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Emperor Akbar

Akbar. The Great?

The Mughal Emperor Akbar is known to history as “Akbar the Great.”

However, because the name Akbar means “great,” this title actually means something like “The Great the Great.” So, it doesn’t really make sense.

Thus, it is better to call him the “Emperor Akbar” or simply “Akbar.”

Early Years

Akbar inherited the Mughal Empire when he was still a boy.

At this time, the Mughal Empire stretched from the remote areas of Afghanistan in the west to the Bay of Bengal in the east, but not modern day southern India— an area of land that Akbar would expand in the early years of his emperorship.

His father’s name was Humayun and was the son of Babur, the first emperor of the Mughal Empire.

Humayun would only serve as emperor for about six months. He died after he fell down a flight of stairs.

Humayun’s wife, and mother to Akbar, was a Shia Muslim amidst the Sunni court of the Mughal Empire.

Akbar’s Early Emperorship

Akbar remained illiterate for the entirety of his life. Many people tried to teach him to read but he was never able to learn. This fact has led some scholars to speculate that he was dyslexic.

However, Akbar was an inquisitive individual with a powerful thirst for learning.

Akbar considered himself the leader of Sufi Islam and an Islamic caliph—something that didn't go over very well with Islamic leaders in the west.

Akbar’s Emperorship (continued)

Akbar’s life and emperorship was primarily recorded in two important works for the time: (1) the Akbarnama and (2) the Ain-i Akbari.

There are also many accounts written by his enemies.

Because of the political origins of these works, they are often viewed with a great deal of skepticism by scholars.

Akbar’s Emperorship (continued)

Akbar’s court made attempts to shake off the brutal culture of their Mongol heritage.

Akbar forbade the brutal tactic of warfare that the Mongols were known for.

He forbade the taking of slaves, the killing of non-combatants, and upheld the rule of warfare as stipulated in the Sharia.

Court etiquette was very strict. This was in an attempt to “tame the Mongol beast.”

Akbar’s Character

Akbar was a pious and religious individual concerned for the welfare of those he ruled over.

He was a devotee of the Sufi saints and belonged to the Chishti order of Sufism.

He made many pilgrimages to Chishti shrines. The Chishti Tariqa was known for its tolerance and respect for other religions. This influenced Akbar greatly.

While Akbar drank wine in his early years, he late forbade it in his court, even though his two successors would go on to become alcoholics. He was also a strict vegetarian because of his love for animals.

Akbar’s Religious Plurality

Two of his wife's were Hindu.

Akbar praised the Sikh practice of Langar and gave many gifts to the Sikh community in Amritsar.

He abolished the Jizya tax on non-muslims.

Akbar and Din Ilahi

In 1576, Akbar created a conference to discover the common ground of all religion.

He used these seminars to developed the Din Ilahi (Divine Religion), known in his time as Tawhid Ilahi (Divine Monotheism).