Kashif Muneer

The 22nd Mughal emperor, Aurangzeb, is facing increasing hatred in India these days, and the reason for this is just a single film! Meaning, based on just one film, people are developing hatred for a man who died 300 years ago, without even researching whether the story is true or false. As far as history is concerned, Aurangzeb was the most pious and devout ruler among all the Mughal emperors. Maulana Shibli Nomani writes, "If Alamgir demolished temples of his subjects in times of peace, then he did not truly understand the essence of Islam. But we must carefully examine the reality of the event. A major mistake people often make is that they view past eras through the lens of modern civilization and society. Today, religion and politics are completely separate... Today, Muslim mosques and Hindu temples do not have any national influence, but in ancient times, these very places used to be centers of rebellions and uprisings." He further states, " According to the history, Aurangzeb never spoke inappropriate words. He was extremely compassionate and broad-minded, a great admirer of talented individuals, and a ruler who treated people with kindness. One major flaw in Alamgir was that, due to his personal courage and strong will, he never cared about anyone’s opinions, and because of this, he was unable to make any friends." Stanley Lane-Poole wrote in his book, "In the history of the Mughals, he was the first emperor who was a devout Muslim. He avoided prohibited things himself and also forbade others from them. He was a ruler who put his throne at risk for the sake of religion."