Aurangzeb the Mogul King, was he a tyrant?

Bhagvad Gita’s wisdom “Finding the truth is one’s own responsibility” turned my life around, when the awakening came, it was strengthened by what my Mother had said,” You alone are responsible for your actions (peace of mind), and for that, she said you’ve to question everything that is dished out to you. She dared, I am your mother and want the best for you, but when it is about the society you should find the truth on your own, including rejecting what I would say. She then concluded, truth sets you free from anger and ill-will. So her litmus test for truth is removal of hate, anger and prejudices in you. 

So, I am set out to find more about Aurangzeb, I read three different articles and the links are provided below. What I had read in the past was derogatory about Aurangzeb and I had concluded that he was a bigot, which I regret, as I am seeing a different picture of him now.  I want to understand the whole truth about Aurangzeb and remove my ill-will towards him if it were unjust.  I do not want to allow falsity make home in my heart. 

The first time, I have heard positive things about Aurangzeb were from Professor Shakil Samdani of Aligarh Muslim University.  He and I spoke at Asim Siddqui Memorial college in Badaun, and during our drive from Aligarh to Badaun, we had good conversation and was taken back to hear positive things about Aurangzeb, that he did not harass Hindus as was given to understand. 

Unless we question everything, we will be blinded by our hate and politics. Aurangzeb is perceived as a tyrant, even though to be fair to him, many Hindu's cite his land grants to the Temples, Gurdwaras, the multi-faith Members in his governance, earning a living by writing and selling copies of Quran, and not using the public funds for his own.  However, he was surrounded by his Chamchas who did not dare tell him when he was wrong. 

In June this year, I wrote a piece on pulling down the confederate flag as it represented a sad part of our (American) history, and a few days later it was pulled down. Now, the name of the street in New Delhi meets a similar fate, Aurangzeb Road is changed to Abdul Kalam Road. Wrongfully or rightfully Aurangzeb represented a symbol of cruelty to fellow Indians who are Hindus.

We the Indians have collectively bonded with hate for the tyrants from the past, we had many rulers who were tyrants, but somehow, a few kings are remembered with intense dislike, two of them were Aurangzeb and Ghazni. They have been symbols of friction between Hindus and Muslims and have been invoked in communal riots. Of course, you will find at least two Kings in every religion who were tyrants towards their subjects whether they were Hindus or Buddhists.

A few Muslims and Hindus may disagree with me, and that I welcome it as a part of learning to respect the otherness of others in a democratic set up. I believe Muslims are sick and tired of being blamed for the acts of Aurangzeb; they are blamed as if they committed the crimes!  Even if I were a grandson of Aurangzeb, should I be harassed for his acts? Should your parents be persecuted for your acts? Aurangzeb was for himself, like all other Kings be it Hindu, Sikh, Christian, Buddhist or other kings and he does not represent a Muslim in a democracy.

I hope this is a catalytic event to rename the road from Aurangzeb to Abdul Kalam does well for the Hindu and Muslim psyche. I pray that those few Hindus who carried the burden find Mukti from it, and Muslims have nothing to lose from it.  

However, not the moderate majority of Hindus, but the extreme right wing among them needs to question if what has been told to them makes sense. Is there a joy in destroying things that bear Muslim names for them? Does Hinduism teach this? What is next? Is the RSS hell bent on messing up with our history, do they represent the values of Hinduism? Is Hinduism Hijacked? I know the feeling, the moderate Muslims are still fighting the tiny puny group of extremists among us, now the Hindus have that fight on their hands. Do they believe in live and let live or live with hatred for Muslims. Hinduism does not teach anything they are practicing. 


It would be bad for India, if the extremists among Hindus want a pound of flesh, and want to turn our history upside down.   My friend Dr. Zafar Iqbal pointed out in a conversation that Aurangzeb would not give in to the British, so the British resorted to divide and rule and figured out a way to place a wedge between Hindus and Muslims by writing falsities about Aurangzeb. 

I know the pattern well. In my Radio show on the issue of Ayodhya way back in 2003, I quoted a letter of India’s Governor General from the India Gazette in 1853 – he wrote to the bloody King in England that the Muslims and Hindus have built a Ram Chabootra and have started getting along again, if these groups joined, that spells the end of British Raj! (http://mikeghouse.net/Aboutus/Dallas-Observer-on-MikeGhouse.htm )

  
However, together as Indian Muslims, Hindus, Sikhs, Christians, Jains, Buddhist and others, we need to preserve our heritage and faithfully guard our history. We must remove the hate for each other and live like equals - that is the right dharma. 

Let this change of name bring relief to our Hindu friends and remove apprehension for Muslims, that they can live freely without being blamed for Aurangzeb and no more griping and no more flipping the world upside down. Let’s get it over and move forward. 

Articles worth reading:

1. Aurangzeb vs Kalam, full article at http://mikeghouseforindia.blogspot.com/2015/09/aurangzeb-vs-kalam-indian-express.html

2. Was Aurangzeb really a bigot and tormentor of Hindus? A fair assessment by Hindu Scholars : http://caravandaily.com/portal/so-was-aurangzeb-really-a-bigot-and-tormentor-of-hindus-2/

3. Why we should oppose Aurangzebing of Aurangzebhttp://thewire.in/2015/08/30/why-we-should-oppose-the-aurangzebing-of-aurangzeb-9549/

4. Delhi was inspired by history and not bigotry

http://www.firstpost.com/india/renaming-aurangzeb-road-after-apj-abdul-kalam-new-delhi-was-inspired-by-history-not-bigotry-2416606.html

4. Erasing History
http://www.thehindu.com/opinion/editorial/renaming-aurangzeb-road-after-apj-abdul-kalam/article7604307.ece

5.  RSS to push renaming the roads named after Mughals
http://m.thehindu.com/news/national/rss-to-push-for-renaming-roads-named-after-mughals/article7601138.ece

6.  Why Target Aurangzeb alone Mr. Kejriwal?
http://www.rediff.com/news/column/why-target-aurangzeb-alone-mr-kejriwal/20150901.htm

Mike Ghouse is a motivational speaker committed to building cohesive societies and offers pluralistic solutions on issues of the day. His information is in 63 links a www.MikeGhouse.netand his exclusive writings are at TheGhousediary.com 

Guru Nanak's teachings and its relevance on his 545th birth Celebrations.

The Sikhs across the world would be joined by Hindus, Muslims and others in celebrating the 545th birth anniversary of Baba Guru Nanak, the fountain head of Sikhism.

URL - http://theghousediary.blogspot.com/2013/11/guru-nanaks-teachings-and-its-relevance.html

Also Published on page 18 of The Indian Panorama weekly, a Dallas Paper

The tradition of celebrating the anniversary of the Gurus or the spiritual teachers is called Gurpurb (celebration of the teacher). There are ten Gurus in Sikh faith and their holy book is called the Guru Granth Sahib. Granth Sahib is a compilation of entire teachings of the Gurus, and remains a perpetual guidance for Sikhs.

As a pluralist who has done over 25 hours of Radio Talk shows and two workshops on Sikhism as a part of "Understanding the wisdom of Religion, all the beautiful religions" my goal was to share the essence of each faith and their relevance to the common man on the street who is not related to that particular religion.

Let me begin with the recognition of how Guru Nanak's teaching has produced an exemplary model of dealing with the conflicts today.   

On August 5, 2012, a gunman Wade Michael Page walked into the Sikh Temple in Oak Creek Wisconsin, and opened the fire killing 6 people causing tremendous panic and apprehension. This is an accumulation of many smaller incidents beginning with the murder of Balbir Singh Sodhi, a gas station owner in Phoenix, Arizona, and many incidents later, the humiliation of Dr. Prabhjot Singh, a Sikh Professor in New York and harassment of Mr. Jageet Singh, a truck driver by a Judge in Mississippi. http://www.huffingtonpost.com/mike-ghouse/harassment-of-sikhs-in-ne_b_3997899.html  

How did the Sikhs respond to the harassment and the violence?

They followed the teachings of Guru Nanak by responding to the Wisconsin massacre with forgiveness, patience, forbearance, and kindness, it was the right thing to do when tragedy befalls a community. They set a new benchmark in America.

Instead of expressing anger, threatening to sue the authorities, or demonstrating their apprehensions, the Sikhs across America chose the most powerful tools of all: Prayer and forgiveness. Indeed it resonates with the teachings of Jesus, Prophet Muhammad and other great masters, and recently Mahatma Gandhi’s Dandi March and Martin Luther King’s march in Selma. It disarms the oppressor and the message of goodness gets conveyed. 

Every Gurdwara in America held candle light vigils and speeches focused on forgiveness and goodwill - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vNxrf8fFU0I
 
The selfless service to mankind known as Seva is central to the teaching of Sikhism. There is no thought of reward or gains, it pure service to fellow beings.

The Sikh community must be appreciated by one and all, and were indeed appreciated at the Unity Day USA for setting the standards of dealing with conflicts.

Indeed, it is our duty to “honor and cherish individuals “who have dedicated their lives to building bridges among Americans. Their pioneering spirit in facilitating communities to know each other and to respect each other is appreciated by the people of Dallas/ Fort Worth. On this day, we appreciate and celebrate their contributions towards building a cohesive America, where no one has to live in apprehension, discomfort or fear of the other.

Click on picture for enlarged version

Picture: Sikh Community Honored at IX Annual Unity Day USA in Dallas.  Mayors of Richardson, Garland, Police and Fire chiefs and representatives of 7 Gurdwaras, Bob Mong, CEO of Dallas Morning News, Dr. Harbanslal and the event Chair Mike Ghouse.

Guru Nanakji’s birthday has a special significance to me, indeed, the religion we called Sikhism today, started out as an interfaith movement, where Guru Nanak primarily brought people from different religions together and taught common sense goodness, and serving humanity and caring for the neighbors.

Today, I wrote my weekly piece at Dallas Morning News on Pluralism, I was asked what verse from Quran I would recommend to those who serve in public office. The verse I recommend reminded me of the Sikh Brother, Bhai Kanhaiya’s story from the battle of Anandpur Sahib in 1704.

Quran, 5:8 (Asad translation): “O YOU who have attained to faith! Be ever steadfast in your devotion to God, bearing witness to the truth in all equity; and never let hatred of any-one lead you into the sin of deviating from justice. Be just: this is closest to being God-conscious. And remain conscious of God: verily, God is aware of all that you do.”

Indeed, the word hatred has multiple meanings in this case – bias to color, race, appearance, deport and other temperamental proclivities that are destructive to everyone. Indeed Bhai Kanhaiya took it further to include enemy soldiers.  Martin Luther King Jr., said, “Injustice to one is injustice to all” – thank you Bhai Kanhaiya for setting the new standard of inclusion and caring.  

Here is a dialogue between Bhai Kanhaiya and Guru Gobind Singh; the 10^th Guru of Sikhism who put the final touches to the religion, this story is narrated by many sources including Wikipedia.  

Guru Gobind Singh summoned Bhai Kanhaiya and explained that he had received a complaint about his actions on the battlefield.

_ _ _ _ _
Guruji, “These brave Sikhs are saying that you go and feed water to the enemy and they recover to fight them again – Is this true?”
Bhai Kanhaiya, "Yes, my Guru, what they say is true. But Maharaj, I saw no Mughal or Sikh on the battlefield. I only saw human beings. And, Guru Ji, they all have the same God’s Spirit? – Guru Ji, have you not taught us to treat all God's people as the same?"

Guru Ji said, "Bhai Kanhaiya Ji, You are right. You have understood the true message of Gurbani (compositions of Sikh Gurus) ". He then continued and told the Sikhs that Bhai Kanhaiya had understood the deeper message of the Gurus' teachings correctly and that they all have to strive to learn lessons from the priceless words of Gurbani.

Guru also gave Bhai Kanhaiya Ji medical Balm and said “From now on, you should also put this balm on the wounds of all who need it”'
Then turning to the sangat Guru Ji said, Saadh sangat Ji, Bhai Kanhaiya is a God-fearing saintly soul. His impartial and non-biased behavior towards others has led him to achieve Sehaj-avastha. Let him carry on with his mission. Many more will follow in his footsteps in the years to come and keep the tradition of Nishkam Sewa alive."
 _ _ _ _ _

Guruji was committed to peace and harmony.

I hope on this auspicious occasion of Gurpurb, the Sikhs can make a genuine effort to pay tribute to the spirit of Guru Nanak Devji and remove the misunderstandings that erupted from a wrong translation of Quran that happened 350 years ago during the reign of Aurangzeb,  and has rightfully etched in the psyche of Sikhs.

In an article in Huffington post about Kentucky Senator David William’s bigotry I wrote, “No one has a right to belittle other's faiths. If Senator Williams has a problem let it be his problem and no one should malign Christianity for his bigotry.” Likewise, King Aurangzeb’s bigotry should not be slapped on to Muslims. I have nothing to do with it, nor does any Muslim today has anything to do with him.

One single mistranslation of a verse from Quran has created a great misunderstanding between Muslims and Sikhs since the times of Aurangzeb, and has lasted till this day. Sadly there was a lot of bloodshed during the partition of India that has deepened the ill-will among a few Muslims and a few Sikhs. It is time to forgive for our own sake, as it will release the tension and apprehension within us and deal with each other as free individuals.

I was a speaker on “reading the scriptures” at the Parliament of world’s religions in Melbourne, Australia and discovered this longest running ill-will between Sikhs and Muslims with Dr. Avatar Dhaliwal of Tennessee.  I hope, to honor Guru Nanak, we can put this behind through a serious dialogue. I am willing to invest my time for the sake of common good and peace between people of different faiths. We cannot have walls between us by the men who are no more.

Sikhism was one of the first formal religions that began as a reconciliatory goodwill nurturing faith and let’s give the full value to it and work together.

May the Noor (divine light) of Guru Nanankji brighten the world today and for eternity. Amen!

SPECIAL NOTE:
 
The DFW Sikh Community invites you, our friends, neighbors and all members of the community, to join us in the celebration of the 544^th coming of the founder of the Sikh Faith, Guru Nanak Dev Ji. His ideals of peace, harmony, egalitarianism, social justice, living in the presence of the One Creator and with dignity and honesty are the fundamentals we strive for everyday. This celebration will include the 1^st parade in the City of Richardson.

When: Saturday, November 16, 2013 from 10:00 AM – 2 PM.
Where: Gurdwara Singh Sabha of North Texas in Richardson.

Langar will be served. This is the Sikh institution of the community kitchen and as with any and all Sikh events it will include a complimentary vegetarian meal, sweets, refreshments and drinks.

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Mike Ghouse is a speaker, thinker and a writer on pluralism, politics, peace, Islam, Israel, India, interfaith, and cohesion at work place. He is committed to building a Cohesive America and offers pluralistic solutions on issues of the day at www.TheGhousediary.com. He believes in Standing up for others and has done that throughout his life as an activist. Mike has a presence on national and local TV, Radio and Print Media. He is a frequent guest on Sean Hannity show on Fox TV, and a commentator on national radio networks, he contributes weekly to the Texas Faith Column at Dallas Morning News; fortnightly at Huffington post; and several other periodicals across the world. His personal site www.MikeGhouse.net indexes all his work through many links.