HINDU MUSLIM INTERACTIONS

The Mogul Empire, for its time in the history of Islam, was a huge exception to president
regarding religious diversity and tolerance. The Mughal Empire ruled areas where the majority
of the population was non-Muslim, which was quite and unusual thing for contemporary
standards. After the Muslim conquest, elsewhere with the exception of Spain the inhabitance
of the conquered land where almost entirely converted to Islam.
This exceptional diversity can be explained by the well-established pre-existing cultures in India.
An exceptionally large population of Hindus made it a daunting task to try to convert, the many
millions of what would be presumably, unwilling participants. Compared to Muslims in the
Middle East, Northern Africa, or even Spain; the Mughal Empire at the time was on the
periphery of the Muslim world.
There was a vast geographical distance, from Baghdad, Cairo, Mecca and Medina, the centers of
religious thought and piety. This does not mean that the Muslims of India were any less pious
then their Arab brethren but they did make many exceptions and interpret many precedents of
Islam to fit their specific situation. They infused many Hindu traditions and ideas into the
empire, creating a unique subculture to the civilization of the Arab world.
Babur was the founder of the Mughal Empire, and subsequently its first ruler. He invaded India
from Central Asia with only twelve thousand men, and defeated many larger armies eventually
forming the Mughal Empire. Babur was a Turkic-Persian military commander from Central Asia
who is credited in advancing the Persian influx of ideas and culture into India. His descendants
continued and expanded this tradition, eventfully creating a unique cultural period in India,
known for its art, architecture, literature, philosophy and mathematics.
Humayun, Buburs son, lost control of his empire soon after taking the throne. With the help of
his half brother, the ruler of Kabul and Punjab, and Persian advisors Humayun regained his
empire and even expanded to the South and East. It is important to note here the Persian
influence, the help of Persian and Central Asian advisors straightened what was to be a long
lasting cultural impact from the subcontinents western neighbors. Later during his reign the
presence of Persian advisors was a constant feature of his court. Both Humayun
and Babur introduced Persian and central Asian styles architecture to India creating a fusion
style, notable for its domes and intricate decoration.

1.
http://sensiblereason.com/muslim-hindu-religious-interactions-in-the-mughal-empire-the-birth-and-death-off-a-
cohesive-culture/ retrieved at 10.12.2013



AKBAR NAMA
The Emperor Akbur the Great, who ruled the Mughal Empire from 1556 to 1605, was one of the
most important Mughal rulers for fostering religious cohesion amongst Muslims and Hindus. His
trusted friend and advisor Abul Fazl wrote a book, the Akbarnama, describing the rule of the
emperor Akbur including Akburs religious views and policies toward Hindus. Abul Fazl wrote a
lot about the interactions and policies that the Muslim government established in response to the
Hindu majority. This is important to note, it shows the tolerance of the Muslim leadership toward
another religion in order to keep power peacefully.
The text even speaks of the similarities in the religions. The tolerance and acceptance shown to
the Hindus by the Muslim rulers of the time was, put simply, a politically savvy move. Ruling an
empire where the majority of the population did not have the same religious views as the ruling
class, presented many obstacles, and required the Mughal rulers to practice religious sensitivity,
in order to maintain power. This repeal of policies would play a key role in the demise of the
Empire.
Abul Fazls literary work the Akbarnama, a book about the life of the emperor, Akbar the Great,
it remains one of the most important surviving documents from the Mughal Empire. In the
text, Fazl tackles many of the issues in regards to the Hindus that the Muslim elite may have a
problem with, including but not limited to Hindu: polytheism, idol worship, and caste system. On
the charge of polytheism, Abul Fazl maintains that all of the different G-ds are different
manifestations of one Hindu G-d in different forms. This is not very different from how many
Muslims view the Christen Trinity of the Father, Son, and the Holy Ghost.
It is here, in the Akbarnama that Fazl argues that devout Hindus who fully understand their
religion do not in fact pray to the idols made of the earthly elements. Instead they are praying to
the Supreme Being who has transformed into the element of which the idol is made of, and they
are directly praying to the Supreme Being and not the idol itself. This is very important to the
argument of Abul Fazl. Idol worship is a extremely taboo thing in the Muslim religion, Fazl felt
that he has justified and exonerated the Hindus from this charge of idol worship.
In order to fully understand Fazls defense of the Hindu caste system to Muslims, the idea and
socio-religious implications of it first must be comprehended. In the Akbranama, Fazl explains
the caste system in a way that would not be disagreeable to many Muslims. He does leave the
way that people are categorized within it perhaps on purpose.



There are two main factors in the defining caste, which are birth and the color of ones skin.
When the caste system was established the separate groups were defined by their skin color, with
the lightest fairest skinned people on top of the social order. As well birth becomes a deciding
factor in your place in society, socio-economically. This would have large weight on its
acceptability to other Muslims as a way to define status within the community, as it would go
against one of the principles of Islam, one is not judged by race, color, or socioeconomic status,
only on ones piety.
2

Akbars religion deen e elahi was not an accepted fact, by the entire Muslim community in India.
This idea of a new religion based on Islam clashed with the ulama, until his own half brother
issued a fatawa against him, instructing Muslims to rise up, against what he considered to be
religious heresy. Akbar crushed this revolt using his Hindu lieutenants. Akbar many have created
the new religion to stifle orthodox critiques and opponents about his lax policy about letting non-
Muslims gain high ranking positions in government.
Akbar promoted a cohesive culture through many other policies and actions, appointing
many Hindus to high-ranking administrative positions within his government in conjunction with
other policies. At times, these Hindus rose to the governorships of major provinces. These
provinces were ruled by Muslim military commanders and it was the job of the Hindu governor
to report abuses to the Emperor. This showed the trust that Akbar had in the Hindus he put into
power. Giving the religious majority a check on the religious minority.
INDIA UNDER AKBAR RULE( Brief History)
Religion of Akbar
Akbar was a staunch Sunni Muslim who sometimes spent whole nights in praising God. He
observed the dogmas of his faith and never deviated an inch from the path of Shariat. He paid
due respect to the Ulema (whatever it means) and did homage to the pious and holy. He
believed in pirs and fakirs (saints) and visited their shrines. He continued his life as an orthodox
Muslim till 1578, when a great change came over his mind.
To trace the history of Akbars religion, an outline of the environments and circumstances is
necessary. His father and grandfather were never orthodox and his mother, the daughter of a
Persian scholar, sowed seeds of tolerance in his mind. His tutor Abdul Latif, who was a man of
moderate views and whose guiding principle of life was Sulh-i-Kul (universal toleration) must
have imparted to his young pupil this principle and also impressed upon the influence of his tutor
molded the catholicity of his temperament and ideals.
2.Manic lal Gupta ,Source of mughal history, , new delhi, 1989, p. 44

Muslim, Indian, and Western historians all see Akbar as the greatest ruler of Indian history.
When his father, Humayun, died in 1556, Akbar became "ruler of the empire" at the age of
thirteen. Under the guidance of Bairam Khan, who had been instrumental in Humayun's
reconquests of Panipat, Dehli, and Agra, Akbar instantly began seizing more territory throughout
Hindustan.
Bairam Khan fell from power in 1560, but Akbar continued his conquest of India and
Afghanistan. By the time he died in 1605 (his reign, 1556 to 1605, corresponds almost exactly to
that of Elizabeth I of England), his Empire was greater than that of Babur and included almost all
of northern India.
Impact of Contemporary Religious Movements
The sixteenth century was the age of religious revival in the history of the
world. India experienced this revival and found in Kabir, Nanak and Chaitanya great reformers
who lived and taught one great cult the cult of love and truth and brotherhood of man. The
teachings of these reformers also made deep impression on the mind of Akbar.
The Bhakti and Mahadavi movements had taken a strong hold in the popular mind. The
Mahadavi movement was based in the belief that at close of millennium of Messiah or redeemer
of the sins of mankind would come upon the earth. In the sub-continent this movement was
started by Sayyid Muhammad of Jaunpur who proclaimed himself to be the promised Mahdi.
Similarly in Afghanistan, there was the Rashni movement whose followers believed in coming of
the Messiah.
The two movements, at the head of each was a prophet, might have tremendous influence on
Akbars mind and have suggested to him that neither of them was the prophet of God. But if they
could pass for prophets, he also could pass for one and make a new religion and thus become the
head of the State and Church. He waned to make a religion to suit his political needs and
therefore to be acceptable to his subjects professing various creeds. In his anxiety to substitute
one creed for the many, he was led to adopt an eclecticism that found expression in the Din-i-
Illahi.
Ibadat Khana
Akbar observed the external form of the Sunni faith until 1575, when his association with the
Sufi brothers produced a change in his religious views. He then ordered to construct a building,
known as Ibadat khana (House of prayers) at Fatehpur Sikri, with a view to discussing
philosophical and theological questions. He first invited the learned divines of Islam to his Ibadat
Khana. But they often quarreled among themselves on the fundamentals of Islam and their
discussions took shape of personal attacks.
The discussions of the Ulema who were misguided by pride and prejudice could not satisfy the
inquisitive soul of Akbar. He was then inclined to invite leaders and scholars of various religions
to the Ibadat Khana. In response to the invitation of the Emperor, the Portuguese authorities sent
on several occasions learned theologians to his court. In 1580, a Jesuit Mission consisting of
Father Rudolf Aquaviva and Antonio Monserrate was cordially received at his court. He admired
Christianity but he did not confine his attention to Christian faith only. He wanted to learn the
essentials of Zoroastrianism and Jainism. He invited Dasteur Meherje Rana, the religious head of
Parsis and the Jains to his court. The influence of the former on the Emperor was soon felt to an
amazing extent. Akbar also called a learned Pandit to talk to him Hindu philosophy and religion.
3

Curbing the Authority of Religious Scholars
Thus Akbar listened attentively to the arguments of the exponents of each faith but he did to
convert into any of these religions. Thus, his contact with different religion through discourses.
But the dispute between Makhdum-ul-Mulk and Sheikh Abdunnabi shocked his soul and led him
to conclude that they were no good as the heads of religion. He wanted to break their power.
The Emperor took a very bold step in June, 1579. He displaced the chief Imam of Jama-i-Masjid
at Fatehpur Sikri and himself read the Kutba from the pulpit. This was the first blow at the
authority of the Ulema.
The second blow came in September, 1579 when Akbar issued a decree known as Infallibility
Decree. It was meant to make the Emperor the supreme judge or mujtahid or imam-i-adal. This
decree which was drafted by Sheikh Mubarak and signed by the leaders of Muslim orthodox like
Mukhdum-ul-Mulk and Sheikh Abdunnabi made Akbar supreme arbiter in the case there were
any differences regarding the interpretation of Muslim law. Hence, Akbar assumed religious
authority (over his subjects) which, frankly speaking, was delegated to him by the Ulema of the
country.






3.satish chandra ,medieval india: from sultanat to the mughals part II, Har-Anand Publications,
India,2005,p.171
TERRITORY BUREAUCRACY
In order to govern this territory, Akbar developed a bureaucracy and a system of autonomy for
the imperial provinces. Akbar's bureaucracy was among the most efficient in the world. He put
military governors, or mansabars , in charge of each region. Each governor was responsible for
the provincial military and, as in the Ottoman state, was directly responsible for all abuses.
Abuses of power and mistreatment of the poor or weak resulted in severe punishments and
death, just as in the Ottoman Empire. Each military governor was put in charge by
the padshah himself, so he could be dismissed at will.
TAX CHARGING IN BUREAUCRACY
The most important part of the bureaucracy was tax collection. Akbar made several innovations.
His tax, like all other states, was a land tax that amounted to one-third of the value of the crops
produced on it each year. However, the tax was assessed equally on every member of the empire
a radical innovation considering that every other state in the sixteenth century rarely taxed the
nobility.
He also eliminated the tax assessed on non-Muslims. From the beginning of the Islamic
expansion, a special tax was levied on non-believers. This special tax, called the jizya , was
bitterly resented all during the history of Muslim rule in India. In addition, Muslim rulers in India
charged a "pilgrimage" tax on unbelievers travelling to various Hindu pilgrimage sites. Akbar
eliminated this tax in 1564.
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AKBARS ATTITUDE TOWARDS HINDUS
A large part of Akbar's administrative efforts were winning over Hindu populations. The Rajput
kingdoms had never fully accepted Islamic rule, but the revocation of the jizyat and the
pilgrimage taxes helped to calm their restiveness. Akbar also included vast number of Hindus in
the official bureaucracy; by his death, almost one-third of the imperial bureaucracy were Hindu.
He cemented relations with the various kingdoms by marrying the daughters of the kings. By the
end of this process he had over five thousand wives, almost all of whom he married for political
reasons. His favorite wife, however, was a Hindu, and she gave birth to his successor, Jahangir.




4. Charles h parker ,GLOBAL INTERACTION IN EARLY MODERN AGE, 1400-1800, , page
58,Cambridge university press,USA,2010
However, he was allowing Hindu territories to retain a large degree of autonomy. In all other
Muslim kingdoms, non-Muslims came under the same law, the Shari'a , as all Muslims. Akbar,
however, allowed the Hindus to remain under their own law, called the Dharmashastra , and to
retain their own courts.
This loose style of government, in which territories were under the control of the Emperor but
still largely independent, became the model that the British would emulate as they slowly built
the colonial model of government in the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries.
THE POLITICAL THEORY OF AKBAR'S STATE
There was considerable disagreement all during the reigns of Babur, Humayun, and Akbar over
the nature of monarchy and its place in Islamic society. Many Islamic scholars under Babur and
Akbar believed that the Indian monarchies were fundamentally un-Islamic.
At the heart of the problem was the fact that none of the invading monarchs were approved by
the Caliph, but rather were acting solely on their own. The majority of Islamic scholars,
however, concluded that the monarch was divinely appointed by God to serve humanity and that
the Indian sultanate or the Mughal padshah was acting in the place of the Caliph.

The political theorists and Islamic scholars surrounding Akbar were deeply influenced by Shi'a
Islam. In particular, they subscribed to the Shi'a notion that God had created a Divine Light that
is passed down in an individual from generation to generation; this individual is known as
the Imam.
The central theorist of Akbar's reign was Abu'l Faz'l, who joined Akbar's court in 1574 and is
considered one of the greatest political theorists in Islamic history. He believed that the Imamate
existed in the world in the form of just rulers.
The Imam, in the form of a just ruler, had secret knowledge of God, was free from sin, and was
primarily responsible for the spiritual guidance of humanity. This, to a certain extent, made
the sultan superior to the Shari'a , or Islamic law, and the Islamic scholars that interpreted it.
Needless to say, orthodox Islamic scholars bitterly opposed this political theory, but instead
advocated a close partnership between the ulama , or Islamic religious and legal scholars, and the
Sultan .

Abu'l Fazl was also deeply influenced by Platonic philosophy as it had been handed down by
Muslim philosophers. In particular, he argued for Plato's concept of the "philosopher-king," who,
by virtue of his talent, wisdom, and learning, deserved to be obeyed by all others. He saw Akbar
as the embodiment of the perfect philosopher-king.


TOLARENT POLICIES OF AKBAR TOWARDS HINDUS
From a religious standpoint, Akbar's state was built on the principle sulahkul , or "universal
tolerance." All religons were to be equally tolerated in the administration of the state; hence the
repeal of the jizya and the pilgrimage taxes. In Akbar's theory of government, the ruler's duty is
to ensure justice ('adale ) for all the people in his care no matter what their religion.
Akbar worked hard to win over the hearts and minds of the Hindu leaders. While this may well
have been for political reasons - he married a Hindu princess (and is said to have married several
thousand wives for political and diplomatic purposes) - it was also a part of his philosophy.
Akbar believed that all religions should be tolerated, and that a ruler's duty was to treat all
believers equally, whatever their belief.
Akbar believed that the ruler was the guardian of his people and that it was the ruler's duty to
protect his subjects regardless of creed or sect. For that reason he created the concept of a
religion that contained the basic truths of all religions.
DIN-I ILAHI
Akbar took very seriously Abu'l Fazl's idea that he was a spiritual leader of his people and he
devoted considerable amounts of time and resources to sorting out the common truth in the
multiple religions he ruled over. From this concern he developed a new religion he called Din-i
Ilahi , or "The Religion of God." Believing, as Muslims do, that every faith contained the
essential truth that God is unified and one thing, he sought to find the unifying aspects of all
religions.
He originally began this project, long before he came up with Din-i Ilahi , by sponsoring a series
of debates at his court between representatives of the various religions, which included
Christianity (Catholic Jesuits), Hindus, Zoroastrians, and Jains. Eventually he included members
of the ulama , but the debates did not go well because of the intolerant attitude and behaviors of
the Jesuit participants who wanted to convert Akbar, not discuss the formation of a universal
religion.

Akbar was a devout and, so he said, an orthodox Muslim; still, aspects of his belief were in part
derived from Shi'a Islam. The Din-i Ilahi , the religion that would synthesize the world's
religions into a single religion, that he established was predominantly based on Islam. Like
Islam, it was rationalistic and was based on one overriding doctrine, the doctrine of tawhid : God
is one thing and is singular and unified. Akbar also elevated the notion of wahdat-al wujud , or
"unity of the real," to a central religious idea in his new religion.
The world, as a creation of God, is a single and unified place that reflects the singularity and
unity of its creator. Finally, Akbar fully subscribed to the Islamic idea of the Perfect Man
represented by the life of the Prophet or by the Shi'ite Imamate. There is little question that
Akbar accepted Abu'l Fazl's notion that he was the Divine Light and was a Perfect Man. He
assumed the title, "Revealer of the Internal and Depictor of the Real," which defined his role as a
disseminator of secret knowledge of God and his function of fashioning the world in the light of
this knowledge.

In addition to Islam, however, the Din-i Ilahi also contained aspects of Jainism,
Zoroastrianism, and Hinduism. The Din-i Ilahi borrowed from Jainism a respect and care for all
living things, and it derived from Zoroastrianism sun-worship and, especially, the idea of divine
kingship. This latter innovation deeply disturbed the ulama they regarded it as outright heresy.
The notion of divine kingship, however, would last throughout the history of the Mughal
Empire.


The Deen-e-Elahi was essentially an ethical system, prohibiting such sins as lust, sensuality,
slander, and pride and enjoining the virtues of piety, prudence, abstinence, and kindness. The
soul was encouraged to purify itself through yearning for God (a tenet of Sufism, Islamic
mysticism), celibacy was condoned (as in Catholicism), and the slaughter of animals was
forbidden (as in Jainism). There were no sacred scriptures or a priestly hierarchy in the Deen-e-
Elahi. In its ritual, it borrowed heavily from Zoroastrianism, making light (Sun and Fire) an
object of divine worship and reciting, as in Hinduism, the 1,000 Sanskrit names of the Sun.
5

DEEN E ELAHI IN PRACTICE
In practice, however, the Deen-e-Elahi functioned as a personality cult contrived by Akbar
around his own person. Members of the religion were handpicked by Akbar according to their
devotion to him. Because the emperor styled himself a reformer of Islam, arriving on Earth
almost 1,000 years after the Prophet Muhammad, there was some suggestion that he wished to be
acknowledged as a prophet also. The ambiguous use of formula prayers (common among the
Sufis) such as Allah-u-Akbar, "Allah is great," or perhaps "Allah is Akbar," hinted at a divine
association as well.



5.http://weedmedia.blogspot.com/2010/10/was-great-mughal-empror-jalaluddin.html
ORTHODOX MUSLIM REACTION TOWARDS DEEN E ELAHI
Akbar is recorded by various conflicting sources as having affirmed allegiance to Islam and as
having broken with Islam. His religion was generally regarded by his contemporaries as a
Muslim innovation or a heretical doctrine; only two sources from his own time--both hostile--
accuse him of trying to found a new religion. The influence and appeal of the Deen-e-Elahi were
limited and did not survive Akbar, but they did trigger a strong orthodox reaction in Indian
Islam.
Over time, Akbar's fascination with religion grew to almost an obsession when he fashioned his
own faith, called Deen-e-Elahi. Deen-e-Elahi was an eclectic mix of the other religions Akbar
had studied during those late night theological debates. He borrowed what he saw as the best
components of each and blended them into the melange that became Deen-e-Elahi. The new
faith, however, never caught on among the Muslims outside of his court, but despite this failure,
Akbar continued to support religious tolerance among his people.
All such kind of practices was not acceptable for orthodox Muslims because they possessed their
own ideologies and practices which were differentiating them from others.
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6.http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/163768/Din-i-Ilahi retrieved at 15/12/2013