Mubarak: A Historical Analysis

Universal Truths can rarely be found in historiography, the study of past events and their accounts, due to the existence of contradicting narratives of the past. Several different factors affect a person 's account(s) such as their affiliations (religious or political), their stature in society and their economic situation. Abū al-Fażl ibn Mubarak, the author of the Akbarnama, was a confidant of the Mughal king Akbar. Shaikh Mubarak Nagori, Abū al-Fażl ibn Mubarak 's father, a religious scholar, was accused of changing views with the change of the political atmosphere. Historical studies and the ulama (Muslim religious scholars) of the time portray Mubarak as a Sunni during the reign of Sultan Ibrahim Lodhi, became a Mahdavi

It also portrayed Akbar in a divine light which legitimized his claim to the Mughal throne. However, Muntakhab-ut-Tawarikh (literally means ‘history written with a vengeance ') was a diametrical contradiction of the Akbarnama hence it was hidden by Badauni during his lifetime. During Jahangir 's reign, this work was found and Badauni 's children denied they knew of its existence out of fear of the emperor 's backlash. Badauni, as an orthodox Sunni, must have written the texts to preserve Sunni Islam in the empire and to denounce Akbar 's Din-e-Elahi by writing to Muslims about the true nature of the emperor 's

This can be seen in his diminutive description of the event compared to Al-Fazl 's detailed account.
The excerpts suggest that Al-Fazl, as a spokesperson, was narrating Akbar 's version of events while Badauni autonomously wrote a conflicting account. However, Al-Fazl did indeed gain a much-respected stature in Akbar 's court so he could have been writing the Akbarnama independently while Badauni despite opposing Akbar 's reform was still part of the royal court and did not entirely oppose Akbar 's rule rather he was a strong political supporter but opposed Akbar