KARACHI: “Guided by inclusive vision of the men and women of the Mughal dynasty, diverse cultures were blended with incomparable refinement to produce one of the most artistically creative eras of world history. The unique legacy of the Mughals provides important lessons for Pakistan and the world today,” said writer and scholar Zeenut Ziad during her talk and multimedia presentation on ‘The Magnificent Mughals: Exemplars of Pluralism’ organised by The Roundtable on Thursday.

The Mughal Dynasty (1526-1858) integrated the South Asian Subcontinent and established the wealthiest and most magnificent empire, the superpower of the time. Ms Ziad’s presentation was a voyage of discovery of the cosmopolitan, vibrant Mughal empire that was the exemplar of a religiously and culturally pluralistic, multi-ethnic state. “Exceptional rulers created a political system based on alliance building and accommodation,” she said. “Their empire had the world’s strongest currency, a highly efficient fiscal, monetary and administrative system, the world’s highest exports, speedy justice and a formidable war machine,” she said, adding that it is a pity that since 1857 fake news and fabrications by colonialists has tainted the image of the great Mughals, who despite being a tiny minority were Renaissance men and harbingers of positive change in the subcontinent.

‘Pakistanis are inheritors of the richest cultures of the world’

“Wherever Muslims settled there was a civilisation where culture flourished and Islam provided the religious spark for humanism and respect for all,” she pointed out, adding a bit about how Muslims conquered Persia and after doing so created the first multicultural empire with excellent infrastructure. That is how Islam, infused with Persian culture, spread from this part of the world as great centres of education and learning were established by Muslims everywhere. Cross fertilisation of cultures from Bukhara reached Baghdad and traveled even further to Spain to witness a time of great development in mathematics, sciences and the arts.

“Pakistanis are inheritors of the richest cultures of the world as the Mughals came to this part of the world from Central Asia along with their inclusive vision about celebration of diversity to foster a unique synthesis of cultures,” she said before going on to show this by discussing the rule of six highly educated Mughals with an ingrained sense of justice.

She started with Babar, who was fighting battles at the age of 12. In 1504 at the age of 21, he conquers Kabul and in 1526 he achieves the conquest of India, that too with a small army of 1,200 men. And after succeeding, he comes to Agra to plant a garden. “Babar was a lover of nature, a sensitive poet and a critical thinker, who respected all religions. He had also written a letter to his eldest son and heir Humayun about how to govern while cleansing oneself of religious bigotry,” she said.

Babar died in 1530 at the age of just 47 and Humayun, who was a great scholar with a scientific mind, inherited the throne. Humayun was known to even take his books with him to battle fields. He found some fine Persian artists and introduced Mughal miniature art, too. But he died early also leaving his young son Akbar to take charge. But the Mughal princes were trained young. From the age of four, they were sent to Sufi masters to understand Islam and its ethical principles. By the time they were 10, they were sent to every corner of the empire to learn about the issues and problems faced by the people. “Therefore, by 12 Akbar had a sound education in literature and the arts as well as military training even though he had difficulty in reading. It is said that he was dyslexic,” she pointed out.

“By 1560, at the age of 17, Akbar took full charge of his kingdom. His generous and open nature won him the loyalty of people. He had an enriched empire with stability and prosperity. After his conquests, Akbar never took revenge. His defeated enemies were never punished. Instead they were invited to join hands with him in running his empire. He promoted the concept of making partners of his opponents and that’s how he built alliances while winning the loyalties of powerful rajas as many states pledged allegiance.

“He also used to visit Sufi saints to ask them if he was on the right path. That’s how Akbar’s empire was a meticulously planned enterprise where to build unity he also visualised a secular symbol for the people to focus on and therefore build a bond between the people and the dynasty. Akbar realised that people had multiple identities which should be respected, just like the European Union, where you retain your identity despite coming under one umbrella.

“Akbar also had a constitution. With imperial money he built mosques as well as temples. They also translated Hindu and Jain texts into Persian to understand his people,” she said.

After Akbar, Ms Ziad spoke about Shahjehan, who honoured scholars and under whom engineering, architecture, skill and craft flourished.

About Jahangir, she said that his subjects had direct access to him as he fought poverty in his kingdom. He also co-ruled his empire with Empress Noor Jahan.

Next, she discussed Emperor Aurangzeb, who is not as popular and who is often criticised and targeted by the British for his way of ruling. “This is because he discovered and stopped slave trade by the East India Company in 1688. He also defeated the East India Company in the Child’s War, which also angered them. Still, he was also not a joyful personality unlike his predecessors. He was a complex Mughal. He also destroyed a few Hindu temples, but then he also issued orders of protecting temples and rewarded some Brahmins,” she said.

Earlier, while introducing the speaker, Ameena Saiyid, chairperson of The Roundtable and its organising committee, said that the Mughals have been maligned in history books because what we are told about them has its origins in the gazettes and record books that were written by the British.

About Ms Ziad, she said that after obtaining a degree in mathematics, she studied economics, and was assistant professor of economics at the University of Karachi. She was also the first woman executive in Pakistani banking, and, among other professional assignments, was an economic consultant with the World Bank. “Pursuing a long standing interest in South Asian history, in particular the Mughal period, she organised a lecture series on the Mughal Empire at the Smithsonian Institution, Washington DC. The success of the series and the need for a comprehensive text covering major areas of Mughal history led to the creation of her book The Magnificent Mughals. In collaboration with Prof Reza Aslan, she has also edited the book Tablet and Pen: Literary Landscapes from the Modern Middle East,” she said.

Published in Dawn, December 27th, 2019