Al-Badauni's Muntakhab-Ul-Tawarikh Analysis

When reading Al-Badauni’s Muntakhab-ul-Tawarikh on the surface it seems that all that can be gained from the text is the strong dislike Al-Badauni has for Akbar because he has strayed away from Islam. Al-Badauni’s text has a lot to offer as a historical text. Al-Badauni recounts the interactions of the Emperor with a variety of religious leaders, providing detailed information about the diverse religious happenings at court. Additionally, Al-Badauni’s orthodox Islamic beliefs can also offer historical information about how the orthodox Islam community viewed Akbar’s changing religious ideas through the opinions he expresses in his writing. Al-Badauni was also writing from outside of Akbar’s inner circle allowing him the freedom to write a history that allowed for criticisms of the emperor, unlike …show more content…
After talking with Shaikh Táj-ud-dín, Al-Badauni talks about how Akbar believes as King he deserves holy titles, “And thus after a time the titles The Only One, The Absolute, The Perfect Man became commonly applied to the just majestic and magnanimous Emperor (Al-Badauni, 266).” This shift in titles shows how Akbar is swaying from his original Islamic beliefs and shifting his religious views in a way that highlighted him more as the godly chosen leader. Muslim beliefs don’t allow for anyone to be higher than God or worshipped on the same level. Akbar making this shift in views illustrates how he is looking to use religion to boost the views that the public has for him. He is doing this by adopting religious views that allow for such a practice. Without Al-Badauni’s detailed records of the interactions that Akbar had with the religious scholars we would not know one of the likely origins of this shift towards elevating Mughal rulers closer to being