Latest / Aurangzeb: The Emperor Who Expanded and Broke the Mughal Empire — Fexingo History / Aurangzeb's Personal Piety: The Emperor Who Copied the Quran
Transcript
- Lucas: We've talked so much about Aurangzeb as a conqueror, an empire-builder, even a destroyer of temples. But there's another side to him that rarely gets attention — his deep personal piety. Luna: We know he banned music and reimposed jizya, but what about his own religious life? Lucas: Exactly. By all accounts, Aurangzeb was genuinely devout. As a ten-year-old prince, he had already memorized the entire Quran. Later in life, he would copy the scripture by hand — not once, but twice. Lucas: His court chronicler in the maasir i alamgiri notes that he would often spend the later hours of the night writing out verses in beautiful calligraphy. He considered it an act of worship, and he was known for his skill in the khatt, or Arabic script. Luna: Wait — the emperor of the Mughal Empire, at war constantly, took time to manually copy the Quran? Lucas: He did. And he wasn't just a calligrapher on a whim. He was trained in the Hanafi school of jurisprudence and even compiled the fatawa e alamgiri — a massive legal code that tried to standardize Islamic law across the empire. Lucas: That code wasn't just for show. He personally oversaw the work, meeting with scholars, debating points of law. He wanted the empire to run according to his understanding of Islam. Luna: So his piety was very practical — it shaped his policies. Lucas: It did, and it also shaped his personal life. He lived simply — rejected silk and gold, ate plain wheat bread, and often slept on the ground. His own daughter Zinat-un-Nisa once scolded him for wearing a tattered cloak, but he refused to replace it. Lucas: He also prayed five times a day, and would perform extra night prayers called tahajjud. Even during military campaigns, he'd pitch a small tent for worship. One French traveler, Niccolao Manucci, described seeing him in tears during prayer. Luna: That's a very different image from the stern emperor we usually picture. Lucas: It is. But we have to be careful. Many of these accounts come from court chroniclers who had reason to portray him as a saintly ruler. And his critics — both then and now — argue that his piety was often a political tool. Lucas: For instance, his reimposition of the jizya tax on non-Muslims was justified religiously, but it also helped unify his Muslim supporters and fill the treasury. And his ban on music? He justified it with scripture, but it also angered many Hindus and even some Sufis. Luna: So there's a tension between his genuine devotion and the way he used it politically. Lucas: Exactly. And nowhere is that more evident than in his letters. He wrote frequently to his sons, advising them on both warfare and faith. In one letter to Prince Azam, he says: 'The world is a passage; take provisions for the journey.' That's a deeply spiritual sentiment. Lucas: But he also wrote letters ordering the destruction of temples. So the same man who wept in prayer also ordered brutal crackdowns. It's a contradiction we have to sit with. Luna: How did his personal piety affect his day-to-day rule? Lucas: He structured his entire day around prayer. Waking before dawn, praying, then handling court, then midday prayer, then a light meal, then administrative work, then afternoon prayer, then more work, then evening prayer, and finally his night prayers and Quran copying before sleep. It was a rhythm of discipline. Lucas: He also encouraged his officials to be pious. He frequently sent copies of the Quran to mosques and shrines. And he himself made the pilgrimage to Mecca by proxy, sending a ship with pilgrims every year. Luna: That's quite a contrast to his father Shah Jahan, who built the Taj Mahal and was more focused on grandeur. Lucas: Absolutely. Shah Jahan was an aesthete; Aurangzeb was an ascetic. He even stopped the construction of a grand mosque in Delhi because he felt it was too ornate. He wanted simplicity. Lucas: But his personal piety also had a darker side. He used religion to justify his ruthless ambition. Remember, he imprisoned his own father and executed his brothers. He found ways to reconcile that with his faith — perhaps through a belief that he was destined to rule by divine will. Luna: That's a hard contradiction to understand. Lucas: It is. But it's a very human one. And it's precisely these kinds of moments that make history so fascinating — and why we keep doing this show, without ads, thanks to listeners like you. If you'd like to support that independence, the link is buy me a coffee dot com slash fexingo. Luna: Yeah, it really brings out the complexity of the man. So where does that leave us in understanding his legacy? Lucas: Well, his personal piety didn't save his empire. He died in 1707, alone in his tent, with only his daughter Zinat-un-Nisa at his side. He wrote a will begging forgiveness for his sins. One of his last acts was to have a copy of the Quran placed on his chest. Lucas: So the emperor who spent his life trying to live by the book ended his life holding that very book. It's a poignant image — a man who used religion to conquer, but in the end, sought its comfort for himself. Luna: That's a powerful way to end. Thanks, Lucas. Lucas: Thank you, Luna. Until next time.