{"version":"1.0","provider_name":"Drishtikone","provider_url":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/drishtikone","author_name":"Desh Kapoor","author_url":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/drishtikone\/author\/drishtikone\/","title":"Akbar&#039;s Intriguing departure from his predecessors","type":"rich","width":600,"height":338,"html":"<blockquote class=\"wp-embedded-content\" data-secret=\"lVZk8h9bVe\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/drishtikone\/2009\/06\/akbars-intriguing-departure-his-predecessors\/\">Akbar&#039;s Intriguing departure from his predecessors<\/a><\/blockquote><iframe sandbox=\"allow-scripts\" security=\"restricted\" src=\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/drishtikone\/2009\/06\/akbars-intriguing-departure-his-predecessors\/embed\/#?secret=lVZk8h9bVe\" width=\"600\" height=\"338\" title=\"&#8220;Akbar&#039;s Intriguing departure from his predecessors&#8221; &#8212; Drishtikone\" data-secret=\"lVZk8h9bVe\" frameborder=\"0\" marginwidth=\"0\" marginheight=\"0\" scrolling=\"no\" class=\"wp-embedded-content\"><\/iframe><script type=\"text\/javascript\">\n\/* <![CDATA[ *\/\n\/*! This file is auto-generated *\/\n!function(d,l){\"use strict\";l.querySelector&&d.addEventListener&&\"undefined\"!=typeof URL&&(d.wp=d.wp||{},d.wp.receiveEmbedMessage||(d.wp.receiveEmbedMessage=function(e){var t=e.data;if((t||t.secret||t.message||t.value)&&!\/[^a-zA-Z0-9]\/.test(t.secret)){for(var s,r,n,a=l.querySelectorAll('iframe[data-secret=\"'+t.secret+'\"]'),o=l.querySelectorAll('blockquote[data-secret=\"'+t.secret+'\"]'),c=new RegExp(\"^https?:$\",\"i\"),i=0;i<o.length;i++)o[i].style.display=\"none\";for(i=0;i<a.length;i++)s=a[i],e.source===s.contentWindow&&(s.removeAttribute(\"style\"),\"height\"===t.message?(1e3<(r=parseInt(t.value,10))?r=1e3:~~r<200&&(r=200),s.height=r):\"link\"===t.message&&(r=new URL(s.getAttribute(\"src\")),n=new URL(t.value),c.test(n.protocol))&&n.host===r.host&&l.activeElement===s&&(d.top.location.href=t.value))}},d.addEventListener(\"message\",d.wp.receiveEmbedMessage,!1),l.addEventListener(\"DOMContentLoaded\",function(){for(var e,t,s=l.querySelectorAll(\"iframe.wp-embedded-content\"),r=0;r<s.length;r++)(t=(e=s[r]).getAttribute(\"data-secret\"))||(t=Math.random().toString(36).substring(2,12),e.src+=\"#?secret=\"+t,e.setAttribute(\"data-secret\",t)),e.contentWindow.postMessage({message:\"ready\",secret:t},\"*\")},!1)))}(window,document);\n\/* ]]> *\/\n<\/script>\n","description":"Today I downloaded a book from Project Gutenberg - a source of free books whose copyrights have expired. This book is titled \"Akbar, Emperor of India\" written by Richard von Garbe (Rector of the University of Tubingen) reprinted in April, 1909. The author talks of how Akbar was one of the finest ruler that India and indeed the world has known. Probably his greatest strength was in defying the odds of his upbringing and still becoming a gentle, wise, and caring person. He also set aside rules and laws that in Islam came directly from Mohammad - like Jizya (called Poll tax here in the book). His spiritual development was indeed remarkable given the raw material that he got. Remember, he was the successor of Timur and Babar - both barbarians (according to the book, Timur slaughtered 100,000 prisoners he captured on way to Delhi in ONE DAY!) - and son of Humayun - an opium drugged idiot who lived most of his life in exile. It was the influence of Akbar's tutor Mir Abdul Latif that really made him what he was. But interestingly there was another factor to Akbar's personality that led him to break free of the Islamic rules that his predecessors had followed the world over through the history. Akbar was BOTH, Sunni and Shia! His father was Sunni, while his mother was Shia. And.. he was born at the home of a Hindu. He had suffered discrimination himself. In Persia he was persecuted because he was a Sunni, while in India he was mistrusted for being Shi'a. Throughout Akbar's life one finds examples of his religious questing and tolerance."}