The decrees were dated
from the death of Mohammed and no longer from the Hejra (the flight
from Mecca to Medina). Books written in Arabic, the language of the
Koran were given the lowest place in the imperial library. The
knowledge of Arabic was prohibited, even the sounds characteristically
belonging to this language were avoided.[36] Where formerly according
to ancient tradition had stood the word _Bismilahi_, "in the name of
God," there now appeared the old war cry _Allahu akbar_ "God is
great," which came into use the more generally--on coins, documents,
etc.--the more the courtiers came to reverse the sense of the slogan
and to apply to it the meaning, "Akbar is God."
[Footnote 36: Noer, II, 324, 325. Beards which the Koran commanded to
be worn Akbar even refused to allow in his presence. M. Elphinstone,
525; G.B. Malleson, 177.]
Before I enter into the Emperor's assumption of this flattery and his
conception of the imperial dignity as conferred by the grace of God, I
must speak of the interesting attempts of the Jesuits to win over to
Christianity the most powerful ruler of the Orient.
As early as in the spring of 1578 a Portuguese Jesuit who worked among
the Bengals as a missionary appeared at the imperial court and pleased
Akbar especially because he got the better of the Ulemas in
controversy.
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