Abū al-Fażl ʿAllāmī

The leading courtier and most trusted confidant of the Mughal ruler Akbar.

Abū al-Fażl “ʿAllāmī” ibn Mubārak was the second son of the distinguished scholar Šayḫ Mubārak Nāgawrī (d. 1002/1593) and younger brother of the poet Fayḍī (see Fayżī.) Abū al-Fażl’s early education under his father’s tutelage greatly shaped much of his later liberal outlook.

Abū al-Fażl arrived at the court of Mughal ruler Akbar in 982/1574 and gained the ruler’s high favor for his scholarly criticism of the narrow-mindedness of the ʿulamāʾ (people of religious learning). He rose to prominence in Akbar’s inner circle and was crucial in helping formulate Akbar’s policy of religious toleration. He also promoted the principle of Sūlh-i-kul (universal peace) as the basis of Akbar’s power and emphasized the divine character of Akbar’s kingship, all the while restraining the religious influence of the ʿulamāʾ. In 1011/1602 he was murdered by a group of bandits at the request of Akbar’s son Salīm (later to become Mughal ruler Jahāngīr; see Jahāngīr), an act for which Akbar never forgave his son.

Abū al-Fażl’s greatest literary accomplishment is the monumental Akbar-nāmah. Among his many works is a Persian translation of the Bible. Authors of later generations admired his style and sought to imitate it.