Re: Favorite Mughal Emperor
^ Some good points there Southie. I think just for some clarifications… Akbar is not considered evil becuase he tried to strike a balance between Islam and Hinduism. Earlier Muslims and my own Ancestors had been often mixing and delving into different forms of Islam… one of the great debates raging within our faith was in fact trigerred by our migrations… anyway I digress.
What made Akbar a particularly bad Muslim was the way he eleavted his own person to almost “God like” status… according to Deen-e-Ilahi courtiers would have to do Sajdah(bowing in praise to him) Many of the hardcore Muslims found this extremely offensive. Couple this with the fact that Akbar took to Hindu customs and seemed to becoming a wayward Muslim ruler it did not really help his image. That said he was not the first to reconcile the faiths of Islam and Hinduism. Nor will he be the last… its not what he did thats the problem its the manner he did it.
More succesfull examples of integration were the Sufi Saints who adopted some of the better features of the native religions into Islam. Quwwali or Mehfil e Samma was adopted straight from the Hindu and Bhudist songs of praise or Mantras and Bhajaans.
Among my people many erstwhile Shamaminstic Pagans were slowly taught the Islamic faith but much of thier old beliefs were incorporated too.
I think it was during Akbar’s tenure when marriages between Hindu- Muslims (without conversion of faith) started which is against the rules of Shari’a. Akbar also married Hindu girls including Rajkumari Jodha Bai… It is also said that after some years of Akbar’s death Rajput / Jaat tribes raided his tomb at Fatehpur Sikri, excavated his body from grave and burnt that as per Hindu traditions.
Pohunchi wohin pe khaak jahan ka khameer tha