^credits : Pratsy
Jalal & Ruqaiyya
Shahzadi Ruqaiya Sultan Begum was born a Mughal princess as the only daughter of Mughal prince Hindal Mirza, the youngest and favourite son of Emperor Babur from his wife Dildar Begum. Ruqaiya's mother, Sultanam Begum, was the daughter of Muhammad Musa Khwaja and the younger sister of Mahdi Khwaja, who was the brother-in-law of Emperor Babur, being the husband of his sister, Khanzada Begum.[8] Ruqaiya's eldest paternal uncle was the Emperor Humayun, who later became her father-in-law as well and her paternal aunt was Gulbadan Begum, the author of Humayun Nama ("Book of Humayun") which is the account of the life of Emperor Humayun.
At the age of nine, Princess Ruqaiya married her first cousin, Akbar, in November of 1551 at Jalandhar, Punjab, shortly after her husband's first appointment as a Viceroy in the province of Ghazni, Afghanistan.The marriage was arranged by Ruqaiya's uncle and Akbar's father, Emperor Humayun, and took place soon after the untimely death of Ruqaiya's father, Hindal Mirza, who died in a battle. As a result, Ghazni, which was one of her father's jagir, was given to her husband, Akbar, to whom were also transferred her father's army and adherents.
Ruqaiya became Empress of the Mughal Empire at the age of fourteen years following her husband's accession to the throne in 1556. As empress, she bore the exalted title of Padshah Begum, a title reserved for the first lady of the Empire and the Emperor's principal consort and therefore, rightly bestowed upon Ruqaiya.
Akbar's profound affection for his wife came to the fore in his early middle-age, when he stated that had he been wiser earlier in his life, he would not have taken more than one wife. He regretted to have ever taken another wife apart from Ruqaiya, and even went so far as to recommend monogamy, saying, "To seek more than one wife is to work one's own undoing. In case she [the wife] were barren or bore no son, it might then be practical, but still improper." Throughout her fifty three years of marriage, Ruqaiya remained childless, but assumed the primary responsibility for the upbringing of her grandson, Prince Khurram (the future Emperor Shah Jahan).
When Khurram was born in 1592 and was only six days old, Akbar ordered that prince be taken away from his mother and handed him over to Ruqaiya so that he could grow up under her care. Ruqaiya oversaw Khurram's education as well.Ruqaiya and Khurram, therefore, shared a close relationship much like the relationship that Akbar had shared with Khurram (the prince had been a favourite of his grandfather). Khurram's father and Ruqaiya's step-son, Jahangir, noted that Ruqaiya had loved Khurram "a thousand times more than if he had been her own son".
Despite the fact that she did not bear any children, she was Akbar's beloved wife and his only consort who had the best claim of being his favourite. She was always kept in high regard by her husband as he great respect and affection for her. Ruqaiya was thus, the most senior and highest ranked figure in the imperial harem and at Court during her husband's reign as well as in his successor's (Jahangir) reign.Thereby, she took precedence over every other wife of Akbar, not only because she was his chief consort but also because she was his only wife who was the most supreme in terms of birth, being herself a Mughal princess and thus, belonging to the Timurid dynasty. Her step-son, Jahangir, whom Ruqaiya greatly supported as her husband's successor, also had great respect and affection for his step-mother and fondly speaks of her in his memoirs.
The Empress also took active part in court politics and had major political influence over the Emperor. She played a crucial role in negotiating a settlement between her husband and Jahangir when the father-son's relationship turned sour in the early 1600s, eventually helping to pave the way for Jahangir's accession to the throne.Ruqaiya also owned trading ships which carried out overseas trade of the Empire.[18] Apart from her own palace at Fatehpur Sikri, Ruqaiya owned palaces outside the fort in Agra, near the Jamuna river, a privilege given to Mughal princesses only and sometimes to empresses who were kept in high esteem. Ruqaiya was both.
In 1607, Ruqaiya went for a pilgrimage to the mausoleum of her father Hindal, in Kabul, while being accompanied by Jahangir. The same year, Sher Afghan's wife, Mihrunnissa (later Empress Nur Jahan) upon her husband's death, was appointed lady-in-waiting to the now Dowager Empress, Ruqaiya. Mihrunnisa, together with her daughter, Ladli Begum, served as ladies-in-waiting to the Empress for four years while earnestly endeavouring to please their imperial mistress.
Jalal & Ruqaiyya share a strange relationship. A Pure form of love that can never be defined. Ruqaiyya being his long time friend since childhood and also his wife has managed reach a special place in his life. She enjoys being his favourite begum. Jalal is completely himself when he is with her. But without a heart love is incomplete, yet there is a special bonding between the two that makes Ruqaiyya an important persona in his life. Thus their Love can never be defined. The Love Sage may be of Jodha & Akbar, but as Jalal he had only one friend and favourite begum - Ruqaiyya. She may be behind the curtains once Jalal Falls in love with Jodha, But she can never vanish from his life. His heart may be taken by jodha, But ruqaiyya stays behind him like a shadow in dark for years to come..!
Edited by ..nams.. - 12 years ago
Anupamaa
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