Akbar and His Times — Question 5

Din-i-Ilahi was a system of religious beliefs introduced by Akbar in 1582. Din-i-Ilahi means divine faith. This new faith included the good points of all religions. The basic purpose of formation of Din-i-Ilahi was Sulh-i-Kul or universal harmony. The main principle in this faith were:

1. Not to discriminate between people of different religions.
2. It focused on a system of ethics like justice, peace, honesty, etc. which were universally applicable.
3. There were no sacred books, no priests, no temples or rituals in this faith.
4. The members of the faith were to follow a code of conduct which included —
   1. not to eat meat, at least in month of their birth
   2. to give alms on their birthday
   3. to do good to everybody.