Fathullah Shirazi

Sayyed Mīr Fathullāh Shīrāzī[3] (Persian: سید میر فتح الله شیرازی; died 1588-89[2]) was a Persian Sufi polymath, Islamic jurist, mechanical engineer, mathematician, astronomer, physician and philosopher—who worked for Akbar, ruler of the Mughal Empire.[1] Shirazi was given the title of 'Azuddudaulah, translated as "the arm of the empire."[4] Shirazi was one of the students of the philosopher Ghyath al-Din Mansur Dashtaki. Eventually Shirazi left his native home of Safavid Persia to serve at the Mughal court.

Fathullah Shirazi
Fathullah Shirazi presenting Akbar in a Mughal Miniature.
BornShiraz, Safavid Iran
(present-day Shiraz, Iran)[1]
Died1588-89 (997 AH)[2]
Kashmir, Mughal Empire[2]
SpouseDaughter of Muzaffar Khan Turbati[1]
ReligionShia Islam[1]

Biography

Early Life

Sayyed Mīr Fathullāh Shīrāzī was born and raised in Shiraz, Safavid Iran.[1] He received his education at the school of Azar Kayvan. Here, he studied philosophy and logic under the guidance of Khwajah Jamaluddin Mahmud, a disciple of the logician Jalal al-Din Davani.[1] Shirazi furthered his knowledge in medicine, mathematics, and science under the instruction of Mir Ghayasuddin Mansur.[1] After completing his education, Shirazi embarked on a career in education in Shiraz. Among his notable students was Abdul Rahim Khan-i-Khanan, who served as the close confidant of the Mughal Emperor Akbar.[1]

Role in Akbar's Administration

In 1583, Shirazi received an invitation from Mughal Emperor Akbar and subsequently joined the imperial court in Agra.[1] He soon earned the title of Amir and a rank (mansab) of 3000.[2] Two years later, in 1584, Akbar appointed him as the Amin-ul-Mulk, also known as the Trustee of the State.[1] Shirazi's first task was to reexamine and rectify the Mughal Empire's vast transaction records, which he accomplished with diligence and success.[1] Along with his administrative work, Shirazi also undertook the task of regulating the intrinsic and bullion values of coins. He identified and corrected discrepancies in the currency, ensuring its reliability and trustworthiness.[1]

Shirazi’s skills and talents also earned him various honors and titles. In 1585 and 1587, the emperor selected him to lead diplomatic missions to the Deccan, where he was recognized for his efforts with the title of Azud-ud-Dawlah, or the Arm of the Emperor.[1] He also received a horse, 5000 rupees, a robe of honor, and the office of the Chief Sadr of Hindustan.[1]

Death

According to Abu'l-Fazl ibn Mubarak's Akbarnama, when Shirazi died, Akbar mourned his death:[5]

[Akbar] grieved at the departure of this memorial of former sages. He often said that the Mir was his vakil, Indian philosophy, physician, and astronomer, and that no one could understand the amount of his grief for him. "Had he fallen into the hands of the Franks, and they had demanded all my treasures in exchange for him, I should gladly have entered into such a profitable traffic, and have bought that precious jewel cheap."

Inventions

Among the inventions credited to him was an early anti-infantry volley gun with multiple gun barrels similar to a hand cannon's.[6]

Another cannon-related machine he created could clean sixteen gun barrels simultaneously, and was operated by a cow.[4] He also developed a seventeen-barrelled cannon fired with a matchlock.[7]

Not all of his creations were intended for warfare however; he designed a carriage praised by Abu'l-Fazl ibn Mubarak for its comfort. It could also be used to grind corn when not transporting passengers.[4]

Bengali land taxes were initially collected according to the Hijri calendar which did not coincide with the solar agricultural cycles. In response, emperor Akbar asked Shirazi to create a new calendar by combining the Hijri and the native calendars. Referred to as the fôshôlī shôn (harvest calendar), Shirazi is credited as the formulator of the modern Bengali calendar.[8][9]

He invented the gaj-i-ilahi system.[6][5][10]

Notes
  1. Alvi, M.A.; Rahman, Abdur (1968). Fathullah Shirazi: A Sixteenth Century Indian Scientist. New Delhi: National Institute of Sciences of India.
  2. Bhakkari, Shaikh Farid. The Dhakhīratul Khawanīn. p. 142.
  3. Sharif Husain Qasemi (1999), "Mīr Sayyed Fatḥ-Allāh Šīrāzī", Encyclopædia Iranica.
  4. Friedrich Christian Charles August; Gustav von Buchwald (1890), The Emperor Akbar, Trübner, p. 116
  5. Richards, John F. (1987), The Mughal Empire, Cambridge University Press, p. 69, ISBN 0-521-56603-7
  6. Bag, A. K. (2005), Fathullah Shirazi: Cannon, Multi-barrel Gun and Yarghu, Indian Journal of History of Science, pp. 431–436.
  7. Clarence-Smith, William Gervase, Science and technology in early modern Islam, c.1450-c.1850 (PDF), Global Economic History Network, London School of Economics, p. 7
  8. Kunal Chakrabarti; Shubhra Chakrabarti (2013). Historical Dictionary of the Bengalis. Scarecrow. pp. 114–115. ISBN 978-0-8108-8024-5.
  9. Mohanta, Sambaru Chandra (2012). "Pahela Baishakh". In Islam, Sirajul; Miah, Sajahan; Khanam, Mahfuza; Ahmed, Sabbir (eds.). Banglapedia: the National Encyclopedia of Bangladesh (Online ed.). Dhaka, Bangladesh: Banglapedia Trust, Asiatic Society of Bangladesh. ISBN 984-32-0576-6. OCLC 52727562. Retrieved 6 April 2023.
  10. Clarence-Smith, William Gervase, Science and technology in early modern Islam, c.1450-c.1850 (PDF), Global Economic History Network, London School of Economics, p. 25
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