Promulgation of Din-i Ilahi

Timeline

1. 1575–1579Fatehpur Sikri · Uttar PradeshThe debates in the Ibadat Khana led Akbar to conclude that no single sect could monopolize truth, and he developed the orientation of 'universal peace' (Sulh-i Kul). The Mahzar decree of 1579 required certain ulama to recognize the emperor's authority to adjudicate disputed points of religious law, paving the way for the later courtly religious experiment.
2. 1582Fatehpur Sikri · Uttar PradeshAkbar promulgated Din-i Ilahi, requiring initiates to offer their property, life, honor, and faith to the emperor, and adopting symbols associated with the sun, fire, and court ritual. Islam remained the official religious framework of the empire; the new faith did not replace the Sharia or establish an independent monastic order.
3. 1582–1605Fatehpur Sikri · Uttar PradeshOnly a dozen or so followers can be documented, including close courtiers such as Birbal. Orthodox ulama and some officers denounced it as blasphemous, while modern scholars debate whether it was a new religion, an ethical society, or the emperor's personal cult. The courtly experiment died out immediately after Akbar's death in 1605.