History of Aurangzib, Based on Original Sources v3.c45.s6.5

v3.c45.s6.5

But such indulgence of infidelity was by its very nature precarious and exceptional. The Muslim world regarded it as a deplorable falling off from the orthodox ideal, and a wicked neglect of royal duty. The liberal king would be publicly reprimanded by some pious scholar for having bartered his soul away for gold; he would be called upon to return to the pure and unadulterated law of Islam. Quotations from the Holy Book would support the demand of the bigot and would find a ready response in the hearts of the Muslim soldiery on whose sword depends the king's power,—for, in Islamic theory, he does not occupy the throne by hereditary succession or divine right; he is merely the elected captain of the militant body of Islam (*amir-ul-muminin*), the responsible first servant of the community (*jamait*). For the stability of his own position he must throw political wisdom to the winds, and "chastise the infidels" according to the letter of the Law.