Akbar’s Religious Policy
Akbar gained respect and rose to a lot of fame due to his religious policies. His teacher Abdul Latif’s impact great on Akbar. He carried administration on the basis of Sufi doctrine which means ‘ universal brotherhood’. This was taught to him by his teacher. He prohibited forced religious conversions in 1562. He permitted Christians and Hindus to build their respective churches and temples. He prohibited cow slaughter in respect of Hindus and celebrated their festivals.
In 1575, He ordered the construction of ‘ ibadat khana’ which is a house of worship at Fatehpur Sikri. He organized religious meetings with Ulama, Brahmanas, Jesuit priests, and Zoroastrians. He held these meetings to know about different religions and social customs. His interaction with people of different religions made him realize that religious scholars who prioritized ritual and dogma were often bigots. Dissatisfied with the religious bigots, he introduced the idea of sulh-i-kul. It means that people should not be discriminated against on the basis of their religion or their realm. He focused on a system of ethics which were honesty, peace, and justice. Thus the principle of governance was also adopted by Jahangir and Shah Jahan.
In 1582 he founded a new religion named ‘tauhid-i-illahi’ and later renamed ‘din-i-llahi’. It consisted of 12 principles. important of them were:
- Worshipping sun and fire
- Observing Sunday as a holiday
- Refrain from eating meat
- Avoiding and staying away from sins like lust, pride, and slander.
- Sacrificing life, property, and their faith and honor for the emperor
- Greeting each other as Allah-hu-Akbar when illahi meet.
Akbar Biography- History, Reign and Religious Policy
Akbar, also known as Abu’l-Fath Jalal-ud-din Muhammad Akbar was one of the greatest rulers during the Mughal period. He was born on 15th October 1542 in Umarkot, presently in Pakistan, and died on 25th October 1605 in Agra. He was responsible for extending power over most of the Indian subcontinent and reigned from 1556 to 1605. Various measures were adopted by Akbar to win the loyalty of the Hindu population and other non-Muslim populations.
Table of Content
- Personal Details on Akbar
- Akbar History
- Akbar’s Religious Policy
- Akbar Reign
- Administrative System Under Akbar
- Land Revenue System
- Navratna of Akbar
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