Part I: Chapter 14

RETURN OF SANITY

Sultan Zain-ul-abidin authored a new chapter of tolerance, mutual good-will and co-existence in the history of Kashmir. He allowed peace and respite to the harried, harassed and bloodied Hindus, whom he called back to their land of genesis where from they had fled in fear and terror to the mountainous regions and plains of India. He permitted them to pursue their religious and aesthetic activities and pursuits much to the chagrin of the Muslim bigots, who opposed him tooth and nail for calling back Hindus and rehabilitating them and allowing them to acquire and pursue knowledge and also to earn their living without subjecting them to crippling discrimination on religious grounds. To the Muslim fanatics, the Sultan was a heretic as he exempted the Hindus from Jaziya and permitted them to celebrate their fairs and festivals and cremate their dead.

Records Baharistan-i-Shahi, "Whereas the Sultan showed considerable favour and regard to the Muslim nobles and learned men, he also undertook the re-construction of the monuments of the infidels and communities of poly-theists. He popularised the practices of the infidels and the heretics and the customs of idol-worshippers and the people ignorant of faith. All those temples and idol-houses of the infidels which had been destroyed totally in the reign of Sultan Sikandar, may God bless his soul, were re-built and rehabilitated by him. Most of the unbelievers and polytheists, who had fled to the lands of Jammu and Kishtwar because of the overwhelming strength of Islam, were induced by him to return to Kashmir. The sacred books of the infidels and the writings of the polytheists which had been taken out of this country were brought back and thus the learning of the unbelievers and the customs of the polytheists were revived by him. He helped the community of the misled idolaters to prosper. In every village and town, blasphemous customs connected with springs or temples were revived. He ordered that in every town and locality celebration of special feasts and festivals by infidels be revived in accordance with the customs prevalent in the past.

It further records, "The only conspicuous defect and an over-all drawback of Zain-ul-abidin was that idolatory and heresy, which had been stamped out in the reign of Sultan Sikandar, the iconoclast, and of which there had remained no traces in the land of Kashmir were revived by him. The customs and practices of the polytheists and the heretics received fresh impetus and were given renewed currency. He ordered that particular days of festivity to be celebrated in every town and village in which innumerable vices and corrupt practices were let loose. In more than one way, these had a deleterious influence on the sharia and Islam brought by the Prophet. The community of the infidels and heretics called him the great king because they flourished under his rule and he was known by the name throughout his kingdom …….. It resulted in the gradual weakening of Islam and decay of its canons and postulates, idol worship and corrupt and immoral practices thrived."