South Asian culture—a myriad of religions, traditions, and legends—has no shortage of fascinating tales. Each story unfolds an aspect of the shared South Asian history and perspective. We feature stories you can share with your children; a way to introduce them to a different time, place, and perspective.
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A story about Emperor Akbar’s witty minister, Birbal, known for the clever and humorous ways in which he tackled the emperor’s questions.
Two Portugese priests once paid a visit to the great emperor Akbar. After entertaining them with a lavish meal and conversations about religion, Akbar returned to his court to find his favourite minister, and his friend, Birbal. Known for his acceptance of different religions, the emperor was pleased to have had such a good time with the priests, and wanted to share his joy with Birbal.
“Allah is so great, my friend. My esteemed guests call him by another name, but that makes no difference at all. He is the same everywhere. He is the Supreme, the all-powerful.”
“Oh no, my Lord!,” Birbal said almost shockingly. “There is one thing more powerful than Allah.”
“More powerful than Allah? And what might that be, my wise friend?” Akbar smiled cheekily, knowing that this time he would not be outwitted by his vizier.
“Belief,” Birbal replied. “Belief is more powerful than Allah.”
“And how can that be?” Akbar asked.
“Give me two months and I will show you,” Birbal said.
The next day Birbal had a shrine made a few miles outside of the emperor’s residence at Fatehpur Sikri, and found a priest to look after it.
He then took a pair of Akbar’s wooden sandals, wrapped them in some cloth, and put them in the shrine as holy relics.
With time, people started noticing the shrine, and gathered near it. They asked the priest whose shrine it was, and the priest, under Birbal’s instructions, told them it was the shrine of a saint who had died while on pilgrimage to Mecca. He also told them how the saint used to perform extraordinary miracles, and that for those who continued to believe in them, his relics could perform wonders and cure many miseries.
As Birbal had expected, people started coming to the shrine. They brought their problems and prayed for solutions. And on many occasions, their problems did get solved, and it seemed as if miracles were taking place. Soon people from far off places heard about the shrine and traveled long distances to come see it.
The shrine had become so famous that even the great emperor Akbar got word of it. He called Birbal and asked, “I’ve been told that even a glance at the magical relics can transform your life. Is this true? I must go pay it a visit.”
Birbal happily obliged, and they set off. At the shrine Akbar closed his eyes and prostrated in front of the relics. When he finally stood up and opened his eyes, he found Birbal in front of him, holding the relics in his hand.
“Forgive me, your majesty,” he said, “but I was the one who made this shrine and falsely created a saint whose relics were supposedly inside it. These precious relics are nothing more than…”
He unwrapped the shawl and revealed the emperor’s own sandals to him.
“Belief is all-powerful, my Lord,” Birbal said. “People believed that these sandals were of a great saint, and so these mere sandals performed miracles for them! But really it was their belief that helped them solve their own problems. So you see, great emperor, that belief is all-powerful, even more powerful than Allah.”
