Emerald with Imami Prayer of Aurangzeb's Period

 

Courtesy – Google Images

Dr.Mazhar Naqvi

The above displayed images of a carved and dated emerald are the only known gem of Mughal period with an Imami prayer blessing Prophet Muhammad and the 12 Imams. The emerald bears the Hijri date 1107 that corresponds to 1695-96 AD.The prayer reads as follows:

                                     O Merciful One, O Compassionate One 
                                     O God 
                                     God bless Muhammad and 'Ali 
                                     and Fatima and al-Husain 
                                     and al-Hasan and 'Ali 
                                     and Muhammad and Ja'far 
                                     and Musa 
                                     1107 
                                     and 'Ali and Muhammad 
                                     and 'Ali 
                                     and al-Husaini and the steadfast Mahdi

The date on the emerald traces its origin to the period of Mughal emperor Aurangzeb who had ruled over India from 1658 to 1707.He is considered as the last great ruler of the mighty Mughal empire .By nature he was an orthodox Muslim and never showed much reverence to Imami faith and Sufism. Though he visited several Sufi shrines, he is blamed for ordering the digging of several Sufi shrines on the plea that he did not get any reply from the grave of the saint when he said “Alai Kum”. He was of the view that when people were venerating the saint for the cure of their various problems , the saint inside the grave should have the capacity to reply to his salutation or else he had every reason to believe that such a saint deserved any reverence. Aurangzeb was also the first Mughal emperor who had banned Muharram processions. Hence, it looks quite surprising that during his regime a carved emerald with Imami prayer made it way to a Mughal noble.
Fine large emeralds were unknown until their discovery in Colombia by the Spaniards in 16th and 17th century. These emeralds enjoyed tremendous popularity  in the Ottoman, Safavid and  Mughal empires. They were highly prized by the Indians who used them mainly as beads or in gold artifacts’.
It would be wrong to associate the precious emerald directly with Aurangzeb as he never professed openly any inclination towards Imams. At the best, it can be presumed that it might have been owned by any high ranking Mughal official posted in Deccan. During the reign of Aurangzeb, a large number of officials who were posted in Deccan originally belonged to Persia who followed Imami faith. Further, everyone knows that before the fall of Golcunda to Mughal Empire, the Deccan sultanates mostly followed Imami faith. The reverse side of the emerald is carved with a central rosette, poppy flowers and scrolling foliate detail, typical of the naturalistic decoration of the period reflecting the Mughal love for nature. Worn as a talisman with the inscription facing outward, it was mounted and secured by the drill holes to each side.

Centuries of tradition have held certain precious stones to be imbued with powers radiated by celestial bodies. A logical inference was to augment this phenomenon by carving the stone with a suitable image of a deity, with symbols or with writing. In addition, the green color holds a special significance in Islam. It is for this reason that the green color emeralds are considered best suited for amulets.( references available on request).