar|Muhammad Akbar]], the only son of Aurangzeb who could boast of being of the purest blood.<ref name="Sarkar1916">{{cite book |last1=Sarkar |first1=Sir Jadunath |title=History of Aurangzib: First half of the reign, 1658–1681 |date=1916 |publisher=M.C. Sarkar & sons |page=54}}</ref>

Azam's other half-brothers, Shah Alam (later [[Bahadur Shah I]]) and [[Muhammad Kam Bakhsh]] were the sons of Aurangzeb's Hindu wives.<ref>{{cite book|last=Sir Jadunath Sarkar|title=Studies in Aurangzib's reign: (being Studies in Mughal India, first series)|year=1933|publisher=Orient Longman|page=43}}</ref> According to [[Niccolao Manucci]], the courtiers were very impressed by Azam's royal Persian ancestry and the fact that he was the grandson of Shah Nawaz Khan Safavi.<ref>{{cite book|last=Krynicki|first=Annie Krieger|title=Captive Princess : Zebunissa, daughter of Emperor Aurangzeb|year=2005|publisher=Oxford University Press|isbn=9780195798371|page=102}}</ref>

===Character===
[[File:Darbarscene.jpg|250px|thumbnail|Crown Prince Azam, stands before his father, Emperor Aurangzeb]]
As Azam grew up, he was distinguished for his wisdom, excellence, and chivalry.<ref>{{cite book|last=Elliot|first=Henry Miers|title=The History of India: 1959 Volume 30 of The History of India: As Told by Its Own Historians; the Muhammadan Period; the Posthumous Papers of H. M. Elliot, Sir Henry Miers Elliot|year=1959|publisher=Susil Gupta (India) Private|page=48}}</ref><ref>{{cite book|last1=Sarkar|first1=Sir Jadunath|title=History of Aurangzib: mainly based on Persian sources, Volume 5|date=1974|publisher=Orient Longman|page=219}}</ref> Aurangzeb used to be extremely delighted with his son's noble character and excellent manners, and thought of him as his comrade rather than his son. He often used to say, "between this pair of matchless friends, a separation is imminent."<ref>{{cite book|last=Saqi Musta'idd Khan, Jadunath Sarkar|title=Maasir-i-'Alamgiri: A History of the Emperor Aurangzib-'Alamgir|year=1947|publisher=Royal Asiatic Society of Bengal|page=320}}</ref> Azam's siblings included his older sisters, the princesses: [[Zeb-un-Nissa]], [[Zinat-un-Nissa]], [[Zubdat-un-Nissa]] and his younger brother, Prince Muhammad Akbar.