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NOTES AND ILLUSTRATIONS.
From this day henceforth, the road of opposition and difference in opinion' lay open, and remained so till His Majesty was appointed Mujtahid of the empire.
During this year [983], there arrived Hakim Abulfath, Hakim Humáyúrt (who subsequently changed his name to Humáyún Quli, and lastly to Hakim Humám), and Núruddin, who as poet is known under the name of Qarári. They were brothers, and came from Gílán, near the Caspian Sea. The eldest brother, whose manners and address were exceeding winning, obtained in a short time great ascendency over the emperor; he flattered him openly, adapted himself to every change in the religious ideas of His Majesty, or even went in advance of them, and thus became in a short time a most intimate friend of Akbar.
Soon after there came from Persia Mulla Muhammad of Yazd, who got the nickname of Yazídí, and attaching himself to the emperor, commenced openly to revile the Çahabah (persons who knew Muhammad, except the twelve Imáms), told queer stories about them, and tried hard to make the emperor a Shi'ah. But he was soon left behind by Bir Bar —that bastard !--and by Shaikh Abulfazl, and Hakim Abulfath, who successfully turned the emperor from the Islám, and led him to reject inspiration, prophetship, the miracles of the prophet and of the saints, and even the whole law, so that I could no longer bear their company.
At the same time, His Majesty ordered Qází Jalaluddin and several 'Ulamás to write a commentary on the Qorán; but this led to great rows among them.
Soon after, the observance of the five prayers and the fasts, and the belief in every thing connected with the prophet, were put down as taqlidí, or religious blindness, and man's reason was acknowledged to be the basis of all religion. Portuguese priests also came frequently; and His Majesty enquired into the articles of their belief which are based upon reason.
