Abul Fazl was the court historian and closest associate of the great Mughal emperor
Akbar. Born in 1551, he was the son of Sheik Mubarak and younger brother of Faizi. These three Sufi scholars were responsible for the liberal attitude of Akbar in religious matters. When Akbar conquered Gujarat in 1573, they came in contact with him. Akbar made him Mansabdar (member of the imperial bureaucracy of the Mughal Empire in India) of 4000 horses.
Abul Fazl was the author of the two books of Mughal history namely 'Ain-i-Akbari' and 'Akbar-nama'. Ain-i-Akbari describes the statistical record of the Mughal Empire in the 16th century. It also consists of the sayings of Akbar and autobiography of Abul Fazl. The other book Akbar-nama details the history of the Mughal rulers from
Babur to Akbar.
