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OF THE EMPEROR AKB R.
395
gave a habitation to the Jogís, amil associated with them on the most familiar footing, visiting the math by night almost umattended, and holding scientific and religious conversations with them. They initiated him into all their knowledge and practices, so that he sometimes showed gold, which he pretended was of his own making. On the Siva Rátri, a great festival of the Jogís, he eat and drank with them, expecting to prolong his life fourfold thereby. He wore his hair after their fashion, and anticipated the liberation of his soul by the fontenelle, as they teach.
His attachment to the solar worship, however, was not weakened; and by his encouragement Mullá Shiri wrote a poem in praise of that planet, in a thousand verses, which he called the Hazar Shai'a. In the year of the Hijrí 990, at the Sankranti (or passage of the sun from one sign to another), at the commencement of the year, a grand festival was held, on which occasion many adopted the new religion, receiving instead of a certificate the picture of the king!. This they had richly ornamented, and wore about their persons, on their turbans, or some conspicuous part of their dress. The form of address used by the followers of Akbar, on their meeting or in their notes, was Allahu Akbar, God is great; and when two of them met, one used the same phrase, to which the reply was, Jil o Jelálahn, To him be glory.
Abulfazl calls this certificate the Shust. See Áy. Ak., I, 219.
