Din-I llahi was essentially an ethical system, prohibiting such sins as lust, sensuality, slander, and pride and enjoying the virtues of piety, prudence, abstinence and kindness. The soul was encouraged to purify itself through yearning for God, celibacy was condoned, and slaughter of animals was forbidden. There were no secret scriptures. Din- I llahi was similar to Islam and Sikhism, as there was no hierarchy. Light was a focus of divine worship. Akbar’s reign was his success in bringing together people of all faiths and creeds to make a strong and vibrant empire which would be a shining beacon of light in our history. Akbar’s vision of statesmanship was remarkably contemporary and he envisaged an affluent, diverse, educated and tolerant India. Women were given immense value. Akbar decreed that before a couple was married, the “consent of the bride and bridegroom, and the permission of the parents, are absolutely necessary for marriage contracts". He sanctioned widow remarriage and insisted that the birth of daughters be celebrated as gladly as that of son.
Mughal Emperor Akbar founded an academy, the Ibadat Khana ( the house of worship ) in 1575, where representatives of all major faiths could meet to discuss questions of theology. Listening to these debates, Akbar concluded that no single religion captured the whole truth and that they instead should be combined. Din-I llahi, “the religion of God “, was a system of religious beliefs introduced by the Mughal Emperor Akbar in 1582. His idea was to combine Islam and Hinduism into one faith, but also to add aspects of Christianity, Zoroastrianism, Jainism, and Buddhism. Akbar took a deep personal interest in religious matters. Akbar was also impressed by Sikhism when he met and discussed with Sikh Guru Amardas and Arjandev. Din-i llahi emphasized morality, piety, and kindness. Just like Sufi Islam, it regarded the yearning for God as a key feature of spirituality; just like Catholicism it took celibacy to be a virtue, and just like Jainism, it condemned the killing of animals. As far as rituals, it borrowed heavily from Zoroastrianism, making fire and the Sun subjects to divine worship. The new religion had no scriptures, and no priest. Akbar himself along with his some of his officials, converted to Din-I Ilahi while leaving Islam, to encourage others to become adherents of the new faith.
Din-I llahi is best viewed a state religion with the emperor himself as its center. As the single authority of all religious matters, Akbar was not going to interpret and apply the religious law, but to actually make it. In the end, the new faith had more to do with politics than with religion. Din-I llahi was a solution to the thorny problem of how a Muslim ruler could govern a predominantly Hindu state, yet the Din-I llahi was fiercely opposed by many Muslim clerics who declared it heretical doctrine. Although the new religion did not survive its founder, it triggered a strong fundamentalist reaction among Indian’s Muslims.
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