The Institutes of Akbar 133: Bada’oni’s Summary of the Reasons which led Akbar to renounce the Islam.
The Áín i Akbari (Blochmann, Jarrett) 133
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Bada’oni’s Summary of the Reasons which led Akbar to renounce the Islam.
133.1
[Bad. II, p. 256.] The following are the principal reasons which led His Majesty from the right path. I shall not give all, but only some, according to the proverb, “That which is small, guides to that which is great, and a sign of fear in a man points him out as the culprit.” The principal reason is the large number of learned men of all denominations and sects that came from various countries to court, and received personal interviews. Night and day people did nothing but enquire and investigate; profound points of science, the subtleties of revelation, the curiosities of history, the wonders of nature, of which large volumes could only give a summary abstract, were ever spoken of. His Majesty collected the opinions of every one, especially of such as were not Muhammadans, retaining whatever he approved of, and rejecting everything which was against his disposition, and ran counter to his wishes. From his earliest childhood to his manhood, and from his manhood to old age, His Majesty has passed through the most various phases, and through all sorts of religious practices and sectarian beliefs, and has collected everything which people can find in books, with a talent of selection peculiar to him, and a spirit of enquiry opposed to every [Islámitic] principle.
133.2
Thus a faith based on some elementary principles traced itself on the mirror of his heart, and as the result of all the influences which were brought to bear on His Majesty, there grew, gradually as the outline on a stone, the conviction in his heart that there were sensible men in all religions, and abstemious thinkers, and men endowed with miraculous powers, among all nations. If some true knowledge was thus everywhere to be found, why should truth be confined to one religion, or to a creed like the Islam, which was comparatively new, and scarcely a thousand years old; why should one sect assert what another denies, and why should one claim a preference without having superiority conferred on itself. Moreover Samanis and Brahmins managed to get frequent private interviews with His Majesty. As they surpass other learned men in their treatises on morals, and on physical and religious sciences, and reach a high degree in their knowledge of the future, in spiritual power and human perfection, they brought proofs, based on reason and testimony, for the truth of their own, and the fallacies of other religions, and inculcated their doctrine. doctrines so firmly, and so skilfully represented things as quite self-evident which require consideration, that no man, by expressing his doubts, could now raise a doubt in His Majesty, even if mountains were to crumble to dust, or the heavens were to tear asunder.
133.3
Hence His Majesty cast aside the Islâmitic revelations regarding resurrection, the day of judgment, and the details connected with it, as also all ordinances based on the tradition of our prophet. He listened to every abuse which the courtiers heaped on our glorious and pure faith, which can be so easily followed; and eagerly seizing such opportunities, he shewed in words and gestures, his satisfaction at the treatment which his original religion received at their hands. How wise was the advice which the guardian gave a lovely being, ‘Do not smile at every face, as the rose does at every zephyr.’ When it was too late to profit by the lesson, She could but frown, and hang down the head. For some time His Majesty called a Brahmin, whose name was Purukhotam, author of a commentary on the ..., whom he asked to invent particular Sanscrit names for all things in existence. At other times, a Brahmin of the name of Debi was pulled up the wall of the castle, sitting on a chárpáí, till he arrived near a balcony where the emperor used to sleep. Whilst thus suspended, he instructed His Majesty in the secrets and legends of Hinduism, in the manner of worshipping idols, the fire, the sun and stars, and of revering the chief gods of these unbelievers, as Brahma, Mahadev, Bishn, Kishn, Ram, and Mahamáí, who are supposed to have been men, but very likely never existed, though some, in their idle belief, look upon them as gods, and others as angels.
133.4
His Majesty, on hearing further how much the people of the country prized their institutions, commenced to look upon them with affection. The doctrine of the transmigration of souls especially took a deep root in his heart, and he approved of the saying, — “There is no religion in which the doctrine of transmigration has not taken firm root.” Insincere flatterers composed treatises, in order to fix the evidence for this doctrine; and as His Majesty relished enquiries into the sects of these infidels (who cannot be counted, so numerous they are, and who have no end of revealed books, but nevertheless, do not belong to the Ahl i Kitab (Jews, Christians, and Muhammadans), not a day passed, but a new fruit of this loathsome tree ripened into existence. Sometimes again, it was Shaikh Tájuddín of Dihlí, who had to attend the emperor. This Shaikh is the son of Shaikh Zakariyá of Ajodhan. The principal ’Ulamás of the age call him Tájul’árifín, or crown of the Çúfís. He had learned under Shaikh Zamán of Pánípat, author of a commentary on the Lawáih, and of other very excellent works, was in Çúfism and pantheism second only to Shaikh Ibn ‘Arabí, and had written a comprehensive commentary on the Nuzhat ularwáh. Like the preceding he was drawn up the wall of the castle. His Majesty listened whole nights to his Çúfic trifles.
133.5
As the Shaikh was not overstrict in acting according to our religious law, he spoke a great deal of the pantheistic presence, which idle Çúfís will talk about, and which generally leads them to denial of the law and open heresy. He also introduced polemic matters, as the ultimate salvation by faith of Pharaoh—God’s curse be upon him!—which is mentioned in the Fuçúç ulhikam, or the excellence of hope over fear, and many other things to which men incline from weakness of disposition, unmindful of cogent reasons, or distinct religious commands, to the contrary. The Shaikh is therefore one of the principal culprits, who weakened His Majesty’s faith in the orders of our religion. He also said that infidels would, of course, be kept for ever in hell, but it was not likely, nor could it be proved, that the punishment in hell was eternal. His explanations of some verses of the Qorán, or of the Tradition of our prophet, were often far-fetched. Besides, he mentioned that the phrase ’Insán i kámil (perfect man) referred to the ruler of the age, from which he inferred that the nature of a king was holy. In this way, he said many agreeable things to the emperor, rarely expressing the proper meaning, but rather the opposite of what he knew to be correct. Even the sijdah (prostration), which people mildly call zamínbos (kissing the ground,) he allowed to be due to the Insán i Kámil;
133.6
he looked upon the respect due to the king as a religious command, and called the face of the king Ka’bah i Murádát, the sanctum of desires, and Qiblah i Háját, the cynosure of necessities. Such blasphemies other people supported by quoting stories of no credit, and by referring to the practice followed by disciples of some heads of Indian sects. And after this, when... Other great philosophical writers of the age also expressed opinions, for which there is no authority. Thus Shaikh Ya’qub of Kashmir, a well known writer, and at present the greatest authority in religious matters, mentioned some opinions held by ’Ain ulquzét of Hamadéin, that our prophet Muhammad was a personification of the divine name of Alhddt (the guide), and the devil was the personification of God’s name of Almuzill (the tempter), that both names, thus personified, had appeared in this world, and that both personifications were therefore necessary. Mull4 Muhammad of Yazd, too, was drawn up the wall of the castle, and uttered unworthy, loathsome abuse against the first three Khalifahs, called the whole Gahabah, their followers and next followers, and the saints of past ages, infidels and adulterers, slandered the Sunnis and the Akl i Jamé'at, and represented every sect, except the Shi’ah, as damned and leading men into damnation.
133.7
The differences among the ’Ulamés, of whom one called lawful what the other called unlawful, furnished His Majesty with another reason for apostacy. The emperor also believed that the ’Ulamis of his time were superior in dignity and rank to Imém i Ghazz4li and Imam i Rézi, and knowing from experience the flimsiness of his ’Ulam4és, he judged those great men of the past by his contemporaries, and threw them aside. Learned monks also came from Europe, who go by the name of Pddre. ‘They have an infallible head, called Pépd.’ He can change any religious ordinances as he may think advisable, and kings have to submit to his authority. These monks brought the gospel, and mentioned to the emperor their proofs for the Trinity. His Majesty firmly believed in the truth of the Christian religion, and wishing to spread the doctrines of Jesus, ordered Prince Murdd to take a few lessons in Christianity by way of auspicious: ness, and charged Abulfazl to translate the Gospel. Instead of the usual Bismilláh-irrahmán-irrahim, the following lines were used— Ai nám i tu Jesus o Kiristo (O thou whose names are Jesus and Christ) which means, ‘O thou whose name is gracious and blessed ;’ and Shaikh Faizi added another half, in order to complete the verse Subhánaka lá siwáka Yá hú. (We praise Thee, there is no one besides Thee, O God !)
133.8
These accursed monks applied the description of cursed Satan, and of his qualities, to Muhammad, the best of all prophets—God’s blessings rest on him and his whole house !—a thing which even devils would not do. Bir Bar also impressed upon the emperor that the sun was the primary origin of every thing. The ripening of the grain on the fields, of fruits and vegetables, the illumination of the universe, and the lives of men, depended upon the Sun. Hence it was but proper to worship and reverence this luminary; and people in praying should face towards the place where he rises, instead of turning to the quarter where he sets. For similar reasons, said Bir Bar, should men pay regard to fire and water, stones, trees, and other forms of existence, even to cows and their dung, to the mark on the forehead and the Brahminical thread. Philosophers and learned men who had been at Court, but were in disgrace, made themselves busy in bringing proofs. They said, the sun was ‘the greatest light,’ the source of benefit for the whole world, the nourisher of kings, and the origin of royal power. This was also the cause why the Nauroz i Jalálí was observed, on which day, since His Majesty’s accession, a great feast was given. His Majesty also adopted different suits of clothes of seven different colours, each of which was worn on a particular day of the week in honor of the seven colours of the seven planets.
133.9
The emperor also learned from some Hindus formulæ, to reduce the influence of the sun to his subjection, and commenced to read them mornings and evenings as a religious exercise. He also believed that it was wrong to kill cows, which the Hindus worship ; he looked upon cow-dung as pure, interdicted the use of beef; and killed beautiful men (?) instead of cows. The doctors confirmed the emperor in his opinion, and told him, it was written in their books that beef was productive of all sorts of diseases, and was very indigestible. Fire-worshippers also had come from Nausárí in Gujrát, and proved to His Majesty the truth of Zoroaster’s doctrines. They called fire-worship ‘the great worship,’ and impressed the emperor so favorably, that he learned from them the religious terms and rites of the old Pársís, and ordered Abulfazl to make arrangements, that sacred fire should be kept burning at court by day and by night, according to the custom of the ancient Persian kings, in whose fire-temples it had been continually burning; for fire was one of the manifestations of God, and ‘a ray of His rays.’ His Majesty, from his youth, had also been accustomed to celebrate the Hóm (a kind of fire-worship), from his affection towards the Hindu princesses of his Harem.
133.10
From the New Year’s day of the twenty-fifth year of his reign [988], His Majesty openly worshipped the sun and the fire by prostrations; and the courtiers were ordered to rise, when the candles and lamps were lighted in the palace. On the festival of the eighth day of Virgo, he put on the mark on the forehead, like a Hindu, and appeared in the Audience Hall, when several Brahmins tied, by way of auspiciousness, a string with jewels on it round his hands, whilst the grandees countenanced these proceedings by bringing, according to their circumstances, pearls and jewels as presents. The custom of Rakhi (or tying pieces of clothes round the wrists as amulets) became quite common. When orders, in opposition to the Islam, were quoted by people of other religions, they were looked upon by His Majesty as convincing, whilst Hinduism is in reality a religion, in which every order is nonsense. The Originator of our belief, the Arabian Saints, all were said to be adulterers, and highway robbers, and all the Muhammadans were declared worthy of reproof, till at length His Majesty belonged to those of whom the Qoran says (Sur. 61, 8:) “They seek to extinguish God’s light with their mouths: but God will perfect his light, though the infidels be averse thereto.” In fact matters went so far, that proofs were no longer required, when anything connected with the Islam was to be abolished.