Some Reflections on the Religious Syncretism of the Mughal Emperor of India Akbar Shah

Abstract

Akbar Shah, ruling between the years 1556-1605 the Mughal Empire of India, which arose in the stage of history at the beginning of the XVth century, really made his subjects live their most flourished and grandiose years in a number of fields. The most striking and controversial aspect of Akbar is probably his endeavors to build a new religion, named “din-i ilahi”. Departing from the notion sulh-i kull (friendly and peaceful co-existence on the basis of a mutual tolerance among the followers of various religions and sects) produced by his political and religious mentors and being designed most probably to put an end to the conflicts between the Hindus and the Muslims, this new religion was put forward by uniting the creedal principles of various religions considered to be hah. In this article, we, by taking a closer glance at the debates taking place about the Din-i İlahi of Akbar Shah as well as the principles and practices underlying it and by considering the harms and benefits of that religion for the society in which it was born, shall show the possibility of saying some words about “Interfaith Dialogue”.,