The Institutes of Akbar 132.2.4

132.2.4

Deb Chand Rajah Manjholah—that fool—once set the whole court in laughter by saying that Allah after all had great respect for cows, else the cow would not have been mentioned in the first chapter (Súrat ulbaqarah) of the Qorán. His Majesty had also the early history of the Islám read out to him, and soon commenced to think less of the Çahábah. Soon after, the observance of the five prayers and the fasts, and the belief in every thing connected with the prophet, were put down as taqlídí, or religious blindness, and man’s reason was acknowledged to be the basis of all religion. Portuguese priests also came frequently; and His Majesty enquired into the articles of their belief which are based upon reason.” [Badáoní II, p. 245.] “In the beginning of the next year [984], when His Majesty was at Dípálpúr in Málwah, Sharíf of Ámul arrived. This apostate had run from country to country, like a dog that has burnt its foot, and turning from one sect to the other, he went on wrangling till he became a perfect heretic. For some time he had studied Cufic nonsense in the school of Mauláná Muhammad Záhid of Balkh, nephew of the great Shaikh Husain of Khwárizm, and had lived with derwishes. But as he had little of a derwish in himself, he talked slander, and was so full of conceit, that they hunted him away. The Mauláná also wrote a poem against him, in which the following verse occurs: There was a heretic, Sharíf by name, Who talked very big, though of doubtful fame.