According to the Jahangirnama, he was a son of Akbar, born from a royal serving-girl just like his younger half-brother, Daniyal Mirza. Although some sources cite Akbar's wife, Salima Sultan Begum, as his mother. Murad was first educated by Abu'l-Fazl ibn Mubarak and, as from 1580, by Jesuit priestsAntonio de Montserrat and Francisco Aquaviva, who were called up by Akbar himself to teach Murad Portuguese and the basics of Christianity. Murad became the first Mughal prince to be educated by western Jesuit priests or, as Dr. Oscar R. Gómez points out, the first person to be educated in the paradigmatic model driven by Murad's father Jalaluddin Muhammad Akbar, the 3rd Dalai LamaSonam Gyatso, and Jesuit Antonio de Montserrat, which resulted in the current existentialist model. Hence, Sultan Murad Pahari has become the first person resulting from the amalgamation of Tibetan tantric Buddhism, Islam, and Christianity.
In 1577, Murad was awarded his first military rank, receiving a mansab of 7000 men. In 1584, after he attained puberty, this was enhanced to 9000 men. From 1593 Prince Murad was in command of the army in the Deccan. He was ineffective in command largely due to his drunkenness. His condition led to his replacement by Abu'l-Fazl, who arrived at Murad's camp in early May. Shazada Sultan Murad Mirza died in Lahore Fort on 12 May 1599.
Family
One of Prince Murad's wives was Habiba Banu Begum, the daughter of Mirza Aziz Koka, Known as Khan Azam. He was the son of Akbar's foster mother, Jiji Anga. The marriage took place on 15 May 1587, when Murad was seventeen. She was the mother of Prince Rustam Mirza born on 27 August 1588 and died on 30 November 1597, and Prince Alam Sultan Mirza born on 4 November 1590 and died in infancy. Another of his wives was the daughter of Bahadur Khan, the son and successor of Rajah Ali Khan, ruler of Khandesh. Akbar arranged this marriage, in order to exact more help from Khandesh for the Mughals‘ future operations in the Deccan. His only daughter Princess Jahan Banu Begum was the wife of Prince Parviz Mirza, son of Emperor Jahangir.
