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Akbars Religious PoliciesAkbars Religious Policies

Popular literature speaks of Akbar as liberal-minded, enlightened ruler. However an analysis of his ideology shows that in the early years, he was close to Ulama and they dominated his court. It was only over time that he evolves as a tolerant and open-minded ruler.

During his rule, Akbar faced many religious challenges. One of the most serious religious conflicts of the time was between the Shia and Sunni sects. The Mughal state clearly had Sunni affiliations, but unlike its contemporary Islamic ststes, no public proclamation to the effect was ever made. The Mughal state followed a policy of tolerance and all sects were accepted without persecution. Consequently, the Mughal state also witnessed a large number of migrations from the Safavid state in Persia. However, in spite of the open policy of the state, Shia-Sunni conflicts within the empire intensified.

In the early years of Akbars reign, Srinagar was the scene of some very bitter Shia-Sunni conflicts. In this period, the shias often lived outwardly like Sunnis and avoided conflicts with the strong Sunni elements in the administration. In fact, the Mughal state continued to follow a pro-Persian policy in spite of the ideological difference, in order to check the growth of the Uzbeks and thereby maintain the power balance in Central Asia.

Added to this sectarian rift was the existence of Sufism, Bhaktism and other religious institutions that gave Akbar a difficult time.

Influences on Akbar in his religious policies

a)Personality: Akbar had a restless spirit and though he lacked formal knowledge, he was always interested in religious and spiritual matters since young age.

b)Turko-Mongol Backgroud: His liberal outlook can be traced back to his Turko-Mongol background, which did not involve a rigid religious tradition. Chengiz Khan and Timur followed a policy where he treated all religions with respect. They were the inspirational figure for Akbar.

c)Babur and Humayun: Early Mughals also followed liberal outlook. In Baburs will, Khat-i-Baburi, shows that he advised Humayun to recognize the diversity of Indian society and respect all local norms and traditions. Humayun also did not follow orthodox religion and he patronized Shia as well.

d)Influence of Scholars: Initially he was influenced by teachers like Abdul Latif Qazvini and later by Shaikh Mubarak and Abul Fazl.

e)Jesuits: the Christian Jesuits also visited and interacted with Akbar.

Akbars Religious Policy

Historian K.A. Nizami has divided Akbars reign in the context of his religious ideas into three phases, keeping in mind the degree of accommodation and liberalism that can be found in Akbars policies.

First Phase-1556-74

In the first places, Akbar seems to be coming to terms with the Islamic orthodoxy. In the first twenty years of his reign, Akbar made serious departures from the traditional Sunni system of government. In1562, the pilgrimage tax on Hindus was abolished. Akbar also abolished the practice of enslaving families of prisoners of war. Abul Fazl dates the abolishment of the jaziya to 1564.

In this stage, Akbar also faced many political challenges and rebellions. Thus Akbar had to search for new support groups and he turned to Rajputs as possible allies. Jaziya, a tax on non-Muslims, was thus abolished, to win them over.

Despite these measures, in favour of the Hindus, in the early phase of his reign, Akbar remained largely Islamic. The nobility in this part was also dominated by Muslims. Satish Chandra has argued that in early part of his reign, Akbar remained largely Islamic. The nobility in this part was also dominated by Muslims of his youth. The conquests of Gondwana, the suppression of the Afghans of the Eastern provinces, the conquest of Chittor and Ranthambhor, of Gujarat, Bihar and Bengal, together with revenue, military and other reforms, kept Akbar increasingly busy from 1564 to 1574.

During this period, the ulama dominated affairs and akbars concessions never satisfied them.

Second Phase: 1574-1580

A change can be seen in Akbars religious beliefs around 17573 onwards. This was a phase of intense discussions and introspection on the part of Akbar which led to a radical change in his religious views, and deeply affected future state politics. Akbars growing awareness of the repercussions of the traditional orthodox Sunni dominance over his administration compelled him to an active search for new solutions. He therefore encouraged the emergence of a new elite group, whose spokesman was Abul Fazl. Also from his childhood, Akbar held a special interest in spiritual matters and had felt that the orthodox view of Islam was not giving him the needed answers. He slowly started getting influence from yogis, qalandars and the sanyasis. Historian Nizami calls this as a period of apathy to Islam.

Ibadat Khana: This second phase is also characterized by the discussions at the Ibadat Khana. It was established in 1575 at Fatehpur Sikri, after Akbars Gujarat campaign. It was initially meant to resolve Muslim religious disputes through discussion. Later, it was opened to representatives of other religios and faiths. By 1577, the continued bickering and quarrelling of the ulama disillusioned the emperor and exposed the duplicity of the orthodoxy. Badaoni calls it an Iyatdat Khana, meaning a place of worthless people. Abul Fazl, however calls the discussion useful, which guided people from darkness to light and enlightened them. Modern historian, R.P. Tripathi says, Instead of bringing credit, Ibadat Khana brought growing discredit. Akbar himself becam convinced of the futility of these debates, and closed finally the Ibadat Khana in 1582.

Mahzarnama: In this period, Akbar was clearly breaking away from the orthodoxy. In 1579, he started reading the Khutbah himself. This attitude is most clearly symbolized with the promulgation of Mahzarnama in September, 1579. The word mahzar indicates a document that is publicly attested. According to this document, which was in the form of a petition, the ulama gave Akbar the right to adopt any position in case of a conflict among the orthodoxy, and that position would be held as superior.

The real significance of the Mahzar lies in the fact that, it was the first effective declaration of the principles ofsulh-i-kuhl(i.e. peace with all) which Akbar had decided to implement firmly.

Third Phase-1580-1605

The Third or final Phase of Akbars religious belief and state policy is characterized by the crystallization of Akbars ideological beliefs. Nizami calls it the phase where Akbar displayed antipathy to Islam. The crux of Akbars religious beliefs was his faith in uncompromising monotheism or Tauhid-i- Illahi (or Din-i-Ilahi).

Features of Tauhid-i-Illahi

a)Nobody was coerced and membership was voluntary.

b)There was an initiation of ritual, according to which the murid, with the turban in his hand, placed his head at the feet of the Emperor, which was symbolic and meant that the murid had cast aside selfishness and conceit. The emperor than raised him up and gives him a ring with the word inscribed Allah-O-Akbar. Sunday was also the day of meeting since it is believed that the sun is at its peak on this day.

c)The main idea was supposed to rise above sectarian differences and follow the path of sulh-i-kuhl. He was to worshop the light and pray three times a day.

d)Members also had to give feast on the day of their birth, not eat meat on that day and spend money in charity.

e)Members were expected to give up wealth (mal), faith (din), etc. faith in a sense, the ritualistic nature of any religion.

Reasons for Tauhid-i-Illahi

Abul Fazl links the concept of Tauhis-i-illahi with the concept of Akbar being the spiritual guide of the people. According to him, the purpose of tauhid-i-Illahi was to find a common ground between religion and worldly affairs.

Character of Tauhid -i-Illahi

It has been debated by various scholars whether this is a religion or not. Baduani and others have accused Akbar of starting his own religion in which he himself was the leader. Once again, some modern scholars see the elaborate initiation rituals as reflective of his desire to set up a new religion. However this could not have been possible because a religion is a set of beliefs, which develop overtime in an organized manner and among a number of people. Akbars new religion on the other hand, had no formal structure. Moreover, the Tauhid-i-Illahi does not have any priesthood, rituals or beliefs and no books. In fact, there is no clear date about when it was established. It seems thus that this was merely Akbars personal faith, which he welcomed people to join in.

Conclusion:It is very difficult to determine his religious beliefs. His contemporary writers such as Abul Fazl was clearly a supporter of Akbar and his policies, while others like Badaoni were not. The orthodox accused Akbar that he abandoned Isalm, persecure the Ulemas and suppresed Islamic rituals. On the other hand, the Christian Jesuits who came to his court seems to have been confused of Akbars policies. It is difficult to draw a conclusion regarding his ideologies. All that can be said is that Akbar moved away from the orthodox form of the religion and gave a modern outlook of a secular state.