Note: Akbar the Great, ruler of most of South Asia in the 16th and early 17th century, rejected bigotry and made unprecedented moves to help non-Muslims feel at peace in his Mughal empire. Below is passage from my article Finding Tolerance in Akbar, the Philosopher King, published in April 2013. You can also watch my short documentary on Akbar the Great on my YouTube channel.

Akbar also went to great lengths to integrate non-Muslims into the Mughal empire. After conquering the area of Rajput, he did not forcefully convert Hindus to Islam, but accommodated their religious demands by securing their freedom of public prayer, and allowing Hindus to build and repair their temples. Granting Hindus the ability to freely worship baffled many critics, including his own son Salim, who once asked his father why he had allowed Hindu ministers to spend money on building a temple. Akbar responded to Salim: “My son, I love my own religion… [but] the Hindu [m]inister also loves his religion. If he wants to spend money on his religion, what right do I have to prevent him… Does he not have the right to love the thing that is his very own?”

Ensuring equality for all his subjects was one of Akbar’s paramount concerns. In abolishing the jizya, or poll tax on non-Muslims, and allowing for conversions to and from Islam, Akbar set an example: one did not have to be Muslim to be treated fairly in the Mughal empire. Akbar was especially concerned with the state of Hindus, so he made sure to participate in Hindu religious festivals and order translations of Hindu literature into Persian, the official language of the Mughal state. Akbar’s respect for Hindus is also recorded in his visit to hear the songs of Mirabai, the wife of his rival Prince Bhoka Raj of Chittar. Fearing being identified by Prince Bhoka, Akbar and his court musician Tansen disguised themselves when they entered the temple in which Mirabai was singing. Deeply inspired by Mirabai’s soulful music about God, Akbar went to place a diamond necklace at the feet of Mirabai’s statue of Lord Krishna, a Hindu God, as a sign of respect. Akbar’s tribute to Mirabai is a symbol of his willingness to be open to cross-cultural interaction as a means of building bridges across religious barriers.

Akbar the Great’s tolerance of other religions is also noticeable in his marriages to women of various faiths, most noteably Jodha Bai, a Hindu daughter of the House of Jaipur. Akbar also took a Christian wife, Maria Zamani Begum, who had her own chapel in one of Akbar’s palaces. Akbar’s regard for Christianity is also visible in the Buland Darwaze, a large gate-structure at the city of Fatehpur Sikri, on which he had transcribed the Quranic inscription: “Isa [Jesus], son of Mary, said: This world is a bridge. Pass over it, but build no houses on it. He who hopes for an hour may hope for eternity. The world endures but an hour. Spend it in prayer, for the rest is unseen.” In addition, Akbar had his son Murad instructed in the New Testament. According to Akbar’s court companion Abdel Kadir, Murad started his New Testament lesson by stating “In the name of Christ” instead of the usual Islamic gesture “In the name of God.”

One of Akbar’s greatest legacies is the Ibidat Khana, or “House of Worship.” Built in 1575 in the city of Fatehpur Sikri, the Khana originally served as a forum for open debate among Sunni Muslims. Following several petty debates which turned Sunni men against each other, Akbar changed the Khana into an edifice where people of all religions could gather to participate in interfaith dialogue. In the Khana and elsewhere, Akbar “would recognize no difference between [religions], his object being to unite all men in a common bond of peace,” as noted by historian Muhammad Abdul Baki.

Despite his efforts in building an empire based in tolerance, Akbar’s pluralist vision for Mughal society was short-lived. His great-grandson, Aurangzeb, who also reigned as a Mughal emperor, would end religious tolerance altogether by taking measures to reimpose the jizya and demolish Hindu temples. Not long after Aurangzeb’s rule, the Mughals were invaded by the British, who swiftly conquered the divided Indian subcontinent and imposed their traditions and values upon the Mughal population. Ultimately, Akbar the Great’s life shows us that when tolerance reigns, societies flourish, and when tolerance ceases to exist, so do empires.

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