The court of Emperor Akbar was famous for his Navratnas. These included great personalities like Birbal, Tansen, Raja Man Singh, Todarmal. One of these was Abul Fazal Ibn Mubarak, who not only praised Akbar but also worked to immortalize him on the pages of history.
Abul Fazal’s family was originally from the Hijaz region of Arabia, which later came to India via Sindh. Abul Fazal was a scholar since childhood and became a teacher at the age of just 20. His comments and thoughts reached Akbar and this is where his luck changed.
In 1573 AD, Abul Fazal joined the court of Akbar. He won Akbar’s trust with his extraordinary intelligence and loyalty. According to the report of World Atlas, Emperor Akbar included him in his Navratnas in 1575. Over time, he reached Akbar’s closest and influential posts like Prime Minister. Abul Fazal wrote many books. The biggest of these was books like Akbarnama and Iin-e-Akbari.
Abul Fazal used to knock Jahangir (Salim) from the beginning. Whenever there were differences between Akbar and Salim, Akbar always trusted Abul Fazal. It used to spend Salim because he felt that Abul Fazal is the biggest obstacle in his path.
Abul Fazal supported Akbar’s liberal policies and thinking like Deen-e-Ilahi, while Salim had more traditionalist views. When Abul Fazal was out of the state for some work in 1602 AD, Akbar called him back, but Shahzada Salim took advantage of the opportunity.
Salim ordered Bundela king Veerasingh Dev Bundela to end Abul Fazal by assuring greed and power. Abul Fazal was brutally murdered on 12 August 1602.
Abul Fazal was the most trusted partner of Akbar. Due to his death, Akbar went into deep shock and it is said that he kept himself closed in the palace for a long time. Akbar did not forgive Salim till death for this crime.
After the death of Abul Fazal, Akbarnama was completed by Inayatullah and was named Takmiil-e-Akbarnama. Abul Fazal was not just a court, but he was also a historian, philosopher and thinker. His books are still considered the most reliable source of understanding the Mughal period. His death showed that scholars in the game of power can also be a victim of conspiracy.
Published at: 26 Sep 2025 07:27 AM (IST)