Recently, the ASI Archeological Survey of India shut down Aurangzeb’s tomb for five days after a mosque committee tried to lock it. So, Aurangzeb today. But why?
Because he was one of the last effective Mughal rulers who ruled in India and then, the tables were turned. He was the third son of Shah Jahan. When Shah Jahan designated his eldest son Dara Shikoh as his heir, Aurangzeb got into a rivalry with Dara Shikoh and defeated him in the battle. And then, by putting his own father in prison, he became the king.
But keeping aside his personal ambitions, he was a man of discipline and a staunch Muslim. He dressed in simple clothes, ate simple food, did not consume wine at all, and conducted prayers five times a day, strictly observing the Ramzan fasting.
But when it comes to him as a leader, he failed at it. He practiced intolerance in his heart for other religions. He banned the construction and repair of temples and destroyed those which are already there and constructed mosques in replacement.
He killed the ninth Sikh Guru, Tegh Bahadur when he refused to convert to Islam disobeying his orders. But the worst is he was intolerant towards the Shia sect of Islam also. He could not become one with his religion also. He banned the celebration of Muharram.
Thus, he eventually has to deal with many rebellions such as from Marathas, Rajputs, Sikhs, and Pashtuns, due to his policy of expansion and intolerance.
On the other hand, Sant Kabir existed in the 15th century. He was an orphan and adopted by Nima, the wife of a Muslim weaver. Throughout his life, he contributed to bringing the gap between the hearts of people and religion. His poetries were a mixture of Hindi, Khari Boli, Punjabi, Bhojpuri, Urdu, Persian, and Marwari.
He was strongly influenced by Vaishnava Saint Swami Ramananda, a bhakti leader, and Shaikh Taqqi, a Sufi Pir. And a miracle happened when Kabir died. A conflict arose between Hindus who wanted to cremate the body and Muslims who wanted to bury him. When the shroud was removed, flowers appeared instead of the body. Half of which was cremated in Kashi and the other half was buried in Maghar.
This is true leadership. Showing people the right path. Teaching them harmony and love. Initiating people on the path to spirituality which serves on religion and is all-inclusive, inspires them to meditate on the oneness of the Supreme Being in connection with themselves.
