The Institutes of Akbar 133.10

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.