Religious Policy Of Mughals

Religious policy of Mughals

Mughal empire which was predominantly ruled by Sunni Islam rulers from Babur to Aurangazeb had marked a significant impact in the medieval history. Rulers in this empire followed their own religious policy. Let us know the religious policy adopted by each ruler from Babur to Aurangzeb with special emphasis on religious policy by Akbar and Aurangazeb

Religious Policy of Babur

Babur was a Sunni Muslim. He completely had faith in god but he was not a sectarian. He had agreed to propagate Shia sect among his subjects when he had entered into a treaty with Shah Ismail of Persia. Certainly Babur exhibited some amount of intolerance in India on several occasions.

He declared wars against Rana Sanga and Medini Rai as Jihad wars (holy wars), he assumed the title of Ghazi, abolished stamp-tax on the Muslims and also built babri mosque in Ayodhya. Still, his aim was not religious but political. He took these measures only during the course of wars in order to inspire his followers.

Religious Policy of Humayun

Humayun , though was a sunni muslim he was very much tolerant towards shia sect and to some extent he was attracted to sufism as well. During certain wars though he destroyed few temples , he didnt had any rigid policy against hindus. Also most of the time he was away from the throne post he was defeated by sher shah suri.

Religious Policy of Akbar

The religious policy of Akbar was in complete toleration by majority. His policy was based on the principle of Suleh-i-kul (universal peace). Akbar was the first among the emperors of Delhi who pursued such a secular policy.

In 1575 A.D., he constructed Ibadat Khana (House of worship) at Fatehpur Sikri in which regular religious discussions were held on every thursday evenings. In the earlier phase, only Islam scholars were allowed to participate in the discussions but when Akbar realised that there was no unanimity even among the Islam regarding principles, he allowed scholars of all other faiths to participate in the discussions.

Akbar listened to discourses from scholars of all faiths including Hindus, Parsis, Jains, and Christians. He invited Christian missionaries of Goa three times to his court and, thus, came in contact with Christianity. but he was not at all influenced by them, yet, they were allowed to establish churches at Cambay, Lahore, Hugli and Agra. Jain scholars like Hira Vijay Suri, Vijaysen, Shantichandra , Jinchandra Suri, etc. were also invited at the court. Akbar was strongly influenced by the principle of non-violence of Jainism.

In 1581 A.D., he prohibited the slaughter of sheep and horses; he himself stopped taking meat for nine months in a year; stopped hunting which was his favorite hobby in the past; and, in 1587 A.D. he prohibited slaughter of animals for nearly six months in a year.

Dasturji Meharji, scholar of Persia had also been invited , who developed Akbar’s interest in the Parsi religion. Because of this influence Akbar started respecting Sun and fire. Fire was kept burning for twenty-four hours in his palace. He also participated in the festivals of the Parsis.

• Akbar promoted a new syncretic religion, Din-i-Ilahi, which sought to unite the different religious communities within the Mughal Empire.
• He abolished the pilgrimage tax, which was particularly burdensome for the Hindu Rajputs.
• He abolished the jizya tax on non-Muslims, which was a form of religious discrimination.
• He built several religious institutions, such as the Ibadat Khana, where scholars from different religions could come and discuss their beliefs in a tolerant and open environment.
• He appointed many non-Muslims to high positions in his court and government, and respected the religious beliefs of his subjects.
• He also abolished the practice of Sati, the Hindu custom of widows immolating themselves on their husband’s funeral pyre.
• He was also known for his tolerance towards different religions, and encouraged the translation of religious texts from different languages, such as Persian and Arabic, into Hindi, to make them more accessible to the common people.
• Akbar’s religious policy was an important aspect of his rule, and was aimed at creating a culture of religious tolerance and unity within the Mughal Empire. It was instrumental in consolidating Mughal power and in creating a more stable and unified empire.

Religious policy of Jahangir

Regarding Jahangir’s religious policy, he was placed between his father, Akbar and his son, Shah Jahan. He had faith in God and observed principles of Islam in a normal way. But, he was not an orthodox man. He did not practice principles of Islam rigidly. He came in contact with people of all faiths which liberalised his views toward religions. He believed in the unity of god.

He pursued the religious policy of Akbar and gave equal treatment to all his subjects without discriminating basis the grounds of religion. The Hindus were not burdened by additional taxation and received services in the state according to merit. However, there are certain instances which prove that, at times, Jahangir favored Islam like below instances.

He punished the Hindus of Rajauri in the state of Kashmir because they used to marry Muslim girls and convert them to Hinduism. The same way, he got a cow killed after his conquest of the fort of Kangra, threw away the idol of Varaha at Ajmer into a pond and closed Christian churches when he was at war with the Portuguese.

One reason of punishing the Sikh Guru, Arjun was certainly the religious views of the Guru which he disliked. He also ordered for the expulsion of all Jains from Gujarat when he felt dissatisfied with them. But, these instances are examples of his occasional frenzy. Jahangir did not pursue a policy of religious persecution against any sect.

He punished Guru Arjun because of the financial help which he gave to the rebel prince Khusrav. And, when we find that he punished even Muslim preachers like Shaikh Rahim, Qazi Nurulla, Shaikh Ahmad Sarhindi, etc. when he felt unhappy with them then there remains no reason to charge him for fanaticism against the Sikhs, the Hindus, the Jains or the Christians. Mostly, Jahangir maintained the spirit of religious toleration towards all his subjects and no change was brought about by him in the policy of Akbar.

Religious policy of Shah Jahan

As compared to his father, Jahangir, Shah Jahan favored Islam to more extent. Shah Jahan mother was hindu Rajput princess Jagat Gosain (manvati bai). He dressed in Muslim attire, did not permit the Hindus to wear Muslim dress, he kept beard, used alcohol in a restrained manner and was regular in his prayers and keeping fasts of Ramzan sacred month.

During early years of his reign, he exhibited extremism also. He stopped the practice of Sizda (saluting the emperor by lying down on the earth), disallowed the Hindus to keep Muslim slaves, imposed pilgrim-tax on the Hindus though removed it in short notice. He stopped celebration of Hindu festivals at the court. Temples in Banaras, Allahabad, Gujarat and Kashmir were broken during his reign. Yet he was not so regid or cruel as Aurangazeb, his son.

Religious policy of Aurangazeb

Auranzazeb contrary to others was a strict follower of Islam and he totally reversed the religious policy till then.

He adopted a policy of persecuting the people of other faiths. He was completely intolerant towards other faiths. He was a fanatic Sunni, Zinda (living) Pir for his Sunni followers and observed the principles of Islam strictly.

One of Aurangzeb’s key religious policies was the imposition of the jizya tax on non-Muslims. This tax, which is a form of religious discrimination, was imposed on Hindus, Sikhs, Jains, and other non-Muslims, and it was intended to reinforce their status as second-class citizens.

Another key aspect of Aurangzeb’s religious policy was his destruction of Hindu temples and his persecution of Hindus and other non-Muslims. He ordered the destruction of several Hindu temples, including the Kashi Vishwanath Temple in Varanasi and the Somnath Temple in Gujarat. He also imposed strict laws on non-Muslims, which limited their rights and restricted their ability to practice their religion.

Aurangzeb also had a strict interpretation of Islamic law, which led to the persecution of Sufis and other religious minorities. He banned music and dancing, which were an important part of Sufi religious practice, and he also persecuted scholars and mystics who did not conform to his narrow view of Islam.

Aurangzeb’s religious policy was also marked by his efforts to establish a more Islamic state. He abolished the Ibadat khana, a religious institution established by Akbar to promote religious tolerance, and he introduced strict Islamic laws and regulations in the Mughal Empire.

Overall, Aurangzeb’s religious policy was marked by his efforts to establish a more Islamic state and his persecution of non-Muslims, which led to widespread resentment and resistance among the population and contributed to the weakening of Mughal rule.