Transcript Asian Empires 1500--1700

Asian Empires
1500--1700
Mughal Empire
Muslims and Hindus
in the Mughal Empire
• 20 % Muslim
--ruling dynasty + 20% pop
---rest of pop. a form of Hinduism
Akbar
1556-1605
• Emperor
--recognized diversity of people
--made accomodations for Hindus
• Disapproved of sati and other restrictions on
women (time of tolerance)
• Removed jizya tax on non-muslims
• Sponsored House of Worship
--issues of faith could be debated
• Supported culture that fused variety of traditions
Sati in India
In India, the Laws of Manu, compiled around 200 CE declared that a Hindu
widow was to remain sati, a Sanskrit word that was interpreted to mean chaste
or pure, and was not to remarry, while a Hindu widower was permitted to marry
again. Gradually, the word sati was used to designate the ritual of selfimmolation or self-sacrifice by a Hindu widow on her husband’s pyre. Through
her self-sacrifice, a widow remained pure and demonstrated her everlasting
devotion to her husband. Thus sati (a word that Europeans frequently
transliterated as suttee) came to mean both the practice of self-immolation and
the Hindu widow who died by this ritual. Such a widow was thought to become
a goddess and to bring auspiciousness or good fortune to her birth and marital
families. Her cremation site was also marked by a commemorative stone or
temple and became a pilgrimage site for devotees seeking divine favors.
Although it was never widespread, sati as self-immolation became and remains
a potent source for stereotypes of Indian society as ridden with exotic and
superstitious religious injunctions, and for images of Hindu women as
oppressed.
http://chnm.gmu.edu/wwh/modules/lesson5/lesson5.php?s=0
jizya, also spelled jizyah, Arabic jizyah , head or poll tax that early Islamic rulers demanded from their
non-Muslim subjects.
Islamic law made a distinction between two categories of non-Muslim subjects—pagans and dhimmis
(“protected peoples,” or “peoples of the book”; i.e., those peoples who based their religious beliefs on
sacred texts, such as Christians, Jews, and Zoroastrians). The Muslim rulers tolerated the dhimmis and
allowed them to practice their religion. In return for protection and as a mark of their submission, the
dhimmis were required to pay a special poll tax known as the jizya. The rate of taxation and methods of
collection varied greatly from province to province and were greatly influenced by local pre-Islamic
customs. In theory the tax money was to be used for charitable purposes and the payment of salaries and
pensions. In practice, however, the revenues derived from the jizya were deposited in the private
treasuries of the rulers. The Ottomans usually used the proceeds of the jizya to pay their military
expenses.
http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/304125/jizya
Ahmad Sirhindi
1564-1624
• Muslim reformer
--attacked Sufism and Hindu practices into
Muslim community
--argued for purified Islam
??Sufism?? Islamic mysticism
Non-Muslims often mistake Sufism as a sect of
Islam. Sufism is more accurately described as an
aspect or dimension of Islam. Sufi orders (Tariqas)
can be found in Sunni, Shia and other Islamic
groups. http://www.bbc.co.uk/religion/religions/islam/subdivisions/sufism_1.shtml
Arab historian
Ibn Khaldun
14th century Arab historian
• ... dedication to worship, total dedication to
Allah most High, disregard for the finery
and ornament of the world, abstinence from
the pleasure, wealth, and prestige sought by
most men, and retiring from others to
worship alone.
Aurangzeb
1658-1707
• Emperor
--overturned many of Akbar’s tolerant polices
--re-imposed jizya
--destroyed temples, banned dancing girls,
stopped music at court
• Marked downturn in Hindu-Muslim
relations/ provoked bitter reactions from
Hindus