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AKBAR.
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for Him who is the true Giver. From a feeling of thankfulness for his past successes, he would sit many a morning alone in prayer and melancholy, on a large flat stone of an old building which lay near the palace in a lonely spot, with his head bent over his chest, and gathering the bliss of early hours.
For these discussions, which were held every Thursday 1 night, His Majesty invited the Sayyids, Shaikhs, 'Ulamás, and grandees, by turn. But as the guests generally commenced to quarrel about their places, and the order of precedence, His Majesty ordered that the grandees should sit on the east side; the Sayyids on the west side; the 'Ulamás to the south ; and the Shaikhs to the north. The emperor then used to go from one side to the other, and make his enquiries ..., when all at once, one night, the vein of the neck of the 'Ulamás of the age swelled up, and a horrid noise and confusion ensued. His Majesty got very angry at their rude behaviour, and said to me (Badaoní), In future report any of the 'Ulamás that cannot behave and talks nonsense, and I shall make him leave the hall. I gently said to Açaf Khán, 'If I were to carry out this order, most of the 'Ulamás would have to leave,' when His Majesty suddenly asked what I had said. On hearing my answer he was highly pleased, and mentioned my remark to those sitting near him.
At one of the above-mentioned meetings, His Majesty asked how many freeborn women a man was legally allowed to marry (by nikah). The lawyers answered that four was the limit fixed by the prophet. The emperor thereupon remarked that from the time he had come of age, he had not restricted himself to that number, and in justice to his wives, of whom he had a large number, both freeborn and slaves, he
Guide. The frequent repetition of such names is a means of knowledge. Some faqirs repeat them several thousand times during a night.
1 The text has Shab i Jum'ah, the night of Friday; but as Muhammadans commence the day at sunset, it is our Thursday night.
