question archive Use the passage below to answer all parts of the question that follows

Use the passage below to answer all parts of the question that follows

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Use the passage below to answer all parts of the question that follows.“The generous heart of the Emperor is temperamentally inclined towards the well-being of all classes of people friend and foe; relatives and strangers are all equal in his farsighted view. This equal consideration for all is the best method for the physicians of bodies, and should be highly appropriate for the physician of the soul as well. Why should this beneficence then not be the distinctive feature of His Excellency, the chief physician of the chronic ailments of the human soul? He has noticed the increasing conflict between the different sects of Muslims on the one hand and the Jews and the Hindus on the other—the sagacious mind of His Excellency then decided to arrange the translations of the sacred books of all the communities in the empire, so that with the blessing of the most revered and perfect soul of the age, they both refrain from indulging in hostility and disputes.”

Abu’l Fazl ibn Mubarak, grand vizier to the Mughal emperor Akbar, introduction to a Persian translation of the Mahabharata, a Hindu sacred text, sixteenth century India

a) Describe ONE way in which Akbar’s actions in sponsoring the translations discussed in the passage are similar to actions taken by rulers of other empires during the period 1450–1750.
b) Explain ONE reason that Abu’l Fazl’s introduction may NOT be a completely objective and historically accurate source for the motivations behind Akbar’s policies.
c) Identify ONE other outcome of the interactions between Islam and South Asian religions in the period 1450–1750.

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1. Answer:

In 1574, Akbar the emperor of the Subcontinent ordered his wazir to make a Katab-khana in the palace. This was to discover and reintroduce old texts. Books like Rajatarangini, Ramayana and Mahabharata were translated into different languages. One of these languages was Persian. After this many different old books both religious and non-religious were translated for the general public to read.

This was done to make different sects and religions stay united. His actions to a certain extent did eliminate disagreements between the people from different religions.

2. Answer:

Abu'l-Fazl ibn Mubarak was not the person behind Akbar's policies. It was actually his favorite wife named Mariam-uz-Zamani. She was a Hindu by birth. She was born at the house of Raja Bharmal of Amber. Later, when she grew up she was married to Akber. This marriage had political benefits. Jahangir was her son. She, however, did not play any political role in the Mughal court.  

  • She became more eminent after her son succeeded the throne. She was one of the most famous female traders of that time. Akbar after his marriage started his own religion called Din-e-ilahi.

3. Answer:

  • Many cultural and intellectual changes took place because of this interaction.  
  • Collection of manuscripts from around the world and their critical study was introduced.  
  • Changes in the economic system i.e trade also took place.
  • Several changes in slavery were also seen.
  • During this period, the trade of slaves became very eminent and a major source of income for many .
  • Arabic art and literature started spreading in different South Asian regions.
  • While people from those regions introduced new ways of living and rituals etc to Muslims.