Islam in India

1
Islam in India

• What was pre-Islamic India like?
• Very prosperous!
• Not very united
• India usually assimilated groups of invaders or
  intruders
• Islamic Civilization was more sophisticated than
  earlier invaders, though it clashed with Hinduism

2
How did Islam spread to India?

• Trade began between Arabia and western India
• Pirates/War/India
• The Indus region seized over this conflict
• Added to Islamic Empire
• Religious freedom preserved
• Arabs ran the govt. but were a tiny minority
• Indian Hindus held many govt. positions!

3
What did the Muslims learn from Hindu India?

• Science, Math, Astronomy, Medicine, Music and
  Architecture!
• Many Indian scientists traveled to Baghdad
• Math, Algebra and Geometry was translated into
  Arabic
• Hindu numerals were adopted and would later be
  adopted by the West!

4
Did the Muslims hold on to their territory for
long?

• No! A gradual Hindu reconquest slowly gathered
  momentum.
• Did the Muslims ever come back? Yes
• When? The 11th and 12 th centuries
• This state was called the Sultanate of Delhi
• The Sultanate was independent of other Muslim
  states

5
How brutal was conversion to Islam?

• Not brutal at all
• Merchants and Sufi Mystics did most of the
  converting of Indians to Islam
• Western and Eastern sections of India were
  converted to Islam
• Many low caste groups and Buddhists converted
• Equality before God appealed to some

6
What was the Hindu perspective on this whole
thing?

• Viewed Islam as an upstart and inferior faith
• Hindus and Muslims mixed socially very little
• They (Upper caste) were not wild about Islam but
  did serve in the Government
• The Hindu movement bhakti served to stem the tide
  of Muslim conversion

7
How much did the Muslims influence the Hindus?

• It was the other way around!
• Muslims adopted many Hindu customs
• What are some examples of this?
• The sati
• Coins with Hindu gods
• Hindu ideas about lower class people
• Marriage ages and a regal style

8
Was India the farthest extent of Islamic
influence?

• No! Muslim traders also spread their religion to
  Southeast Asia and the South Pacific
• These conversions were peaceful
• It was good for business to convert to Islam due
  to Islamic law
• Many pre-Islamic traditions were retained