Akbar Shah Husaini

Akbar Shah Husaini, son of the saint Shah Raju, is described by Mark Zebrowski as a mystical poet, a passionate student of Hindu philosophy and literature and an intimate friend of Sultan Abul Hasan. He translated Hindu books into Persian and wrote treatises in Sanskrit and other Indian languages. ¹

The author suggests that the rise of Hindu influence under Abul Hasan — the ministry of the Telugu Brahmin Madanna and the issuing of farmans in Persian with Telugu translation — may reflect Akbar Shah Husaini's ecumenical influence; this is the author's assessment. ¹ Two portraits of him survive, among them Akbar Shah Husaini Reading a Book of Prayers, signed by Rahim Khan. ^{2 1}