A review of the book 'After Me, Chaos: Astrology in the Mughal Empire' written by M.J. Akbar.
The deep faith of Mughal kings in astrology has been hidden in plain sight, ignored by those who failed to understand its relevance. The evidence lies in original sources: commissioned biographies like Humayunnama and Akbarnama, autobiographies such as Baburnama and Tuzuk-i-Jahangir, records of imperial correspondence and court documents.
After Me, Chaos: Astrology in the Mughal Empire written by M.J. Akbar is a compelling history studded with startling facts, which will radically change conventional perceptions.
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Coming up: A review of the book 'After Me, Chaos: Astrology in the Mughal Empire' written by M.J. Akbar.
Namaste Friends. My name is 'Shinil Subramanian Payamal' and you are listening to the Historylogy podcast.
Before I proceed, a full disclosure: This book was bought with my own money and not been provided to me by the author or publisher.
Little bit about the author:
M.J. Akbar is a distinguished author whose many books have focused on the fractured history of the Indian subcontinent, with emphasis on social schisms and religious tensions fomented by colonial policy.
His first book India: The Siege Within Challenges to a Nation's Unity broke fresh ground in the analysis of forces that were disrupting the emergence of a modern nation state. His internationally acclaimed books include Nehru: The Making of India; Kashmir: Behind the Vale; The Shade of Swords: Jihad and the Conflict between Islam and Christianity; Tinderbox: The Past and Future of Pakistan; and Blood Brothers, a novel; Gandhi's Hinduism: The Struggle Against Jinnah's Islam; Doolally Sahib and the Black Zamindar; and Gandhi: A Life in Three Campaigns.
In addition there have been four collections of his columns, reportage and essays. He has had a parallel writing career as editor and reporter. After a spell in The Illustrated Weekly of India [then edited by the remarkable Khushwant Singh] he launched, in 1976, as editor, India's first mass-market weekly political news magazine, Sunday for the Ananda Bazar Group of Publications. In 1982 he brought out The Telegraph which broke the mould of daily newspapers and engineered radical change in print media. He has also been editorial director of India Today and The Sunday Guardian.
Born on 11th January, 1951, M.J. Akbar lives in Delhi and remains an active commentator and public intellectual at age 74.
Let me read a brief description of the book:
QUOTE
The deep faith of Mughal kings in astrology has been hidden in plain sight, ignored by those who failed to understand its relevance. The evidence lies in original sources: commissioned biographies like Humayunnama and Akbarnama, autobiographies such as Baburnama and Tuzuk-i-Jahangir, records of imperial correspondence and court documents.
This belief went back to pre-Islamic cultural roots and the bloodlines of Chengiz Khan, descendant of the mother goddess Alanqoa. Akbar created the formal position of Jotik Rai, or royal astrologer, a post held for a century by Brahmin pundits from Benares who were gifted their weight in gold and silver as reward for an accurate forecast. In 1542 Humayun, then a hunted fugitive without hope, became certain that the Mughal empire would be reborn after reading his son Akbar's horoscope.
Humayun wore clothes of different colours each day, as prescribed by planetary positions. Astrology was part of statecraft. In one instance, Akbar's astrologer convinced him to march against Kashmir's ruler Yousaf Shah Chak in 1586 when his commanders advised that the army's passage through the mountains might be ruinous. Jahangir issued coins with a zodiac theme. Shahjahan took pride in the title Sahib-i-Qiran-i-Sani, or Lord of the Two Conjunctions.
Even Aurangzeb set aside his religiosity when it came to astrologers - they fixed the time of his two coronations. At the age of seventy-seven, Aurangzeb told his son Bahadur Shah that every single occurrence in his tempestuous life had been predicted in the horoscope cast at his birth. Every Mughal prince consulted astrologers to fix the auspicious time for the day's appointments.
After Me, Chaos: Astrology in the Mughal Empire is a compelling history studded with startling facts, which will radically change conventional perceptions.
UNQUOTE
Islamic doctrine spurns astrology, since only Allah can know the future. The orthodox dismiss astrology as shirq, or apostasy, citing Surah Yunus, Verse 101: ‘Behold what is in the heavens and earth! But revelations and warnings will not avail those who will not see the truth.’ Al-Maida (The Table), Verse 3, forbids Muslims from eating carrion and swine and from settling ‘disputes by consulting arrow’, a form of divination.
After Me, Chaos, M.J. Akbar’s latest book explores a surprising and under-examined dimension of Mughal history: the central role of astrology (jyotisha) in the governance, decision-making, and worldview of the Mughal emperors and is a fascinating and original addition to the vast literature on Mughal history.
Rather than treating astrology as a fringe belief or mere superstition, M.J. Akbar argues that it was deeply intertwined with statecraft — shaping births, battles, coronations, and imperial confidence. It was a fundamental element of statecraft, governance, and personal decision-making across the dynasty.
The title — After Me, Chaos — itself is inspired by Aurangzeb's reported prediction which he shared with his son, Bahadur Shah, that his horoscope, cast by Fazil Khan ‘from the day of my birth’ had been ‘verified by actual experience.’ The horoscope was completely accurate. More: the horoscope had also forecast what would happen ‘after my death’. There would be chaos after he was gone. Az mast hamah fasad-i-baqi!
Fazil Khan, making his predictions at the height of Mughal glory, foresaw doom in just another generation. Aurangzeb’s heirs, he said, would be ignorant, narrow-minded and immature, so prodigal towards some courtiers as to drown them and so harsh towards others as to terrify them.
The book highlights how the Mughals’ belief in astrology reflected broader cultural blending — integrating Indian, Persian, and Turkic traditions — and challenges the assumption that they were solely guided by orthodox Islamic religious principles.
The book offers a novel lens on the Mughal empire — not as a purely political, military, or religious institution, but as one deeply influenced by a belief system that bridged cosmology and governance.
By relying on imperial autobiographies and state chronicles, the author gives the work a strong foundation in historical evidence rather than conjecture.
One of the most gripping anecdotes describes how the royal astrologer, Maulana Chand, allegedly used a "hideous" distraction to delay the labor of Hamida Banu Begum so that the future Emperor Akbar would be born at a precise, "world-conquering" astrological moment.
Final verdict:
After Me, Chaos stands out for reframing our understanding of Mughal rulers — not merely as emperors driven by conquest or religion, but as men deeply engaged with the stars and cosmic meaning. Whether one agrees fully with its broader implications, the book undeniably opens a fresh window onto the human and cultural dimensions of one of India’s greatest empires and it shows that the destiny of India was once decided as much by the stars as by the sword.
I give this book 4.25/5 and highly recommend it to anyone interested in lesser-known aspects of Mughal court life, family dynamics, and politics.
The book, which is just under 250 pages, also includes 15 colour plates featuring paintings of various characters mentioned in the book like Shahjahan, Akbar, Jahangir, Humayun, Abul Fazl, etc …
The book was officially published on the 7th of October, 2025 and has been released by Bloomsbury India. A formal launch event was held in New Delhi on the 6th of October, 2025, attended by several dignitaries, including Defence Minister Rajnath Singh and National Security Adviser Ajit Doval along with Bihar Governor Arif Mohammad Khan & Union Minister Jyotiraditya Scindia. I have put the link to the YouTube video in the show notes.
The book is currently available in Hardcover and Kindle formats and is yet to be made available in Audible format. I have given the respective buy link in the show notes. Please check it out for the latest price.
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