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What is Sati?
The act of burning a Hindu wife under certain conditions after the death of her husband was called "Satī". The woman who burnt herself was called a "Satī". On the whole, this custom in Punjab was confined to the upper classes of the Hindu society and was especially prevalent in the Vedic times and is a remnant of the Puranic Age. The root cause of this custom was that widows suffered a good deal after the death of their husbands and so naturally they preferred death to life. This custom was thought to be a test to judge the loyalty and faithfulness of one's wife. The ceremony was well celebrated and performed with great pomp and show. The custom was observed on three occasions:
(a) After the death of their husbands, some women would fall under swoon under the pressure of sorrow and pain and then the relatives of the deceased would throw them alive in the fire.
(b) Some, out of true love of their husbands, would throw themselves alive in the fire.
(c) There were others feared worldly shame for they knew they would pass a miserable life.
Some of the widows who were understandably horrified didn't wish to partake in the custom but were forced to do so by the Brahmins.
Satī During the Islamic Rule
The custom of "Satī" was only prevalent amongst the Hindus. It was common but not compulsory. During the Muslim rule, it could not be performed except under the Sultan's consent. "No woman can sacrifice herself without permission from the governor of the province in which she resides and he never grants it until he shall have ascertained that she is not to be turned aside from her purpose" (History of the Great Rebellion - Bernier, p. 306).
According to Ibn Battuta, "The self-burning of widows is considered praiseworthy by the Hindus, without, however, is obligatory. When she does not burn herself she puts on coarse clothes and lives with her relatives as one who is despised for faithfulness. But she is not compelled to burn herself". (The Rehla - Ibn Batutta - Mahdi Hussain, p. 22).
An account from Ibn Battuta's ventures,
Muhammed bin Tughluq was the first Muslim King who raised his voice against this practice, stating that, "the Brahmans encourage and promote these gross errors and superstitions to which they are indebted for their wealth and consequence".
While Tughluq's administration hadn't completely stripped the custom from the fabric of Hindu society, it was under the administration of the Mughals from Aurangazeb's reign that the custom would become extremely rare. It is unclear whether or not the prohibition on Satī was issued under Akbar's reign. According to the memoirs of Jahangir, the Shah was strangely fascinated by the custom, as Muslims of Rajaur (Kashmir) would practice it along with the Hindus. Though he would later come to declare it unlawful with little to no effect.
In Auraganzeb's Fatawa-e-Alamgiri (a sharia-based compilation on statecraft, general ethics, military strategy, economic policy, justice, and punishment, that served as the law) it is stated that a person who permits and oversees the custom of Satī would be punished by death. Aurangzeb issued another order in 1663, stating that "in all lands under Mughal control, never again should the officials allow a woman to be burnt".
Additionally, Guru Nanak had emphatically raised his voice and preached against this practice among the Hindus: "A 'Satī' is not she who burneth herself on the pyre of her spouse; a 'Satī' is she who dieth with the sheer shock of separation" (Adi Granth - Sikhi Ki Var, p. 787). Guru Amar Das later prohibited the practice of 'Satī' among his followers through persuasion.
The act of burning a Hindu wife under certain conditions after the death of her husband was called "Satī". The woman who burnt herself was called a "Satī". On the whole, this custom in Punjab was confined to the upper classes of the Hindu society and was especially prevalent in the Vedic times and is a remnant of the Puranic Age. The root cause of this custom was that widows suffered a good deal after the death of their husbands and so naturally they preferred death to life. This custom was thought to be a test to judge the loyalty and faithfulness of one's wife. The ceremony was well celebrated and performed with great pomp and show. The custom was observed on three occasions:
(a) After the death of their husbands, some women would fall under swoon under the pressure of sorrow and pain and then the relatives of the deceased would throw them alive in the fire.
(b) Some, out of true love of their husbands, would throw themselves alive in the fire.
(c) There were others feared worldly shame for they knew they would pass a miserable life.
Some of the widows who were understandably horrified didn't wish to partake in the custom but were forced to do so by the Brahmins.
Satī During the Islamic Rule
The custom of "Satī" was only prevalent amongst the Hindus. It was common but not compulsory. During the Muslim rule, it could not be performed except under the Sultan's consent. "No woman can sacrifice herself without permission from the governor of the province in which she resides and he never grants it until he shall have ascertained that she is not to be turned aside from her purpose" (History of the Great Rebellion - Bernier, p. 306).
According to Ibn Battuta, "The self-burning of widows is considered praiseworthy by the Hindus, without, however, is obligatory. When she does not burn herself she puts on coarse clothes and lives with her relatives as one who is despised for faithfulness. But she is not compelled to burn herself". (The Rehla - Ibn Batutta - Mahdi Hussain, p. 22).
An account from Ibn Battuta's ventures,
Muhammed bin Tughluq was the first Muslim King who raised his voice against this practice, stating that, "the Brahmans encourage and promote these gross errors and superstitions to which they are indebted for their wealth and consequence".
While Tughluq's administration hadn't completely stripped the custom from the fabric of Hindu society, it was under the administration of the Mughals from Aurangazeb's reign that the custom would become extremely rare. It is unclear whether or not the prohibition on Satī was issued under Akbar's reign. According to the memoirs of Jahangir, the Shah was strangely fascinated by the custom, as Muslims of Rajaur (Kashmir) would practice it along with the Hindus. Though he would later come to declare it unlawful with little to no effect.
In Auraganzeb's Fatawa-e-Alamgiri (a sharia-based compilation on statecraft, general ethics, military strategy, economic policy, justice, and punishment, that served as the law) it is stated that a person who permits and oversees the custom of Satī would be punished by death. Aurangzeb issued another order in 1663, stating that "in all lands under Mughal control, never again should the officials allow a woman to be burnt".
Additionally, Guru Nanak had emphatically raised his voice and preached against this practice among the Hindus: "A 'Satī' is not she who burneth herself on the pyre of her spouse; a 'Satī' is she who dieth with the sheer shock of separation" (Adi Granth - Sikhi Ki Var, p. 787). Guru Amar Das later prohibited the practice of 'Satī' among his followers through persuasion.
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