Emperor Jahangir and the Transformation of Art – 12

The Emperor was crying. However, his dedication to the issue of justice has not wavered. He announced the verdict. His wife was sentenced to death for her crime. That day, the subcontinent’s history came to an end once more. Nurjahan is crying. The Emperor’s eyes are also filled with tears. The Emperor cherished her above all else. But justice holds him much more accountable. It defeats attachment, emotion, affection, and compassion. Nurjahan cried and questioned, ‘How could you forget all the love, all the service, compassion, and memories? How could you use your own words to order my conduct?’ Emotion chokes Jahangir’s voice. He has suffered from heartbreaking grief. He said, ‘I have put the law of Hazrat Muhammad (PBUH) on one side and your entire life’s love and service on the other for the balance scale of my heart. For me, Islamic law’s order takes priority. You may have killed him for adultery or murder under Islamic law. But he wasn’t at fault. He was mentally ill. Therefore, even though this will kill me more than your death, I am unable to change my mind about the decision to kill you. Every day, every night, it will kill me.’ The Hindu petitioners began to cry when they saw this precedent of justice. The complainants expressed the words, ‘O Mighty Emperor! We oppose the death penalty. We pardon Nurjahan. Because she didn’t purposefully kill anyone, everything she did was self-defence’. Nurjahan was able to reclaim her life, and justice was once again served.