Wherever Hindus and Muslims live together, you feel the smell of perfume, and where Hindus Muslim riot in the name of religion, there is the smell of blood and rotten flesh. It stinks…………
Introduction
Advent of Islam in Indian subcontinent, let’s discuss about it. Islam is the second most followed religion in the world. The Islam is a major religion followed mainly in Asia, North Africa and North East Africa. Apart from this, people who believe in Islam are also found in North and South America, Europe and Australia. At one time, the state religion of the whole of Spain, which is a major country in Europe, was Islam. Muslims make up a majority by population in 49 countries. Islam is an Abrahamic monotheistic religion. Muhammad, the religion’s founder was born in Mecca in 570 AD.. Islam described in Quran. Followers of Islam are called Muslims, who are estimated to number approximately 1.9 billion world wide. The Islamic creed beliefs in six articles God, angels, revelation, prophets, the Day of Resurrection, and the divine predestination. In a religious eye, Islam refers to the total surrender to the will of God. The two main divisions of Islam are Sunni (85–90%) and Shia (10–15%) of total muslim population. Islam teaches that Allah (God) is one and incomparable. Islam says there will be a Final Judgment day where the righteous will be rewarded in paradise (jannat) and the unrighteous will be punished in hell (jahannum). The Five Pillars of Islam are Islamic oath and creed (shahada), daily prayers (salah/namaj), almsgiving (zakat), fasting (sawm) in the month of Ramadan, and a pilgrimage (hajj) to Mecca. The Islamic law is sharia. The two main religious festivals in Islam are Eid al-Fitr and Eid al-Adha.
Spread of Islam
After Advent of Islam in Indian subcontinent, it spread in many ways, like military conquest, trade, pilgrimage, and missionaries. Arab Muslim forces conquered vast territories. Most significant expansion occurred during the reign of the Rashidun from 632 to 661 CE, which was the reign of the first four successors of Prophet Muhammad. The caliphate the Islamic political structure evolved and became more sophisticated during the Umayyad and Abbasid caliphates. Over the time of a few hundred years, Islam spread from its place of origin in the Arabian Peninsula to modern Spain in the west and India in the east. Islam came these regions in many ways. Sometimes it was carried in great caravans and ships traversing vast trade networks on land and sea, and in other ways it was transferred through military conquest and the work of missionaries. During the seventh century AD, Arab Muslim armies began to conquer territory in the neighboring Byzantine and Sasanian empires. Most conquests happened during the reign of the second caliph, Umar, who held power from 634 to 644. During Umayyad Dynasty—from 661 to 750 AD the Islamic and Arabic culture began to truly spread. The Abbasid Dynasty from 750 to 1258 AD intensified and solidified the cultural changes.
Advent of Islam in Indian subcontinent
Here we have to know who brought Islam to India? Advent of Islam in Indian subcontinent, during the lifetime of the Prophet Muhammad. The relation between Arabian peninsula and Indian subcontinent started long before the rise of Islam. When Islam came in the Arabian peninsula, its relations between Arab world and Indian subcontinent got a new form. Advent of Islam in Indian subcontinent and spreading if Islam in Indian subcontinent, based on some principles of tolerance, equality, justice, mutual respect, made the Islamization easy. This is the answer of a question that so many people wants to know that why Islam is growing in India? Islam entered India peacefully, through Kerala on the west coast of India, the region called Malabar by Arab traders. Arabs been trading since pre-Islamic days and they embraced Islam after the Prophet began preaching. They married the local women in Kerala and their offspring spread Islam to different parts of the south region of India. They were accompanied by Sufi saints who convened many people to Islam. This was therefore the first entry point of Islam into India or the answer of a question people asked often when did Islam spread in India ? Islam came into north India by the invasion by Muhammad bin Qasim, a young general sent by Yusuf bin Hajjaj, the governor of Bagdad during the Umayyad period in the later part of the seventh century A.D. Qasim’s invasion was followed by many others, including Shahabuddin Ghauri and Mahmud Ghaznavi. First mosque of India Cheraman Juma Mosque, is said to have been built in 629 CE by Malik Deenar. In Malabar coast, the Mappilas may have been the first community to convert to Islam in India. Under the Ghurids, the Muslim army reached the North Indian Plains, which lead to the establishment of the Islamic Delhi Sultanate(Slave dynasty) in 1206. Qutb-ud-din Aybak, became Sultan of Delhi.In Bengal Muhammad bin Bakhtiyar Khalji rule was established. Overall five dynasties ruled over Delhi one by one. Mamluks from 1206-1290 AD, Khilijis from 1290-1320 AD, Tughlaqs from 1320-1414 AD, Sayeeds from 1414-1451 AD and then Lodis from 1451-1526 AD. After the Lodis Mughal empire raised to power by defeating Ibrahim Lodi by Babbar. The Mugal empire ended by Britishers in 1857.So many other muslim kingdoms like Bahamani, Gujurat, Malwa, Bengal, Mysure Deccan sultanate, Karnatic,Nawabs of Awadh, Nijams of Hyderabad etc ruled over parts of India time to time.Then question was that how did Islam spread to the Indian subcontinent ? All these Muslim rulers forcibly spread Islam throughout India. Many atrocities were committed against Hindus, the largest section of the Indian society. They were subjected to various types of atrocities for not accepting Islam. There were many social and economic atrocities like Jizya tax, marriage tax, birth tax etc. Overall, from 1206 till India gained independence, all type of forces applied to strengthen Islam in the Indian society. Now Muslim percentage in India in 2024 is more than 14.2 as the figure according to 2011 census. Is Islam increasing in India ? Yes, according to various sources.
Impact of Islam on Indian Society
Impact of Islam on Indian Society is very widespread, as we know the Advent of Islam in Indian subcontinent for thousands of years, hence its influence is on social, political, art and culture also. The most important influence is a mixture of Hindu and Islamic societies. Which is seen in India’s art, culture, architecture, music, and language. This mixture reflects the diversity of India. During the Mughal period, especially during the reign of Akbar, the mixture of Hindu and Islam was at its peak. Religious tolerance and brotherhood had taken India to a new height.
Sufi saints have given a new direction to the Indian society soon after Advent of Islam in Indian subcontinent. Sufi tradition believes on connection between God and human directly. Yes, it is another matter that Islam has had different effects on different places in India. Which is probably due to the diversity found in different places of India. With the arrival of Islamic governance system in India, there have been major changes in the governance system of India. Whose impact reaches far. Role of Religion in Indian politics is crucial. The words of Parsi introduced by the Mughals are still visible in the administrative system of India.
Advent of Islam in Indian subcontinent has had some positive effects on the Indian society again it has also had some negative effects. The history of Islam in India does not appear to be a neat picture, the prove which we saw in 1947 and are seeing it even today. Muslims of Indian subcontinent like to show themselves as Arabic, Turkish or Persian rather than Indian, whereas most of the Indian subcontinent Muslims have converted. This means that the ancestors of most of the Muslims of Indian subcontinent were Hindus. They have blood relations with the Hindus who live in India today. In reality, the Muslims and Hindus of India are Biologically the same. But in the name of religion both are thirsty for each other’s blood. In 1947, Muslims broke India and creation of Pakistan happens. Lakhs of people were made homeless, lakhs of people were killed, land and property worth lakhs were snatched away. They no longer own their country which was theirs for thousands of years. India and Pakistan, which were one for thousands of years, have today become bloodthirsty in the name of religion. Lakhs and crores of rupees have been wasted in gunpowder in these 75 years. If that money had been used for its people, then imagine how far ahead this society would have been today.
Islam in today’s India is a beautiful painting on the saree of Bharat Mata. Wherever Hindus and Muslims live together, there is the smell of perfume, and where Hindus Muslim riot in the name of religion, there is the smell of blood and rotten flesh. It stinks. This is the India of 21st century. India has reached the moon but in this India even today old ideas like Hindu and Muslim are found. Bigotry has dominated humanity today.
Conclusion
So till now we have learned that Advent of Islam in Indian subcontinent is more than 1000 years old. Today Indian society and its citizens will be considered incomplete without Islam. India is a flower pot in which Hindus, Muslims, Sikhs, Christians, Buddhists, Jains and Parsis are all woven together like flowers. India is such a unique name which has been inhabited by humans since thousands of years. The body structure, food, drink and clothing of the people here have been the same for thousands of years. The climate here is similar and the people living here live a similar life. Scientifically, the people of India, whether Hindu or Muslim, are all the same. That is why no matter what the religion is, everyone should live the same life according to the climate of India. Which has been happening for thousands of years. But today some people are considering themselves separate from these people of this land for the sake of a religion, which is completely wrong. Indonesia has the world’s largest Muslim population and they consider themselves connected to their land. Unless we understand this, perhaps we cannot move forward. We should understand this as soon as possible otherwise it may be too late. I think so, am I wrong in thinking? Please think about it………..
FAQs
Q1- When did Islam come to India ?
ANS- Advent of Islam in Indian subcontinent, during the lifetime of the Prophet Muhammad by Arabs..
Q2- How many years Muslims ruled India?
ANS- Muslim rule in India was from 712 AD to 1947 approx…
Q3- When did Islam first appear?
ANS- 610 AD recorded as start if Islam.
Q4- Who built first mosque in India?
ANS- First mosque of India Cheraman Juma Mosque, is said to have been built in 629 CE by Malik Deenar.