gaining knowledge of God were openly discussed seriously annoyed Shaykh
Ahmad Sirhindi. To uphold the dignity of the orthodoxy he wrote
Isbat al
Nubuwah
(‘The Proofs of the Prophecy’) vindicating the orthodox stand
and condemning those who thought themselves free to discuss the subject.
The other object of his reformist attention was Shiism. During the rule
of Akbar’s son Jahangir, the Shias gained great influence. Asif Jah, a Shia,
who was Noor Jahan’s brother and thus a brother-in-law of the Emperor,
was the Prime Minister. He was incensed by Shaykh Ahmad’s religious
movement on two counts: one, Ahmad’s success in bringing leading court
officials into his fold and, second, his resistence to Shia influence in the
State, through his writings. One of his works was titled
Radd-e-Rawafiz
(‘The Rejection of The Shia Heretical Tenets’). When his influence began
to have a serious effect on the court, Asif Jah became determined to nip
the new movement in the bud, and soon succeeded in convincing the
emperor that it posed great danger to the state.
Rulers never tolerate popular movements on the rise and Jahangir was
no exception. On the advice of Asif Jah, the first step he took was to transfer
the court officials who had come under the influence of Shaykh Ahmad. Of
these Khan-i-Khanan was sent to Daccan; Sayyed Sadar Jahan to Bengal;
Khan-i-Jahan to Malwa and Mahabat Khan to Kabul. Once the court was
cleared of Ahmad Sirhindi’s supporters, he was summoned to the court,
where he presented himself along with some of his followers. When he
came into the presence of the Emperor Jahangir, he refused to bow before
him.When he was urged to observe the court etiquette, he replied that it
was against the tenets of Islam to bow one’s head to any of God’s creatures.
This audacity in the presence of the Emperor aggravated the situation and
resulted in his imprisonment in the Fort of Gwalior.
Th e Na q s h ba n d i Or d e r 172
