JAMIA MILLIA ISLAMIA

FACULTY OF LAW

HISTORY ASSIGNMENT

(AKBAR’S RELIGIOS POLICY)

SUBMITTED TO – GULRUKH KHAN

SUBMITTED BY – SHIVAM KUMAR

B.A. LLB (1ST YEAR) (SF)

ROLL NO - 56

BATCH-2019-2024

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 TABLE OF CONTENTS

S NO. TOPIC PAGE

NO.
1 3
Acknowledgement

2 4
Introduction

3 5-6
Akbar’s Religious Policy
The early phase (1556-73)

4
The second phase (1573-80)

5
The third phase (1581-1605)

6
Conclusion

7
Bibliography

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 ACKNOWLWDGEMENT

I would like to express my special thanks of gratitude to my teacher Dr. Gulrukh

Khan ma’am who gave me the golden opportunity to do this wonderful project on
the topic Akbar’s Religious Policy, which also helped me in doing a lot of
research. I came to know about so many new things, I am really thankful for to
them.

Shivam Kumar

BA. LLB (SF)

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INTRODUCTION
Abu’l-Fath Jalal ud-din Muhammad Akbar popularly known as Akbar was born in 1942 at
Amarkot. Maham Anga was the foster mother of Akbar. He succeeds his father at the age of 13
under the guidance of Bairam Khan who became wakil-e sultanate of the kingdom with the title
of Khan-I Khanan.

Akbar’s religious policy need to be distinguished between his state policies and his own personal
ideas and beliefs. It should be realized that personal ideas and belief did not always determines
state policies. Akbar’s state policy in the field of religion was in a large measure determined by
the Turko-Mughal tradition. The movement of Hindu-Muslim rapprochement spearheaded by
bhakti saint and liberals also influenced it.

During the fifteenth century, the process of Hindu-Muslim coming together had moved in the
intellectual and cultural field as well as in political sphere. Many rulers in the country made an
attempt to promote greater understanding between the Hindu and Muslims. They did so by
giving patronage to local languages and literature, having secular and religious literature in
Sanskrit translated into Persian, and adopting a more liberal policy of religious tolerance. In
some instances, Hindus were even given important jobs in the army and in services at the court.
These attempts of secular and religious tolerance are seen through the works of popular saints
such as Kabir, Chaitanya and Nanak, who emphasized the essential unity of Islam and Hinduism
in different parts of the country, and laid stress upon religious practices that were based on love
and devotion, rather than those which were based on rituals and the literal interpretations of
books of devotion.  

This appeared to create an atmosphere of liberal sentiment where views could grow in an
educated manner. It was during the emergence of this atmosphere that Akbar was born and
brought up. All these factors were part of Akbar’s cultural legacy and influenced both his
thinking and his state policies.1

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AKBAR’S RELIGIOUS POLICY

The policy of Sulh-i-Kul means peace for all, which Akbar made a part of his state policy, but
only in the later half of his rulership, he adopted a policy of universal toleration and applied it in
favour of Hindus, Christians, Jains and Parsis in addition to his personal fancies and beliefs in
Islam. We shall divide his religious policy into three phases.

The Early Phase (1556-73)

 Immediately after assuming of the government, Akbar demonstrated his

broadmindedness when, in 1563, he abolished the pilgrimage tax which amounted to
crores on the Hindus at Mathura and other sacred places.
 Akbar also abolished the practice of forcibly converting prisoners of war to Islam.
 He also married Rajput princess without first converting them into Islam, and even
allowed them to continue their own religious worship within the palaces, and honoured
their parents and relations by giving them place in nobility. This policy of Akbar’s
towards Rajput was combined with a much broader policy of religious toleration and
proved mutually beneficial for both the parties. Akbar succeeded in cementing his
alliance with the Rajput rulers through his policy of inducting them into Mughal service
and treating them on par with the Mughal grandees, and through his courteous behavior
to former opponents. In doing so, Akbar established an empire which Rajput rajas did not
consider harmful as they were allowed a large measure of autonomy to cater to their best
interests.
 Akbar abolished jizyah which all non-Muslims were required to pay in a Muslim state.
The removal of this tax was more an act of symbolism because the tax was not a heavy
amount, rather it was disliked because it made a big distinction between Muslim and non-
Muslim.

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 He justifies it on the ground that the Hindus were equally loyal, having "bound up the
waist of devotion and service, and exert themselves for the advancement of the
dominion". Abul Fazl also makes it clear that the levying of jizyah was not only based on
a desire for profit on the part of the ulama but contempt for and a wish to destroy their
opponents, i.e. the Hindus.
 In some modern works it has been suggested that in order to emphasize Akbar's
liberalism, Abul Fazl has deliberately pushed back the abolition of jizyah to 1564,
whereas Badayuni places it in 1579. Badayuni says that in 1575-76, Akbar ordered
Shaikh Abdun Nabi and Makhdum-ul-Mulk to examine the matter and decide the
amounts of jizyah to be levied on Hindus. "They issued Farmans in all directions; but
these orders quickly disappeared, like a reflection on the water." Thus, attempts to undo
the order of 1564 failed.
 In his private conduct, during this period Akbar behaved like an orthodox Muslim. He
scrupulously observed daily prayers, and even cleaned the mosque with his own hands.
He also sent delegations to hajj, and once a sum of six lakhs of rupees was sent for
distribution among the needy and the poor in Hijaz. During this period, Akbar was deeply
devoted to Abdullah Sultanpuri and Shaikh Abdun Nabi.

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The Second Phase (1573-80)

 This was a phase of intense discussions and introspection on the part of Akbar which led
to a radical change in his religious views, and deeply affected state politics in the third
and final phase (1581-1605). His successive victories against the Uzbek nobles and his
victories in Malwa, Rajasthan and Gujarat strengthened Akbar's belief that he was the
chosen instrument of God for unifying India under his command.
 This was the background to the building of Ibadat Khana,or hall of prayer at Fatehpur
Sikri.
 The Ibadat Khana

 In 1575 Akbar built Ibadat Khana or the hall of prayer at his new capital Fatehpur
Sikri. The opening of the Ibadat Khana for religions debates was by no means a
novelty. Like Jews, Christians and Hindus, the Muslims, too, indulged in public
arguments, both to satisfy intellectual curiosity and to establish the superiority of
their faith over others. Such discussions had taken place under the Umaiyyads and
Abbasids, and continued under the Ilkhanid Mongols who had just embraced
Islam. This tradition had continued under the Timurid, Sultan Husain Baiqara of
Herat.
 At first, the Ibadat Khana debates were open only to Muslims. For informal
discussions, scholars were admitted by the Emperor to his bed-room where he
listened to their discussions.
 At first only sufi shaikhs, ulama, learned men and a few of the Emperor's favourite
companions and attendants were admitted. They were divided into four sections,
and Akbar moved from group to group,but the most lively discussion was in the
group of theologians.
 However, the debates of the Ibadat Khana led to great bitterness rather than a
better understanding between different religions, as the representatives of each
religion denounced the others in order to prove that theirs was truly superior to the
others.

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 