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. In reflecting more closely upon his character and conduct, we can see how Akbar’s actions are antithetical to current discrimination and violence against vulnerable religious communities around the world.
Din-i-Illahi was an eclectic doctrine that contained elements from very diverse fields. It overthrew almost every ceremonial rule whether Islam or Muslim, but took the good ideas from the Brahmins as well as from the missionaries and adopted “Sun” as a symbol of the worship of the creator. He started a new Illahi era. The ten
virtues of Din-e Ilahi are:
- Liberal-mindedness and generosity
- Forgiveness of evil-doers and repulsion of anger with mildness
- Abstinence from the worldly desires
- Non-attachment to the materialistic world
- Careful weighing of pros and cons of actions to be taken
- Performance of noble deeds with courage
- Softness of voice and gentle speech
- Good behaviour to others
- Absolutely no connection with bad characters or evil-doers
- Total dedication to God
