Islamic invasion of India

The recorded history of Islam in connection with India begins in the 8th century, when the Arabs began invading north India and present day Pakistan, on the orders of Al-Hajjaj bin Yousef, the governor of Iraq. Muhammad bin Qasim's armies defeated Raja Dahir at what is now Hyderabad in Pakistan and established Islamic rule.

Qasim demolished many temples, shattered "idolatorous" artwork and killed many people in his battles. After the violence, he attempted to establish law and order in the newly-conquered territory through the imposition of Islamic Shariah laws. He also sought control through systematic persecution of Hindus. Qasim wrote an account of such experiences:

O my cousin; I received your life inspiring letter. I was much pleased and overjoyed when it reached me. The events were recounted in an excellent and beautiful style, and I learnt that the ways and rules you follow are conformable to the Law. Except that you give protection to all, great and small alike, and make no difference between enemy and friend. God says, 'Give no quarter to Infidels, but cut their throats." "Then know that this is the command of the great God. You should not be too ready to grant protection, because it will prolong your work. After this, give no quarter to any enemy except to those who are of rank. This is a worthy resolve, and want of dignity will not be imputed to you. Peace be with you [1]

Populations of conquered territories under Qasim underwent a great deal of hardship and struggle for their refusal to convert to Islam. Heavy taxes known as Jizya were imposed upon the non-muslims, and the conversion of conquered populations occurred on a large scale.

In the early eleventh century Mahmud of Ghazni launched seventeen invasions of the Hindu parts of India and set up several early forms of government. His armies destroyed Hindu temples in Varanasi, Mathura, Ujjain, Maheshwar, Jwalamukhi, and Dwarka. He had vowed to chastise idolaters every year of his life. He did not set up any permanent government in India, but he certainly left his legacy. Other invasions from Central Asia followed his on a regular basis, such as that of Muhammad Khilji, who burned Nalanda's a major Buddhist library. The rulers of these territories became known as the Mughals and their empire that covered a large portion of India is known as the Mughal Empire.

While some rulers were zealous in their spread of Islam, others were relatively liberal. A Moghul emperor, Akbar, was one who was relatively liberal and established a new religion, Din E Elahi, which included beliefs from different religions. He abolished the jizya for some time. In contrast, Aurangazeb was more zealous and, generally, during his term non-muslims suffered. He reimposed the jizya, which his great grandfather Akbar had removed. Some historical records state that under his rule some of the populace was put to death while others do not state this.

The spread of Islam in India was the result of immediate mass conversions. It took several centuries to finally spread Islam in all portions of India. Most Indian muslims who converted to Islam belonged to the Hindu fold and many of their ancestors embraced Islam under duress, although some did so under the influence of laws favoring Muslims. Besides these, there were also some converts who belonged to the ruling families of the different kingdoms of the region, many of whom were given little choice in the matter. Some of these rulers were hindus who actually belonged to the warrior castes of the Hindu society and were forcefully converted. The rulers of India also brought businessmen, traders, merchants and slaves from different parts of the world. Many of them married local Indians and converted them to Islam.

In his book The Story of Civilization the historian Will Durant said the invasion was "probably the bloodiest story in history ... a discouraging tale, for its evident moral is that civilization is a precious good, whose delicate complex order and freedom can at any moment be overthrown by barbarians invading from without and multiplying from within."

In his book Histoire de l'Inde the French historian Alain Danielou writes:

«À partir du moment où les Musulmans arrivent dans l'Inde, l'histoire de l'Inde n'a plus grand intérêt. C'est une longue et monotone série de meurtres, de massacres, de spoliations, de destructions.»

"As from the moment when the Moslems arrive in India, the history of India does not have any more great interest. It is long and monotonous series of murder, massacres, spoliations, destruction."

Prof. K.S. Lal calculated in his book The Growth of Muslim Population in India that between the years 1000 AD and 1500 AD the population of Hindus decreased by 80 Million.

Modern Influence

Islamic influence in India contributed to language, dress, cuisine, architecture and urban design, and social customs and values. Numerous scientific and mathematical advances and the Indian mathematical numerals were spread to the rest of the world [2]. The languages brought by Islam were modified by contact with local languages leading to the creation of several new languages, such as Urdu, which uses the modified Arabic script, but with more Persian words. The influences of these languages exist in several dialects in India today. Islamic and Mughal architecture and art is widely noticable in India, examples being the Taj Mahal and Qutub Minar. Some negative developements include the evolution of Sati and the purdah system.

Literature

Al-Biladhuri: Kitãb Futûh Al-Buldãn, translated into English by F.C. Murgotte, New York, 1924. See Goel's "Hindu Temples" for a list of 80 Muslim historians writing on the invasions.
Sita Ram Goel: Hindu Temples - What happened to them? 2 vols. ISBN 8185990492 Vol.1; Vol.2
Sita Ram Goel: The Story of Islamic Imperialism in India [3]
Durant, Will, The Story of Civilization, Vol. I, Our Oriental Heritage, New York, 1972.
Koenraad Elst: Negationism in India - Concealing the record of Islam [4], [5]
François Gautier: Rewriting Indian History Chapter 4, Chapter 5, doc-format
K.S. Lal: The Legacy of Muslim Rule in India [6]
K.S. Lal: The Growth of Muslim Population in India, Voice of India, New Delhi

Islamic invasion of India

Modern Influence

Literature

See Also

External links