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{{Short description|Syncretic religion of Mughal emperor Akbar}}
{{redirect|Divine Faith|the Catholic doctrine|Faith in Christianity#Catholic Church}}

{{Infobox religion
| name = Din-i Ilahi
| native_name = {{nobold|{{Nastaliq|دین الهی}}}}
| type = [[Syncretism|Syncretic religion]]
| main_classification = [[Abrahamic religions|Abrahamic]] and [[Indian religions|Dharmic]] (and partly [[Iranic religions|Iranic]])
| possessions = [[Ibadat Khana]]
| founder = Jalal-ud-Din Muhammad Akbar
| founded_date = 1582
| founded_place = [[Fatehpur Sikri]], [[Agra]], Mughal Empire
| native_name_lang = fa
| image = Emperor Akbar.png
| defunct = {{circa|1605}}<ref>{{cite web | title=Dīn-i Ilāhī | Mughal Empire, Akbar, Monotheism | Britannica | url=https://www.britannica.com/topic/Din-i-Ilahi }}</ref>
| theology = [[Tawhid|Monotheistic]]
| leader_title = Leader
| separated_from = [[Islam]]
| members = 19
| other_names = ''Tawḥīd-i-Ilāhī'' ({{Nastaliq|توحید الهی}})
| area = [[Indian subcontinent]]
| language = None (no holy scripture)
| caption = Impression of [[Akbar]], who ruled the [[Mughal Empire]] from 1556 to 1605 ([[Museum of Fine Arts Boston]], dated {{circa|17th century}})
}}

'''''Dīn-i Ilāhī''''' ({{langx|fa|دین الهی|rtl=yes}}, {{Literal translation|Divine [[Dīn|Religion]]}}),<ref name="Britannica">{{Cite web |url=http://www.britannica.com/eb/article-9030480/Din-i-Ilahi |title=Din-i Ilahi |website=Britannica Online Encyclopedia |access-date=2007-06-14 |archive-date=2008-05-14 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080514090902/http://www.britannica.com/eb/article-9030480/Din-i-Ilahi |url-status=live }}</ref> contemporarily called '''''Tawḥīd-i-Ilāhī''''' ({{Langx|fa|توحید الهی|link=no|label=none|rtl=yes}}, {{Literal translation|[[Tawhid|Oneness]] of the Divine}}),<ref>{{Cite book |page=44|last=Jackson |first=A. V. Williams|url=http://archive.org/details/historyofindia04jackuoft |title=History of India
|quote=The truth is that Akbar was singularly sensitive to religious impressions of every kind, and that his new religion, the Din-i-Ilahi, or 'divine faith' an eclectic pantheism, contained elements taken from very diverse creeds. |publisher=London, Grolier society |others=Robarts - University of Toronto}}</ref> was a short-lived [[Syncretism|syncretic theology]] that was propounded by emperor [[Akbar]] of the [[Mughal Empire]] in 1582. According to Indian professor Iqtidar Alam Khan of [[Aligarh Muslim University]], it was based on the concept of what was known to be "[[Yassa|Yasa]]-e-[[Genghis Khan|Changezi]]" among the [[Timurid dynasty|Timurids]], with the goal of considering all sects and religions as one.<ref>{{cite book |url= {{google books URL|AaFKAQAAIAAJ|q=yasa-i chingezi}} |page= 74 |title= Frontline: Volume 14, Issues 20-26 |publisher= S. Rangarajan for Kasturi & Sons |date= 1997 }}</ref> Its core elements were drawn from combining aspects of [[Islam]] and other [[Abrahamic religions]] with those of several [[Dharmic religions]] and [[Zoroastrianism]].

The religion manifested Akbar's worldview and policy, and received state backing until the end of his reign. However, many [[Ulama|Muslim scholars]] of the period declared it to be [[Islam and blasphemy|blasphemy]] and decried Akbar as an [[Apostasy in Islam|apostate]], with only a handful of upper-class Mughal subjects adopting the new religion. Following Akbar's death, ''Dīn-i Ilāhī'' was made defunct by [[Jahangir]], who moved away from many of his father's policies in regard to religion and completely abolished by Akbar's great-grandson [[Aurangzeb]] who reimposed [[Islamic law]], thereby continuing the [[Muslim period in the Indian subcontinent]]. Ultimately, the religion is not thought to have gained more than its 19 identified followers, and it lasted just over 20 years before Islam was returned to official status in the region.

==Name==
The name ''Dīn-i Ilāhī'' literally translates to "God's Religion", "Religion of God", or "Divine Religion". According to historian [[Mubarak Ali]], ''Dīn-i Ilāhī'' is not the name that was used for the religion in Akbar's time. At the time, it was called ''Tawhid-i-Ilāhī'' ("Oneness of the Divine"), as it is written by [[Abu'l-Fazl ibn Mubarak|Abu'l-Fazl]], a court historian during the reign of Akbar.<ref>{{Cite book|title=The Akbarnama of Abu'l-Fazl|author=Abu'l-Fazl ibn Mubarak|publisher=Low Price Publications|orig-year=1902–39|date=2010|isbn=978-81-7536-481-3|location=Delhi}}</ref> This name suggests a particularly [[monotheistic]] focus for Akbar's faith. The anonymous ''[[Dabestan-e Mazaheb]]'' uses the name ''Ilahiyya'' to refer to the faith.<ref name="persian.packhum.org">{{Cite web |url=http://persian.packhum.org/persian/main?url=pf%3Fauth%3D155%26work%3D001 |title=THE DABISTÁN, OR SCHOOL OF MANNERS, Trans. DAVID SHEA and ANTHONY TROYER, 1843, Persian Literature in Translation, The Packard Humanities Institute |access-date=2017-01-31 |archive-date=2018-03-17 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180317102149/https://persian.packhum.org/persian/main?url=pf%3Fauth%3D155&work=001 |url-status=live }}</ref>

==History==
[[File:AbulFazlPresentingAkbarnama.jpg|thumb|[[Abu'l-Fazl ibn Mubarak|Abu'l-Fazl]], one of the disciples of ''Din-i Ilahi'', presenting ''[[Akbarnama]]'' to [[Akbar]], Mughal miniature]]

Akbar promoted [[religious tolerance|tolerance]] of other faiths and even encouraged debate on philosophical and religious issues. This led to the creation of the [[Ibadat Khana|''Ibādat Khāna'']] ("House of Worship") at [[Fatehpur Sikri]] in 1575, which invited theologians, poets, scholars, and philosophers from all religious denominations, including Christians, Hindus, Jains, and Zoroastrians.

Since Akbar had severe [[dyslexia]], rendering him totally unable to read or write, such dialogues in the House of Worship became his primary means of exploring questions of faith.{{cn|date=July 2022}} Despite his aforementioned illiteracy, Akbar would eventually amass a library full of more than 24,000 volumes of texts in [[Hindustani language|Hindustani]], [[Persian language|Persian]], [[Greek language|Greek]], [[Latin language|Latin]], [[Arabic language|Arabic]] and [[Kashmiri language|Kashmiri]]. The later [[Mughal Emperor]] and son of Akbar, [[Jahangir]], stated that his father was "always associated with the learned of every creed and religion." In a letter to [[King Philip II of Spain]], Akbar laments that so many people do not investigate their religious arguments, stating that most people will instead blindly "follow the religion in which [they] were born and educated, thus excluding [themselves] from the possibility of ascertaining the truth, which is the noblest aim of the human intellect."<ref name="huffingtonpost.in">{{cite web|url=http://www.huffingtonpost.in/entry/finding-tolerance-in-akba_b_3031746|title=Finding Tolerance in Akbar, the Philosopher-King|date=10 April 2013|access-date=12 October 2016|archive-date=23 December 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171223212138/http://www.huffingtonpost.in/entry/finding-tolerance-in-akba_b_3031746|url-status=live}}</ref>

By the time Akbar established the ''Dīn-i Ilāhī'', he had already repealed the ''[[jizya]]'' (tax on non-Muslims) over a decade earlier in 1568. A religious experience while he was hunting in 1578 further increased his interest in the religious traditions of his empire.<ref>Schimmel, Annemarie (2006) ''The Empire of the Great Mughals: History, Art and Culture'', Reaktion Books, {{ISBN|1-86189-251-9}}</ref> From the discussions held at the Ibādat Khāna, Akbar concluded that no single religion could claim the monopoly of truth. This revelation inspired him to leave Islam and create a new religion, ''Dīn-i Ilāhī'', in 1582 and Akbar along with his loyal officials converted to this new religion ''Dīn-i Ilāhī'' in 1582.

This conversion of Akbar to ''Dīn-i Ilāhī'' angered various Muslims, among them the ''[[qadi]]'' of the [[Bengal Subah]] and Shaykh [[Ahmad Sirhindi]], who responded by declaring it to be [[blasphemy]] to Islam.

Some modern scholars have argued that the ''Din-i Ilahi'' was a spiritual discipleship of Akbar of his own belief which he propounded in his new religion.<ref>{{Cite journal|last=Lefèvre|first=Corinne|date=2015-04-01|title=Dīn-i ilāhī|url=https://referenceworks.brillonline.com/entries/encyclopaedia-of-islam-3/din-i-ilahi-COM_26038|journal=Encyclopaedia of Islam, THREE|language=en|access-date=2021-07-11|archive-date=2021-07-11|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210711231425/https://referenceworks.brillonline.com/entries/encyclopaedia-of-islam-3/din-i-ilahi-COM_26038|url-status=live}}</ref>

===After Akbar===

''Dīn-i Ilāhī'' appears to have survived Akbar according to the ''[[Dabestan-e Mazaheb|Dabestān-e Mazāheb]].'' However, the movement was suppressed by force after his death and was totally eradicated by [[Aurangzeb]], a task made easier by the fact that the religion never had more than 19 adherents.<ref name="Britannica"/><ref name="persian.packhum.org"/>

In the 17th century, an attempt to re-establish the ''Dīn-i Ilāhī'' was made by [[Shah Jahan]]'s eldest son [[Dara Shikoh]],<ref>{{cite book |first=Sajjad H. |last=Rizvi |chapter=Dara Shikoh |title=Medieval Islamic Civilization: An Encyclopedia |editor-first=Josef W. |editor-last=Meri |publisher=Routledge |year=2005 |isbn=0-415-96690-6 |pages=195–196 |chapter-url={{google books URL|H-k9oc9xsuAC|p=194}} |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220720124940/https://books.google.com/books?id=H-k9oc9xsuAC&pg=PA194#PPA195,M1 |archive-date=2022-07-20}}</ref> but any prospects of an official revival were halted by his brother, Aurangzeb, who executed him<ref>{{cite book |title=The Mughal Throne : The Saga of India's Great Emperors |last=Eraly |first=Abraham |year=2004 |publisher=Phoenix |location=London |isbn=0-7538-1758-6 |page=336|quote=India was at a crossroads in the mid-seventeenth century; it had the potential of moving forward with Dara Shikoh, or of turning back to medievalism with Aurangzeb}}</ref><ref>{{cite book |first=William |last=Sleeman |year=1844 |title=Rambles and Recollections of an Indian Official |url=https://archive.org/stream/ramblesrecollect02sleeuoft/ramblesrecollect02sleeuoft_djvu.txt |page=272 |quote=Poor Dara Shikoh!....thy generous heart and enlightened mind had reigned over this vast empire, and made it, perchance, the garden it deserves to be made}}</ref> on grounds of [[apostasy]]. Aurangzeb later compiled the ''[[Fatawa-e-Alamgiri]]'', reimposed the ''jizya'', and established [[Islamic law]] across the [[Indian subcontinent]], spreading [[Islamic orthodoxy]] and extinguishing any chance of religious reform for generations.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Jackson |first1=Roy |title=Mawlana Mawdudi and Political Islam: Authority and the Islamic State |date=2010 |publisher=Routledge |isbn=9781136950360}}</ref>

==Beliefs and practices==
Although the spirit and central principles of ''Dīn-i Ilāhī'' were adapted from [[Sufism]]{{sfnp|Roychoudhury|1941|page=306}} (including ideas from the [[Al-Andalus|Andalusi]] Sufi mystic, [[Ibn Arabi|Ibn al-'Arabi]]), Akbar endeavored to create a synthesis of other beliefs and so his personal religion borrowed concepts and tenets from many other faiths. Aligned with Sufi practices, one's soul is encouraged to [[Tazkiah|purify itself]] through yearning of God.{{citation needed|date=December 2022}} Virtues included generosity, forgiveness, abstinence, prudence, wisdom, kindness, and piety.{{sfnp|Roychoudhury|1941|page=279}} The following details illustrate the personal religious observances of Akbar:

{{blockquote|As an inquisitive inquirer endowed with the spirit of reason, he learnt the Hindu alchemy and medicine and cultivated their [[Yoga]] system; like his Central Asian [[Timur|ancestor]], he believed in astronomy and astrology; and after his association with the Zoroastrian [[Mobad|Mobed]], he believed that life might be lengthened by lightning fire or by the repetition of a thousand names of Sun. Following the [[Buddhism|Buddhist]] custom, he used to [[Tonsure#Buddhism|shave the crown of his head]] thinking that the soul passed through the brain. He turned into a vegetarian later in life.{{sfnp|Roychoudhury|1941|page=303}}
}}

The visitation of [[Jesuit]] missionaries such as [[Rodolfo Acquaviva]] brought the virtue of celibacy into the House of Worship, where it consequently became a virtue of Akbar's faith that was not mandatory (as it is for the priests of [[Roman Catholicism]]) but respected. The faith also adopted the principle of ''[[ahimsa]]'', an ancient virtue of almost all [[Indian religions]], including [[Hinduism]], [[Buddhism]] and [[Jainism]]. The nonviolence extended from humans to animals, encouraging vegetarianism and prohibiting the slaughter of animals for any reason at all. The ''Dīn-i Ilāhī'' had no sacred scriptures and, similar to both Islam and [[Sikhism]], there was no priestly hierarchy.<ref>{{cite book |first=Sunita |last=Gupta |year=2004 |title=Children's Knowledge Bank |url={{google books URL|0ti8clvedTAC}} |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170216013534/https://books.google.com/books?id=0ti8clvedTAC |archive-date=2017-02-16}}</ref>

Light was a focus of divine worship, with a light-fire ritual based on the [[yasna]] (the primary form of worship in [[Zoroastrianism]]) and an adoption of the hymn of the 1,000 Sanskrit names for the [[Surya|sun]]. Followers were referred to as ''chelah'' (meaning "disciples").

The major practices and beliefs of Dīn-i Ilāhī were as follows:
# [[Tawhid|The unity of God]]
# Followers salute one-another with {{lang|ar-Latn|[[Takbir|Allah-u-Akbar]]}} (meaning: "God is Great") or {{lang|ar-Latn|[[Jalla Jalaluhu]]}} (meaning: "may His glory be glorified")
# [[vegetarianism|Absence of meat of all kinds]]
# One's "[[Birthday|on-birth-by-anniversary]]" party was a must for every member
# ''[[Ahimsa]]'' (non-violence); followers were prohibited from dining with fishers, butchers, hunters, etc.<ref>{{Cite journal |author=Ghaznavi |first=A Waheed |date=1 October 1988 |title=A Note on "Din-i Ilahi" |volume=36 |issue=4 |pages=377–380 |journal=Journal of the Pakistan Historical Society |url=https://www.proquest.com/openview/0f9f9d9d8a153c8f8f42f14ed3a6323e/1?pq-origsite=gscholar&cbl=1819375 |access-date=10 September 2022 |archive-date=2 October 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221002102127/https://www.proquest.com/openview/0f9f9d9d8a153c8f8f42f14ed3a6323e/1?pq-origsite=gscholar&cbl=1819375 |url-status=live}}</ref>

===''Ṣulḥ-i-kul''===
It has been argued that the theory of ''Dīn-i Ilāhī'' being a new religion was a misconception which arose because of erroneous translations of [[Abu'l-Fazl]]'s work by later British historians.<ref>{{cite book |title=Mughal India: Studies in Polity, Ideas, Society and Culture |first=M. Athar |last=Ali |year=2006 |publisher=Oxford University Press |isbn=978-0-19-569661-5 |pages=163–164}}</ref> However, it is also accepted that the policy of ''sulh-i-kul'', which formed the essence of ''Dīn-i Ilāhī'', was adopted by Akbar as a part of general imperial administrative policy. ''Sulh-i-Kul'' means "[[World peace|universal peace]]".<ref>{{cite web|url=http://scroll.in/article/804548/why-putting-less-mughal-history-in-school-textbooks-might-not-be-a-bad-idea|title=Why putting less Mughal history in school textbooks may be a good idea|date=7 March 2016 |access-date=2016-10-12|archive-date=2018-01-24|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180124141107/http://scroll.in/article/804548/why-putting-less-mughal-history-in-school-textbooks-might-not-be-a-bad-idea|url-status=live}}</ref><ref name="huffingtonpost.in"/> According to Abu'l-Fazl, the emperor was a [[Divine right of kings|universal agent of god]], and so his sovereignty was not bound to any single faith. In this, [[Akbar]] appointed officials based on their ability and merit, regardless of their religion or background. This helped to create a more efficient government and contributed to the prosperity and cultural achievements of the Mughal period.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2023-01-22 |title=Sulh-i-Kul: Features of Akbar's Policy {{!}} UPSC » Newscoop |url=https://www.newscoop.co.in/sulh-i-kul/ |access-date=2023-01-22 |language=en-US}}</ref> The emperor is further prohibited from discriminating between the [[Dabestan-e Mazaheb#Outline|different religions of the realm]] and if the ruler did discriminate, then they were not fit for the role as an agent of god.{{sfnp|Roy|2020|page=130}} Abu'l-Fazl saw the religious views of Akbar as a rational decision toward maintaining harmony between the various faiths of the empire.{{sfnp|Roy|2020|page=131}}

==Disciples==
The initiated disciples of Dīn-i Ilāhī during emperor Akbar's time included:{{sfnp|Roychoudhury|1941|pages=292–293}}
{{div col|colwidth=20em}}
* Shaikh Mubarak
* [[Faizi|Shaikh Faizi]]
* Jafar Beig
* Qasim Khan
* [[Abu'l-Fazl ibn Mubarak]]
* Azam Khan
* [[Abd al-Samad|Abdus Samad]]
* Mulla Shah Muhammad Shahadad
* Sufi Ahmad
* Mir Sharif Amal
* Sultan Khwaja
* Mirza Jani Thatta
* Taki Shustar
* Shaikhzada Gosala Benarasi
* Sadar Jahan
* Sadar Jahan's first son
* Sadar Jahan's second son
* [[Birbal]]
* [[Murad Mirza (son of Akbar)|Prince Murad]]
{{div col end}}

==See also==
* ''[[Allopanishad]]''
* ''[[Sirr-i-Akbar]]''
* ''[[Majma-ul-Bahrain]]''
* ''[[Ganga-Jamuni tehzeeb]]''
* [[Religious policy of the Mughals after Akbar]]

==References==
{{Reflist}}

{{refbegin|indent=yes}}
* {{cite book
|last=Roychoudhury |first=Makhanlal
|year=1941
|title=The Din-i Ilahi, or, The Religion of Akbar
|publisher=University of Calcutta
|oclc=3312929
|url=https://archive.org/details/diniilahiorthere031361mbp
|via=[[Internet Archive]]
}}
* {{cite book
|last=Roy |first=Himanshu
|year=2020
|title=Indian Political Thought themes and thinkers
|publisher=Pearson
|isbn=978-93-325-8733-5
}}
{{refend}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Din-I Ilahi}}
[[Category:Akbar]]
[[Category:1580s establishments in India]]
[[Category:Mughal Empire]]
[[Category:Religious pluralism]]
[[Category:Religious syncretism in Asia]]
[[Category:Universalism]]
[[Category:Culture of India]]
[[Category:History of Islam in India]]
[[Category:History of religion in India]]
[[Category:Religions derived from Islam]]
[[Category:1582 establishments in Asia]]

Din-i Ilahi - Revision history

Bihar Region at 17:21, 18 February 2026