The idea of 'Farr-i Izadi', on which the Mughal kingship was based, was first developed by which one of the following Sufi saints?
- A.Shihabuddin Suhrawardi
- B.Nizamuddin Auliya
- C.Ibn al-Arabi
- D.Bayazid Bistami
Correct answer
Explanation
The correct answer is A, Shihabuddin Suhrawardi. The idea of farr-i izadi, a light emanating from God, was first developed by the twelfth-century Iranian Sufi thinker Shihabuddin Suhrawardi.
Abu'l Fazl, Akbar's court historian, used this idea in the Akbarnama and the Ain-i Akbari to place Mughal kingship at the top of a hierarchy of divine light. In this view, God's light passed to the king, who then became the source of spiritual guidance for his subjects. Mughal court painters showed this by drawing a halo around the emperor's head. Suhrawardi's philosophy of illumination, which treats light as the basis of all existence, gave Abu'l Fazl the language for this theory.
Option B is wrong because Nizamuddin Auliya was a Chishti saint of Delhi in the fourteenth century, known for keeping away from rulers. Option C is wrong because Ibn al-Arabi is known for the doctrine of wahdat al-wujud, the unity of being. Option D is wrong because Bayazid Bistami was an early Persian Sufi known for his ecstatic sayings about losing the self in God.
Exam tip: farr-i izadi = Suhrawardi's idea, used by Abu'l Fazl for Akbar; wahdat al-wujud = Ibn al-Arabi.
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