The Institutes of Akbar 135.7.4

135.7.4

Salámullah also said that God’s Representative (Akbar) had often wept and said, ‘‘O that my body were larger than all bodies together, so that the people of the world could feed on it without hurting other living animals.” A sign of the sagacity of this king is this, that he employed in his service people of all classes, Jews, Persians, Túránís, &c., because one class of people, if employed to the exclusion of others, would cause rebellions, as in the case of the Uzbaks and Qizilbáshes (Persians), who used to dethrone their kings. Hence Sháh Abbás, son of Sultán Khudábandah i Safawí, imitated the practice of Akbar, and favoured the Gurjís (Georgians). Akbar paid likewise no regard to hereditary power, or genealogy and fame, but favoured those whom he thought to excel in knowledge and manners.” The passages in the Áín which refer to Akbar’s religious views are the following:—p. III; 11; 48; 49; 54; 57; 58, l. 4 from below; Áín 26, p. 61; p. 90, notes 3 and 4, the Sanscrit names being very likely those which were alluded to by Badáoní, vide above p. 180, l. 18; p. 91, note 3; p. 103, note 3; 104, 105, 106; p. 108 l. 22, because the “making of likenesses” is as much forbidden by the Islám, as it was interdicted by the Mosaic law; Áín 72, p. 158; 159; Áín 77, p. 162; Áín 81, p. 216. In the Second Book, Áíns 18, 19, 22, 23, 24, 25; in the IIIrd book, end of Áín 1 (Táríkh Iláhí); Áíns 2, 5, 9, 10; and lastly, the greater part of the fifth book.