Who was Abul Fazl? The Grand Vizier of Akbar

Abul Fazl was introduced to Emperor Akbar's court in 1574. Because of his vast knowledge of theology, philosophy, and literature, he quickly became Akbar's closest friend and most trusted political advisor. As the Grand Vizier, he played a crucial role in shaping Akbar's liberal religious policies, actively supporting Akbar's vision of religious tolerance and the creation of the syncretic religion known as Din-i-Ilahi.

Abul Fazl is most famous for authoring the Akbarnama, the official history of Akbar's reign, written in Persian. The Akbarnama is a monumental three-volume work.

• Volume 1: Deals with Akbar's ancestors (Timur to Humayun).
• Volume 2: Details the events of Akbar's reign up to 1602.
• Volume 3 (Ain-i-Akbari): This is the most famous part. It is an incredibly detailed administrative, statistical, and geographic record of the Mughal Empire, documenting everything from army wages to crop yields and local customs.

Abul Fazl's closeness to Akbar and his immense political power made him enemies, particularly Akbar's eldest son, Prince Salim (who would later become Emperor Jahangir). Fearing that Abul Fazl would prevent his succession to the throne, Prince Salim plotted his assassination. In 1602, while returning to Agra from the Deccan, Abul Fazl was ambushed and assassinated by Vir Singh Bundela, acting on Prince Salim's orders. Akbar was deeply devastated by his death.