A History of Agriculture in India v2.c73.s8: A Scientific Enquiry into Religions
A History of Agriculture in India v2.c73.s8
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A Scientific Enquiry into Religions
v2.c73.s8.1
In A.D. 1575 Akbar built the House of Worship (Ibadat Khana) at Fatehpur Sikri. Representatives of all religions, viz. Islam, Hinduism, Jainism, Christianity and Zoroastrianism, were invited and their views were put to the test of reason.
v2.c73.s8.2
‘Each one fearlessly brought forward his assertions and arguments, and the disputations and contentions were long and heated,’ states Abu-l-Fazl. ‘Every sect, in its vanity and conceit, attacked and endeavoured to refute the statements of their antagonists.... One night the *Ibadat-Khana* was brightened by the presence of Padre Radalf (Padre Rodolpho Aquaviva), who for intelligence and wisdom was unrivalled among Christian doctors. Several carping and bigoted men attacked him, and this afforded an opportunity for a display of the calm judgement and justice of the assembly.’ These men brought forward the old received assertions, and did not attempt to arrive at truth by reasoning. Their statements were torn to pieces, and they were nearly put to shame; and then they began to attack the contradictions in the Gospel, but they could not prove their assertions. With perfect calmness and earnest conviction of the truth, the Padre replied to their arguments, and then he went on to say, “If these men have such an opinion of our Book, and if they believe the Kuran to be the true word of God, then let a furnace be lighted, and let me with the Gospel in my hand, and the ’ulama with their holy book in their hands, walk into that testing place of truth, and the right will be manifest.” The black-hearted mean-spirited disputants shrank from this proposal, and answered only with angry words. This prejudice and violence greatly annoyed the impartial mind of the Emperor, and, with great discrimination and enlightenment, he said: ‘Man’s outward profession and the mere letter of Muhammadanism, without a heartfelt conviction, can avail nothing. I have forced many Brahmans, by fear of my power, to adopt the religion of my ancestors; but now that my mind has been enlightened with the beams of truth, I have become convinced that the dark clouds of conceit and the mist of self-opinion have gathered round you, and that not a step can be made in advance without the torch of proof. That course only can be beneficial which we select with clear judgment. To repeat the words of the Creed, to perform circumcision, or to lie prostrate on the ground from dread of kingly power, can avail nothing in the sight of God”.’⁸
v2.c73.s8.3
⁸ Abu-l-Fazl, *Akbar-nama*, in Elliot and Dowson, *The History of India*..., Vol. VI, pp. 60, 61
v2.c73.s8.4
Out of the priests and scholars who met him, he was impressed by Dastur Meharji Rana, a Parsi priest from Gujarat, who explained to him the Zoroastrian doctrine of Sun and fire worship.
v2.c73.s8.5
Akbar also came in contact with the newly developing Sikh faith. Guru Arjan, the fifth Sikh Guru, was accused of treating with contempt Hindu gods and Muslim prophets. Akbar examined his writings and found nothing but love and devotion to God and he said they were worthy of reverence.
v2.c73.s8.6
The net result of all these contacts with major religions was that he felt none could satisfy him, and he invented his own religion, which he called Din Ilahi or Divine Faith. He himself became its first Prophet and two of his courtiers, who were also scholars of eminence, the brothers Abu-l-Fazl and Faizi, became his chief disciples.