Growth and Evolution of Islam in Indo Pak Subcontinent

WORK BY: G.M.ABRO

GROWTH AND EVOLUTION OF ISLAM IN

INDO-PAK SUB-CONTINENT
The glory and splendor, the solid achievement and the established traditions,
the sound administration and magnificent culture of the Muslims empire have
been the significant features of the Muslims history of the subcontinent.

INTRODUCTON:
Arabs, as traders entered the sub-continent within a two years after their
conversion to Islam. The Muslim traders played a very significant role in
preaching Islam in the subcontinent, as Hitti remarks that it has passed through
three distinct stages originally a religion, Islam later became a state and
finally a culture.
The Arab Muslims conquered Sindh in the seventh century A.D. Sea faring and
maritime interest of the Arabs on the coast of India were considerable even
before Islam: and under a centralized government of Umayyad, the commercial
activities expanded in the subcontinent. Mohammad bin Qasim, the conqueror
of Sindh made Sindh Dar-ul-islam and based his policy on the Sharia; the laws
of Islam. The majority of converts who entered the fold of Islam belonged to
lower caste of Hindus to whom Islam at once brought that social equality which
Hinduism had denied them from a long time. Arab missionary activities also
played a significant role in the large scale conversion of Hindus. As T.W. Arnold
says, But for the arrival of the Portuguese, the whole of this coast would have
become Mohammedan.Feroze Shah Tughlaq in his autobiography writes, I
encouraged my infidel subjects to embrace the religion of the Prophet. The
new converts were favoured with presents and honours.

TRADERS AND GROWTH OF ISLAM:

Islamic influence first came to be felt in the Indian sub-continent during the
early 7th century with the advent of Arab traders. Arab traders used to visit
the Malabar region , which was a link between them and the ports of SouthEast Asia to trade even before Islam had been established in Arabia. According
to Historians Elliot and Dowson in their book the history of Indians as told by
their historians, the first ship bearing Muslim travelers was seen on the Indian
coast as early as 630 AD. H.G. Rawlinson, in his book: Ancient and Medieval
History of India y J. Sturrock claims the first Arab Muslims settled on the Indian
coast in the last part of the 7th century AD.
The Arab merchants and traders became the carriers of the new religion and
they propagated it wherever they went. However, it was the Muslim conquests
in Persia, including the provinces of Kirman and Makran, which brought the
Arabs face to face with the then ruler of Sindh, who had allied with the ruler of
Growth and Evolution of Islam in Indo Pak Subcontinent

Makran against the Muslims. But, it was not until the sea borne trade of the
Arabs in the Indian Ocean was jeopardized that serious attempts were made to
subjugate Sindh.

Bab-ul-Islam: The invasion of Muhammad bin Qasim ushered the way for
spread of Islam in sub-continent.But,to say that the invasions were reasons of
spread of Islam is absolutely wrong because if it so then why Halaku khan could
not succeed in spreading Buddhism anywhere in the World?

Preaching of Islam:
History is witness that there were some major groups of elements who
preached, propagated and popularized Islam. Among them were Sufis, Ulemas
and reformers. All are discussed below in detail:

A: SUFIS:
IN the Subcontinent, the Sufis made untiring, selfless and incessant struggle for
the spread, growth and evolution of Islam. The spread of Islam stems from the
invasion of Muhammad Bin Qasim in the Subcontinent, but roots of Sufism took
shape and became an institution in the 12th and 13th century. The two great
pioneers in this filed were Shaikh Abdul Qadir Jilani and Hazrat Shahabuddin
Suharawardy. Four branches of Sufism, namely Qadriya, Chishtiya,
Suharawardya and Naqshahbandya were introduced in the Subcontinent can be
traced to the time when the first Sufi, Muhammad Alfi, came to the
Subcontinent. It was their affection, sympathy, fraternity and unlimited
philanthropist actions that won the hearts of people.

1. Shaikh Ismail Bukhari: CENTRE: CENTRAL PUNJAB (LAHORE)

Due to his attractive personality people accepted Islam in large number.

Thousands of Hindus attended his sermons every Friday and it was generally
believed that no unbeliever came into personal contact with him without being
converted to Islam.

2. KHAWAJA MUIN-UDIN CHISHTI: CENTRE: RAJISTHAN(AJMER)

A Great Sufi, popularly known as khowaja Ajmeri converted thousands of nonMuslims to Islam. While in Delhi on his way to Ajmer he is said to have
converted Seven hundred Hindus to Islam. He also introduced Chishtya silsila
in India.

3. BAHA-UD-DIN ZAKARIA: CENTRE: SOUTH-EAST PUNJAB(MULTAN)

A highly educated person, Bahaudin Zakaria was the founder of SHORWARDI

silsila in India. His alluring personality and policy of public welfare impressed
non-Muslims to embrace Islam at a grandiose scale.

4. FARID AL-DIN GANJ SHAKAR: CENTRE: FAR-NORTH-INDIA(PAKPATAN)

Farid was an eloquent Panjabi poet. With his elegant speech and wide spread

Growth and Evolution of Islam in Indo Pak Subcontinent

message of peace, he became successful in winning hearts of non-Muslims.

5. NIZAM-UDIN-AULYA: CENTRE: NORTH-INDIA (DELHI)

His vision of the world was marked by a highly evolved sense of secularity and
kindness. Historiographer Ziauddin Barani claims that his influence on the
Muslims of Delhi was such that a paradigm shift was affected in their outlook
towards worldly matters. People began to be inclined towards mysticism and
Islam. His disciple Amir Khusro was reason of introducing new modes to Sufism,
say Qawali.

6. ALI MAKHDOOM HAJWERI:

Hazrat Ali Bin Osman Hujweri, popularly known as Data Ganj Bux. He was
leading Sufi philosophers of the day. He did immense missionary work in his
individual capacity and set an outstanding example for future generations.
Above all, it was the sheer straggle of the Sufis which paved the way for the
future Islamic state in the Subcontinent. Had the Sufis shunned their practice
of Islamic teachings in the 13th and 14th century, it would have been difficult
to implant a Muslim civilization in the country where a well-organized Hindu
community had lived for centuries

B.ULEMAS:

There were many disruptive forces at work in the Muslim community of postAurangzeb India. This was a period of social and political disintegration of
Muslim India which was intensified by Hindus nationalism. This political
situation was capriciously dealt by many Ulemas.

SHAH WALIULLAH:

Shah Walliullah found not only political but also spiritual downfall of the
Muslims of India. The greatest and the most poisonous of them was the
sectarian differences, between the Sunnis and Shias.Besides, economic and
social factors were also responsible for that breakdown. He thought his first
duty as a reformer was to reinterpret Islamic values. Shah Waliullah went back
to the original sources of the Islamic law, the Quran and the Hadith.The sociopolitical condition of the Muslims also needed reforms. On economic front,
Shah suggests that basic needs and requirements of human life should be
fulfilled and the institutional development was essential.
However, apart from Shah Walliullah, there were many prominent Ulemas who
did brilliant work for work of Islam and Muslim community. Among them,
Sheikh Ahmed Sirhindi (Mujadid Alif Sani) and Sheikh Abdul Haq were
noteworthy.

C: CLERGY AND GROWTH OF ISLAM:

The Islamic clergy also paved the way for growth of Islam in sub-continent.
Growth and Evolution of Islam in Indo Pak Subcontinent

Using their Friday sermons and power to issue fatwas they were able to
exercise greater influence on the polity than were Hindu priests. With the
rulers on their side, it was much harder to challenge them. Hence, there was a
systematic cycle of Islamic preaching and way of life, which attracted liberal
non-Muslims.

D: REFORMERS:
SIR SYED AHMED KHAN:

The whole blame and repercussions of war of independence fell over Muslims.
The revolutionary personality took the task. According to the need of time, the
policy of Sir Syed was based on unquestioned loyalty to the British government.
He was the earliest modernist in the history of Islamic thought. When in 1867,
the Hindi-Urdu controversy started, Sir Syed gave the idea of TWO-NATION
THEORY.Religiously,English missionaries produced literature designed to
create doubts in the mind of the average Muslim. He managed to interpret
those thoughts for western education with interest of Muslim nation. To save
the Muslim from the charges of disloyalty and also raising the intellectual level
of Mulsims,Sir Syed wrote immensely: loyal Mohammedans of India; a
magazine tahzib-ul-akhlaq.His biggest achievement was creation a British
Indian Association Aligarh(which later resulted in creation of ALL-INDIA MUSLIM
LEAGUE) and Aligarh movement.
IQBAL: The poet philosopher Iqbal played an important role in stipulating the
spirit into the Muslim nation in Indo-Pak. He became the greatest exponent of
the Muslim Milat of the subcontinent. His words were mighter then sword. For
awakening the Muslims from dead sleep, he says:
And for stressing unity in Muslim nation, he says:
Thus, though reformers like Iqbal were modern and final architecture of Muslim
nation but their role in building a nation is liable for tribute.

E: RULERS AND GROWTH OF ISLAM:

Islam in sub-continent grew more strongly because of Islamic rule there.But, at

the same time, it is wrong to assume that if missionaries had not received a
fresh impulse under the Muslim dynasties, its propagation would have been
Growth and Evolution of Islam in Indo Pak Subcontinent

checked. Islam grew more and more with or without the backing of political
power to it, especially during the British rule. According to the Census report
of 1891: It is satisfactorily proved that since last twenty years, out of very
10,000 persons in Bengal, Islam has gained 650 persons.So,lets have a look that
how MUSLIM rule helped in growth and evolution of Islam.

INVASION OF INDIA:
With the political factor as reasondetre of invasion of Hindustan, Muhammad
bin Qasim established first ever Muslim rule in India. Thus starts the history of
Muslim rule in India.

POLICIES OF MUSLM RULERS FOR ISLAM:

It is noteworthy to observe that the how the Muslim rulers supported the
elements which were ingredients for growth and evolution in Islam. Lets check
the few examples:
A: SULTAN Mohammad Toghluq transferred numerous saints and Sufis to
Daulatabad.
B: Masud, the son of Sultan Mahmud while coming to Lahore, brought with him
Sufis like Ali Makhdum Hajweri of Ghazni.
C: Sher Shah Suri in his short reign played a particularly decisive role in
creating several new urban centers particularly like Delhi and Rohtas.These
urban centers were viewed as MUSLIM COLONIES.
E: Rulers like Ahmed Shah of Ahmadabad or Adil Shah of Bijapur maintained a
relatively close connection with indigenous traditions. Ahmed Shah
incorporated Hindu and Jain architectural motifs into his buildings without
inhibition.
F: Mughal rulers like Akbar and Jahangir tried to be eclectic in their tastes, and
others like the Deccan rulers encouraged unique local-flavored styles. Some of
the more enlightened Islamic rulers invested in vital public works. This
pretended them to be more an Indian ruler then a Muslim ruler.Thus, their nonMuslim subjects had good courtesy towards them and this helped in spread of
Islam.

OTHER FACTORS:
ECONOMIC POLICY AND EVOLUTION OF M.SOCIETY
Agriculturally developed societies played a crucial role in this transformation.

Growth and Evolution of Islam in Indo Pak Subcontinent

The interests of the mercantile community were such that they wished
agricultural taxes to be high but trade duties to be low. By and large, Islamic
rulers implemented exactly such a regime. This enabled the founding of new
trading and manufacturing centers that emerged wherever Islam took hold. For
the desert areas of the world, Islam came as a big boon - providing wealth from
trade that would have been unimaginable considering the poverty of the
natural landscape.

CULTURE,ARCHITECTURE AND TECHNOLOGY FOR CAUSE OF ISLAM:

The growth in migration, trade and development of Hindustan ushered the
Muslim community and Islam in Hindustan. That is why historian call things like
indo-Islamic culture/architecture. In culture,. In architecture, the use of
ceramic tiles in construction was inspired by architectural traditions prevalent
in Iraq, Iran, and in Central Asia. In technology, there is also the example of
Sultan Abudin (1420-70) sending Kashmiri artisans to Samarqand to learn bookbinding and paper making. Many Islamic rulers developed Karkhanas - i.e. small
factories during their reign. Towns were hub of in particular
industries.Like,Mirzapur for carpets, Firozabad for glass wares, Farrukhabad for
printing, Lucknow for barware, Srinagar for papier-mch, Benaras for jewelry
and textiles, and so on.

Flaws in Hinduism; a blessing in Disguise:

The social evils of Hindu society and the peaceful efforts of Muslim missionaries
were the main causes of conversion to Islam. Hinduism had evils such as
notorious caste system and social lacks. At this front, Islam was viewed as sigh
of relief and complete code of conduct particularly for low-caste Hindus and
Buddhists.
CONCLUSION: UPTO THE CANDIDATE.

Growth and Evolution of Islam in Indo Pak Subcontinent