notes on aurangzib

7/23/2019 Notes on Aurangzib

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AURANGZIB

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NOTES ON AURANGZIB

Some random notes being collated below for a future article on Hadhrat

Aurangzeb Alamgir (rahmutallahi alayh), who was arguably the most pious and

puritanical ruler to have ruled a vast Islamic Empire in the past ve hundred

years!

"he evidence collected here should refute much of the slanderous allegations

and lies propagated regarding Hadhrat Aurangzeb (#ay Allah have #ercy upon

him) by serfs, sirs, and handmaids of the $ritish imperialist historians whose

e%press intention was to demonise the #uslim rulers of India, and upon whose

fabricated history the force&fed educational diet of entire generations of Indians

were based ' and which should also serve as yet another e%ample of large&

scale manipulation of the masses by the elite through propaganda!

Any relevant evidences, accounts, boos, uotes, etc! sent through the

comments bo% below will be much appreciated!

AURANGZEB – A PURITANICAL “FUNDAMENTALIST” ISLAMIC RULER

"here is no doubt that Hadhrat Aurangzeb was the epitome of puritanical Islam

and amongst the most pious, rigid adherent to Islamic teachings! According to

the popularly accepted history which has been swallowed willingly and

regurgitated aggressively by many academics and historians (honest

e%ceptions aside), it is puritanical Islam which was the driving force behind the

alleged tyranny and oppression supposedly in*icted by #uslim rulers uponIndia! Such alleged tyranny and oppression, in the fabricated revisionist history,

include genocide and forced conversions of countless non&muslims (+uaar) of

all faiths, and the systematic destruction of their places of worship!

Since there are abundant sources and contemporary accounts to shed light on

Hadhrat Aurangzeb and his reign, we will be able to gauge whether this alleged

connection between puritanical Islam and tyranny is tenable or not, and we will

be able to compare and contrast such -tyranny. and -oppression. with that of

other nations and eras including this modern age of /civilization0!Evidences from a range of sources, including eye&witness accounts, should

provide an adeuate glimpse into the life and character of Hadhrat Aurangzeb,

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the most /fanatical0, puritanical and ardent practitioner of Islam amongst the

rulers of India, and his supposedly tyrannical regime, ruled with an iron&st, in

which non&muslims are supposed to have been systematically sub7ected to

mass&slaughter or mass&conversions, and their places of worship destroyed at

every possible opportunity!

8e shall begin with Saubhagya 9i7aya, a priest of the :ains ' who were regarded

as +aar Hindus by Hadhrat Aurangzeb and other #uslim rulers! Saubhagya

9i7aya relates in his chronicle of :ain saints, /;rachin "irtha mala0, an occasion

on which the :ain priest, <al 9i7aya, visited Hadhrat Aurangzeb whose

reputation at the time the chronicle was written (2=>?), near the end of his 65&

year reign, would have been cemented thoroughly far and wide throughout

India and even in other nations@

“His [Charitrya Vijaya’s – a Jain saint] disciple,Lal Vijaya Gani, who adorned the titleof Pundit, went to !ra and "et uran!#e$,the %in! of &elhi' (he Virtuous %in! of &elhi!a)e hi" "onestry [poshala – a !rant]e*tensi)e in si#e, for the (apa!achchha sectsof the Jains, and he +uran!#e$ issued a-ir"an +an i"perial order to that e.ect, so

that he "ay li)e there with all co"forts'/[Prachin (irth"ala, 0au$ha Vijaya, Pa!e 11]

8orth noting from the uote above, as will become even more evident from

numerous other eye&witness accounts of contemporaries, is the fact that

Hadhrat Aurangzeb held an open&door policy in his court, as was the Sunnah

(way) of asulullah (sallallahu alayhi wasallam) and the Sunnah of all the pious

#uslim rulers in history! In an Empire which Hadhrat Aurangzeb stretched to its

greatest limits (governing one uarter of the world.s entire population) despite

severe limitations ' an empire which even e%ceeded the Bttoman Empire in

magnitude, from a couple of angles ' every person, whether #uslim or +aar

(non&muslim), poor or rich, was able to petition Hadhrat Aurangzeb directly in

his court!

Stanley <ane&;oole relates Bvington.s rst&hand e%perience of the English

merchants in India who recognised Hadhrat Aurangzeb.s 7ustice, despite being

amongst his /least partial0 critics@

“2ot "erely 3ndian writers $ut also forei!ners

$ear testi"ony to the fair ad"inistration of justice under uran!#e$' 4)in!ton, 5who



deri)ed his opinions and infor"ation fro" uran!#e$’s 6least partial critics, the 7n!lish"erchants at 8o"$ay and 0urat,’ says thatthe Great 9o!ul 6(he !reat 9o!ul is the "ain

ocean of justice: He !enerally deter"ineswith e*act justice and e;uity, for there is no pleadin! of peera!e or pri)ile!e $efore thee"peror, $ut the "eanest "an is as soonheard $y uran!#i$ as the chief 4"rah+no$le'/ <ith a thou!htfulness not co""onwith 4riental despots, uran!#i$ is said to

ha)e "aintained relief =itchens for his poorersu$jects in ti"es of fa"ine, and to ha)ere"itted )arious )e*atious ta*es that pressedhea)ily upon the"'/

"he views of his /least partial critics0 fully corroborates the following picture of

Aurangzeb as a 7udge, uoted by Stanley <ane&;oole from $ahtawar +han, an

oCcer of Aurangzeb.s@

“(he author 9irat>i>la", 8a=htawar %han!i)es us the followin! picture of uran!#e$the jud!e?'“3n his sacred Court no i"proper con)ersation,no word of $ac=$itin! or falsehood, is allowed'His courtiers, on who" his li!ht is re@ected,are cautioned that if they ha)e to sayanythin! which "i!ht injure the character ofan a$sent "an, they should e*pressthe"sel)es in decorous lan!ua!e and at fulldetail''He appears two or three ti"es e)ery day inhis court of audience with a pleasin! counte>nance and "ild loo=, to dispense justice toco"plainants who co"e in nu"$ers without



any hindrance, and as he listens to the" with!reat attention, they "a=e theirrepresentations without any fear or hesitation,and o$tain redress fro" his i"partiality'

'3f any person tal=s too "uch, or acts in ani"proper "anner, he is ne)er displeased, andhe ne)er =nits his $rows' His courtiers ha)eoften desired to prohi$it people fro" showin!so "uch $oldness, $ut he re"ar=s that $yhearin! their )ery words, and seein! their

!estures, he ac;uires a ha$it of for$earanceand tolerance'' ll $ad characters are e*pelled fro" the cityof &ehlA, and the sa"e is ordered to $e donein all places throu!hout the whole e"pire' (heduties of preser)in! order and re!ularity

a"on! the people are )ery eBcientlyattended to, and throu!hout the e"pire,notwithstandin! its !reat e*tent, nothin! can$e done without "eetin! with the due punish"ent enjoined $y the 9uha""adanlaw' nder the dictates of an!er and passionhe ne)er issues orders of death'56

"he contemporary Scottish merchant, Ale%ander Hamilton, whoattended Hadhrat.s Aurangzeb court, was so impressed by the proceedings he

witnessed that he felt they embodied the /Christian principles of "orality and

for!i)eness/ , and he contrasted Hadhrat Aurangzeb.s behaviour with that of

the English merchants at the time! obert #arley uotes Ale%ander Hamilton

from his travelogue, /A Dew Account of the East Indies0 (24), as follows@

“Ha"ilton represents the e"peror’s courtas a "odel of ci)il and well> orchestrated

!o)ernance in contrast to the tyrannical,corrupt, and unci)il $eha)ior of Child and



his hench"en' His narrati)e turns uran!#e$ into an e"$odi"ent of <esternE indeed uni)ersal E "orality' (o this end,Ha"ilton includes a translation of

uran!#e$’s letter to the a"$assadors, and itfunctions as a "odel of how a just and e)en"erciful "onarch e*ercises his power' (hee"peror, accordin! to Ha"ilton +F,F?1, was not 5desirous to use 0e)erityin punishin! 4.ences and .rontsI $ut,li=e an indul!ent Prince, only told [the

7n!lish] their -aults, and prudentlyad"onished the" not to $e !uilty offallin! into such li=e 7rrors, and, in a"ajestic= 0tile, ad)ised the" to recei)ehis -a)ours and Graces with !reatespect, and that they ou!ht to "a=e theLaw the 0tandard of Justice, and in all his

<ords and ctions, used a Christian9oderation'/ 8y usin! 5Christian/ as anadjecti)al "ar=er of ci)ili#ed $eha)ior,Ha"ilton "a=es e*plicit what 4)in!tononly $ac=handedly ac=nowled!es? the9u!hals E in this case the e"peror hi"selfE e"$ody the )ery principles that deKne

Christian "orality and for!i)eness'/ In another part of the same boo, Ale%ander Hamilton, who witnessed Indian

society during the later part of Aurangzeb.s reign, stated that the Hindus

en7oyed /full toleration for their religion0@

“(he Gentows [i'e' Hindus] ha)e full tolerationfor their reli!ion, and =eep their fasts andfeasts as in for"er ti"es, when theso)erei!nty was in pa!an princes’ hands'/ [2ew ccount of the 7ast 3ndies, Vol F, pp F1]

He mentions that everyone was free to practice their own religion and that



persecution for the sae of religion was unnown@

“(here are a$o)e an hundred di.erent sects[i'e' of )arious reli!ions] in this city +0uratI$ut they ne)er ha)e hot disputes a$out their

doctrine or way of worship' 7)ery one is freeto ser)e and worship God their own way' nd persecutions for reli!ion’s sa=e are not =nowna"on! the"'/

It was evident that temples and churches e%isted for each religion! Hamilton

states elsewhere@

“(he 8lac= (own is inha$ited $y Gentows,

9oha"etans and 3ndian Christians, )i#' r"enians, and Portu!ue#e, where there are(e"ples and Churches for each eli!ion,e)ery one $ein! toleratedI and e)ery onefollows his proper 7"ploy"ent'/

Although the accounts of European travellers are replete with myths, fables,

gossip and tales from the bazaar, they have some value when they narrate

direct personal e%periences and eye&witness accounts!

8illiam Dorris, an English Ambassador sent by the +ing of England to see an

audience with Hadhrat Aurangzeb, narrates his personal e%perience of India as

follows@

!

“3 thin= it hard to jud!e whether the 9oores[i'e' 9usli"s] or ash$ootes [i'e' Hindus] are"ore ridiculous in their cere"oniesI the9oores fa)our "ore of the papistes M thiscere"ony is li=e their e*posin! the elics ofso"e saint''(his 3 thin= is o$ser)a$le that there is not theleast clashin! or fallin! out a"on!st so "anydi.erent sects M castes as there are in this(own' (hey li)e ;uietly and contenteda"on!st one another, each sect M castenjoyin! his superstition M perfor"in! their



idolatrous worship without any disputes or"olestation''3 heartily pity the" for theiri!norance M "ista=en de)otion, $ut reallythey "i!ht teach Christians this one Lesson

who are of di.erent opinions in so"e points toli)e ;uietly M peaca$ly a"on!st the"sel)es Mnot tear one another in pieces'/

And also@

!

“3n these N "onths that 3 ha)e $een here 3ha)e neither seen nor heard of any

drun=enesse disorder, riott or ;uarellin! in the(own' 3t would $e well if 7uropean City’s wouldta=e e*a"ple'/ [&as, (he 2orris 7"$assy]

8illiam Dorris narrated his e%perience right near the end of Aurangzeb.s reign

when Aurangzeb.s alleged tyranny and bigotry was supposed to have reached

their worst levels! Bne aspect which 8illiam Dorris repeatedly mentioned, and

which will be delved into in much more detail later, is the fact that the #ughal

nobility, princes, and oCcials had degenerated into an ab7ect state of

corruption, worldly indulgence and e%travagance ' a degeneration that beganseveral generations before Aurangzeb came to power! Bne e%ception to the

overwhelming norm of corruption in 8illiam Dorris.s e%perience and with whom

he had the opportunity to interact with was Far Ali $eg, one of Aurangzeb.s

closest and most trusted oCcers!

!

It is worth uoting the superlative estimation Dorris acuired regarding this

individual since much of the praiseworthy Islamic ualities he witnessed in the

person of Far Ali $eg is to a far greater e%tent applicable to Far Ali $eg.ssuperior, Hadhrat Aurangzeb, as will become self&evident from other evidences

to be produced on this page@

!

“[in the] "idst of the "ost $ase )itious Mcorrupt court in the uni)erse this "insteralone is )irtuous' (he sole $usiness of all other "inisters is to !ripe s;uee#e all the "oney

they can fro" all people $y the $ases Mindirect "eans i"a!ina$le openly M



$arefaced' (his "an alone despises riches M isa$o)e the te"ptation of any $ri$e can $eo.ered' Just to the !reatest nicety M Kr" tothe interest he espouses M not to $e

diso$li!ed, $ut $y suspectin! his inte!rity oro.erin! $ri$ery to de$auch it''He is courted $y e)ery$ody M dreaded $y allthe corrupt "inisters of the court who stand inawe of his )irtue M ri!id "anners''

(he )irtue of the ancient o"ans e"inentlyappears in hi" M see"s a co"pound of-fa$ritius [and] Cato ye Censer [a referenceto the o"an epu$lican states"an 9arcusCato, =nown for his honesty and inte!rity, andto the o"an !eneral -a$ricius Luscinusfa"ed for his si"plicity and pro$ity]'

'(his "an, that co""ands what he pleases ofthe 7"perour M the 7"pire, "ay enrichhi"self as he pleases $y his !reat co""andsoBces M fa)our with the %in! [uran!#e$]contents hi"self with doin! the 7"perour realM true 0er)ice without a"assin! up riches to

hi"self M pays a !reat su" e)ery "onth intothe %in!’s (reasure out of the produce of hisoBces'' nd in the "idst of a lu*urious dissolutee.e"inate de$auched 7"pire is the only "an3 yet ha)e heard of that li)es li=e one of the

ancient o"ans 3 ha)e na"ed' His ha$it, hislittle house M furniture not all to the )alue of



O rups, lies upon a $are cott which he is notasha"ed to show in the roo" of hisentertainin! stran!ers' His diet as spare as hisfurniture – a little rice M water M yet in this

little place the !reatest "en in the court co"eM pay their court M sala" to the !round tohi"''3t is i"possi$le for one "an to ste" thecurrent of )ice M corruption or else this !ood"an’s e*a"ple "i!ht $e )ery pre)alent'/

It needs to be stated that the ualities mentioned above, which only very fewe%hibited during Aurangzeb.s reign, were once the overwhelming norm in

Islamic society, during the early ages when the #uslims used to diligently put

into practice all the precepts of Islam!

!

eturning to the high regard the :ain Hindus had for Aurangzeb, the Hindu

historian, :nan Ghandra, states in /Alamgir.s "olerance in the light of

Gontemporary :ain literature0 that@

!“(here "ay $e "any "ore such instances of uran!#i$’s fa)our towards Jain reli!ion andits institutions, that created estee"ed opiniona$out hi" in the "inds of its followers'/

Such is the high esteem in which the :ain Hindus would hold this supposed

temple&destroying, uaar&massacring /tyrant0, that :nan Ghandra found boos

of the :ains to contain colophons which praised Aurangzeb, near the end of his

reign, when his reputation would have rmly entrenched itself into Indian

society! :nan Ghandra uotes a few such instances of praise found in the

colophons of the boos written by :ain priests, poets and authors@

!

“Here rules the %in! uran!#i$, whose ordersare o$eyed e)erywhere' 0uch is the !race ofthe %in! that no one has any =ind of fear'/[8ha!)ti &as in his 8rah"a>Vilas written inF1Q]“%in! uran!#i$ is !allant and )aliant' &urin!



his rei!n 3 co"posed this $oo= with all joy and peace'/ [(he Jain poet, a"chandra, in hisa" Vinod]“3n his [uran!#e$’s] rei!n there is nothin! for

any reli!ious>"inded people to fear a$outtheir studies'/ [Ja!atrai ai in his Pad"anandiPanch)isi=a]

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