Mughal Emperor Bahadur Shah 1st
Dr.
Mazhar Naqvi
The seventh Mughal Emperor Bahadur Shah 1st does not occupy
the pages of Indian history the way he should as a great devotee of
Maula-e-Kaynat Hazrat Ali Ibn Abi Talib. After ascending the throne, he had inserted the declaration of
Hazrat Ali as Wasi in the Khutba (public prayer) delivered for the monarch every Friday. His move however sparked off
controversy and anti-Ahle-bait forces opposed the insertion of word wasi in the
Khutba. The emperor refused to backtrack but a section of people continued to oppose. The
emperor then visited Lahore in September 1711 and had discussions with Haji Yar Muhammad,
Muhammad Murad and other well-known men and scholars. He read "books of
authority" to justify the insertion of the word wasi. But Yar Mohammad remained defiant. With the
help of emperor’s brother Azim Ush Shan, Yar Mohammad started recruiting
soldiers to overthrow Bahadur Shah.
The emperor preferred to
stick to his decision and got the Khatib(Chief Reciter) of Badshahi Mosque
arrested after holding him responsible for the trouble. It still remains a
mystery as to why the word wasi was not included when khutba was read out at
the Badshahi Mosque on October 2, Most of the historians are of the view that
Bahadur Shah tried to avoid a fresh confrontation in view of certain other
pressing problems confronting him. He thought of buying time to consolidate his
kingdom and then reintroduce the altered Khutba. Destiny however did niot
permit him to do so , for he died on February 27,1712.Born on October 14, 1743,
he was the third son of emperor Aurangzeb and his Muslim Rajput wife Nawab Bai.
He never appreciated religious policy of his father who had banned Muharram during
his regime. Bahadur Shah made unsuccessful attempts to dethrone Aurangzeb but
the latter always proved too smart to his son’s conspiracies. Aurangzeb imprisoned
Bahadur Shah several times but appointed him governor of Agra, Kabul and Lahore
between 1696 and 1707.
In January 1712,his health
worsened and he breathed his last in Lahore. His body was brought to Delhi
where he lies buried in the court yard of Moti Masjid in Mahrauli. During his short-lived reign, Bahadur
Shah tried to adopt a liberal policy but followers if his father’s fanaticism
did not allow him to do so. They forced him not to follow the rules of
governance framed by Hazrat Ali. The Mughal empire paid a heavy price for it
and it disintegrated in a quick span of time.(References available on
request.Photo Google images).
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