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Din-i Ilahi

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Din-i Ilahi
دینِ الٰهی
Akbar
TypeAbrahamicandDhārmic
LeaderAkbar
TypeSyncretic religion
RegionIndian subcontinent
FounderAkbar
Origin1582
Fatehpur Sikri,Agra,Mughal Empire
Separated fromIslam
DefunctLikely 1606
Members21, although many more individuals were influenced by the religion's teachings

TheDīn-i Ilāhī(Persian:دین الهی,lit. 'Religion of God'),[1]known during its time asTawḥīd-i-Ilāhī( "Divine Monotheism",lit. 'Oneness of God') orDivine Faith,[2]was a newsyncretic religionor spiritual program propounded by theMughalemperorAkbarin 1582. According to Iqtidar Alam Khan, it was based on theTimuridconcept of Yasa-e Changezi (Code ofGenghis Khan), to consider all sects as one.[3]The elements were drawn from different religions.

Name

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The nameDīn-i Ilāhīliterally translates to "God's Religion", "Religion of God", or "divine religion". According to the renowned historianMubarak Ali,Dīn-i Ilāhīis a name that was not used in Akbar's period. At the time, it was calledTawhid-i-Ilāhī( "Divine Monotheism" ), as it is written byAbu'l-Fazl,a court historian during the reign of Akbar.[4]This name suggests a particularlymonotheisticfocus for Akbar's faith. The anonymousDabestan-e Mazahebuses the nameIlahiyyato refer to the faith.[5]

History

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Abu'l-Fazl,one of the disciples of Din-i Ilahi, presentingAkbarnamatoAkbar,Mughal miniature

Akbar promotedtoleranceof other faiths and even encouraged debate on philosophical and religious issues. This led to the creation of theIbādat Khāna( "House of Worship" ) atFatehpur Sikriin 1575, which invited theologians, poets, scholars, and philosophers from all religious denominations, including Christians, Hindus, Jains, and Zoroastrians.

Since Akbar had severedyslexia,rendering him totally unable to read or write, such dialogues in the House of Worship became his primary means of exploring questions of faith.[citation needed]Despite his aforementioned illiteracy, Akbar would eventually amass a library full of more than 24,000 volumes of texts inHindustani,Persian,Greek,Latin,ArabicandKashmiri.The laterMughal Emperorand son of Akbar,Jahangir,stated that his father was "always associated with the learned of every creed and religion." In a letter toKing Philip II of Spain,Akbar laments that so many people do not investigate their religious arguments, stating that most people will instead blindly "follow the religion in which [they] were born and educated, thus excluding [themselves] from the possibility of ascertaining the truth, which is the noblest aim of the human intellect."[6]

By the time Akbar established the Dīn-i Ilāhī, he had already repealed thejizya(tax on non-Muslims) over a decade earlier in 1568. A religious experience while he was hunting in 1578 further increased his interest in the religious traditions of his empire.[7]From the discussions held at the Ibādat Khāna, Akbar concluded that no single religion could claim the monopoly of truth. This revelation inspired him to leave Islam and create a new religion Dīn-i Ilāhī in 1582 and Akbar along with his loyal officials converted to this new religion Dīn-i Ilāhī in 1582.

This conversion of Akbar to Dīn-i Ilāhī angered various Muslims, among them theQadiofBengal Subahand ShaykhAhmad Sirhindi,responded by declaring it to beblasphemyto Islam.

Some modern scholars have argued that the Din-i Ilahi was a spiritual discipleship of Akbar of his own belief which he propounded in his new religion.[8]

After Akbar

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Dīn-i Ilāhī appears to have survived Akbar according to theDabestān-e MazāhebofMohsin Fani.However, the movement was suppressed by penalty and force after his death and was totally eradicated byAurangzeb,a task made easier by the fact that the religion never had more than 19 adherents.[1][5]

In the 17th century, an attempt to re-establish the Dīn-i Ilāhī was made byShah Jahan's eldest son,Dara Shikoh,[9]but any prospects of an official revival were halted by his brother,Aurangzeb,who executed him[10][11]on grounds ofapostasy.Aurangzeb later compiled theFatawa-e-Alamgiri,reimposed thejizya,and established IslamicSharialaw across theIndian Subcontinent,spreading Islamic orthodoxy and extinguishing any chance of religious reform for generations.[12]

Beliefs and practices

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Although the spirit and central principles of Dīn-i Ilāhī were adapted fromSufism[13](including ideas from theAndalusiSufi mystic,Ibn al-'Arabi), Akbar endeavored to create a synthesis of other beliefs and so his personal religion borrowed concepts and tenets from many other faiths. Aligned withSufipractices, one's soul is encouraged topurify itselfthrough yearning of God.[citation needed]Virtues included generosity, forgiveness, abstinence, prudence, wisdom, kindness, and piety.[14]The following details illustrate the personal religious observances of Akbar:

As an inquisitive inquirer endowed with the spirit of reason, he learnt the Hindu alchemy and medicine and cultivated theirYogasystem; like his Central Asianancestor,he believed in astronomy and astrology; and after his association with the ZoroastrianMobed,he believed that life might be lengthened by lightning fire or by the repetition of a thousand names of Sun. Following theBuddhistcustom, he used toshave the crown of his headthinking that the soul passed through the brain. He turned into a vegetarian later in life.[15]

The visitation ofJesuitmissionaries such asRodolfo Acquavivabrought the virtue of celibacy into the House of Worship, where it consequently became a virtue of Akbar's faith that was not mandatory (as it is for the priests ofRoman Catholicism) but respected. The faith also adopted the principle ofahimsa,an ancient virtue of almost allIndian religions,includingHinduism,BuddhismandJainism.The nonviolence extended from humans to animals, encouraging vegetarianism and prohibiting the slaughter of animals for any reason at all. The Dīn-i Ilāhī had no sacred scriptures and, similar to both Islam andSikhism,there was no priestly hierarchy.[16]

Light was a focus of divine worship, with a light-fire ritual based on theyasna(the primary form of worship inZoroastrianism) and an adoption of the hymn of the 1,000 Sanskrit names for thesun.Followers were referred to aschelah(meaning "disciples" ).

The major practices and beliefs of Dīn-i Ilāhī were as follows:

  1. The unity of God
  2. Followers salute one-another withAllah-u-AkbarorJalla Jalaluhu(meaning: "may His glory be glorified" )
  3. Absence of meat of all kinds
  4. One's "on-birth-by-anniversary"party was a must for every member
  5. Ahimsa(non-violence); followers were prohibited from dining with fishers, butchers, hunters, etc.[17]

Ṣulḥ-i-kul

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It has been argued that the theory of Dīn-i Ilāhī being a new religion was a misconception which arose because of erroneous translations ofAbu'l-Fazl's work by later British historians.[18]However, it is also accepted that the policy ofsulh-i-kul,which formed the essence ofDīn-i Ilāhī,was adopted by Akbar as a part of general imperial administrative policy.Sulh-i-Kulmeans "universal peace".[19][6]According to Abu'l-Fazl, the emperor was auniversal agent of god,and so his sovereignty was not bound to any single faith. In this,Akbarappointed officials based on their ability and merit, regardless of their religion or background. This helped to create a more efficient government and contributed to the prosperity and cultural achievements of the Mughal period.[20]The emperor is further prohibited from discriminating between thedifferent religions of the realmand if the ruler did discriminate, then they were not fit for the role as an agent of god.[21]Abu'l-Fazl saw the religious views of Akbar as a rational decision toward maintaining harmony between the various faiths of the empire.[22]

Disciples

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The initiated disciples of Dīn-i Ilāhī during emperor Akbar's time included:[23]

See also

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References

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  1. ^ab"Din-i Ilahi".Britannica Online Encyclopedia.Archivedfrom the original on 2008-05-14.Retrieved2007-06-14.
  2. ^Jackson, A. V. Williams.History of India.Robarts - University of Toronto. London, Grolier society. p. 44.The truth is that Akbar was singularly sensitive to religious impressions of every kind, and that his new religion, the Din-i-Ilahi, or 'divine faith' an eclectic pantheism, contained elements taken from very diverse creeds.
  3. ^Frontline: Volume 14, Issues 20-26.S. Rangarajan for Kasturi & Sons. 1997. p. 74.
  4. ^Abu'l-Fazl ibn Mubarak (2010) [1902–39].The Akbarnama of Abu'l-Fazl.Delhi: Low Price Publications.ISBN978-81-7536-481-3.
  5. ^ab"THE DABISTÁN, OR SCHOOL OF MANNERS, Trans. DAVID SHEA and ANTHONY TROYER, 1843, Persian Literature in Translation, The Packard Humanities Institute".Archivedfrom the original on 2018-03-17.Retrieved2017-01-31.
  6. ^ab"Finding Tolerance in Akbar, the Philosopher-King".10 April 2013.Archivedfrom the original on 23 December 2017.Retrieved12 October2016.
  7. ^Schimmel, Annemarie (2006)The Empire of the Great Mughals: History, Art and Culture,Reaktion Books,ISBN1-86189-251-9
  8. ^Lefèvre, Corinne (2015-04-01)."Dīn-i ilāhī".Encyclopaedia of Islam, THREE.Archivedfrom the original on 2021-07-11.Retrieved2021-07-11.
  9. ^Rizvi, Sajjad H. (2005)."Dara Shikoh".In Meri, Josef W. (ed.).Medieval Islamic Civilization: An Encyclopedia.Routledge. pp. 195–196.ISBN0-415-96690-6.Archived fromthe originalon 2022-07-20.
  10. ^Eraly, Abraham (2004).The Mughal Throne: The Saga of India's Great Emperors.London: Phoenix. p. 336.ISBN0-7538-1758-6.India was at a crossroads in the mid-seventeenth century; it had the potential of moving forward with Dara Shikoh, or of turning back to medievalism with Aurangzeb
  11. ^Sleeman, William (1844).Rambles and Recollections of an Indian Official.p. 272.Poor Dara Shikoh!....thy generous heart and enlightened mind had reigned over this vast empire, and made it, perchance, the garden it deserves to be made
  12. ^Jackson, Roy (2010).Mawlana Mawdudi and Political Islam: Authority and the Islamic State.Routledge.ISBN9781136950360.
  13. ^Roychoudhury (1941),p. 306.
  14. ^Roychoudhury (1941),p. 279.
  15. ^Roychoudhury (1941),p. 303.
  16. ^Gupta, Sunita (2004).Children's Knowledge Bank.Archived fromthe originalon 2017-02-16.
  17. ^Ghaznavi, A Waheed (1 October 1988)."A Note on" Din-i Ilahi "".Journal of the Pakistan Historical Society.36(4): 377–380.Archivedfrom the original on 2 October 2022.Retrieved10 September2022.
  18. ^Ali, M. Athar (2006).Mughal India: Studies in Polity, Ideas, Society and Culture.Oxford University Press. pp. 163–164.ISBN978-0-19-569661-5.
  19. ^"Why putting less Mughal history in school textbooks may be a good idea".Archivedfrom the original on 2018-01-24.Retrieved2016-10-12.
  20. ^"Sulh-i-Kul: Features of Akbar's Policy | UPSC » Newscoop".2023-01-22.Retrieved2023-01-22.
  21. ^Roy (2020),p. 130.
  22. ^Roy (2020),p. 131.
  23. ^Roychoudhury (1941),pp. 292–293.
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