History of Aurangzib, Based on Original Sources v3.c37.s10.t2.9

v3.c37.s10.t2.9

We can easily understand how he hated the duties of a Qazi and ever sought for some decent excuse to resign his post and retire to a life of peace and religious meditation, washing his hands clean of "the impurities of the world and its affairs." But Aurangzib would not part with such a rare combination of judicial honesty, piety and learning. He repeatedly pressed Shaikh-ul-Islam to come to Court and thrust ecclesiastical offices upon him. The Emperor asked of him a decree (*fatwa*) sanctioning his intended invasions of Golkonda and Bijapur. The Qazi honestly condemned the project as "a war between two Muslim States" and therefore a violation of Quranic law. So, he sought to make his escape from the Court and imperial service by going on a pilgrimage to Mecca; (resigned Nov. 1683, sailed from India Dec. 1684). On his return he lived at Pattan and successfully resisted the repeated entreaties of the Emperor to resume his high office. In 1698, the Emperor wrote to him a letter in his own hand inviting him to Court. Shaikh-ul-Islam could not well decline. He set out from his home, praying on the way that God would deliver him from the necessity of again defiling his hands with Government service. The prayer was heard, and he died before reaching the Court.