India

India 

Islam had spread to India through successive waves of Muslim invaders, traders and migrants. In pre-Islamic times, Arab traders had been part of the vast trade network stretching from the Mediterranean Sea to the South China Sea. When these traders converted to Islam, they still continued to visit ports in India. Attacked once by pirates, Muhammad ibn Qasim sought revenge by attacking the area, the Indus valley. This area was declared provinces of the Umayyad Empire.



The trade routes previously established remained along with trade between all different civilizations. As a result of India's legendary wealth and Mahmud's desire to spread Islam, he had repeatedly raided the subcontinent and defeated confederations of Hindu princes one after another. Mahmud went deeper and deeper into India while searching for temples to loot.

When Muhammad of Ghur took control of the Indus valley and north India, Delhi was made the captial of the new Muslim empire. It's location in the very center of North India proclaimed that a Muslim dynasty was born in the middle of the sunbcontinent other than an extension of a Middle Eastern central Asian empire.



As Islam and Hinduism blended in India, it showed in the building of mosques. Many mosques built in India showed Islamic and Hindu architectural forms, building materials and artistic motifs blending together. Schools had also been built as well as tombs of Sufi mystics.

Most Indians who had converted to Islam were either from Buddhist or Hindu or low-caste groups. The low-caste groups, the untouchables, were attracted to Islam because of the different social hierarchy it promoted. Some "nonbelievers" chose to convert to Islam in order to avoid the head tax, which only effected nonbelievers, that Muslim rulers put in place. Islam also allowed things such as intermarriage between locals and migrants.



Buddhist and Hindus reacted differently to Islam in India. Although both Buddhists and Hindus had converted to Islam, Buddhists made up a large majority. Many Hindus had believed that Muslims would be absorbed by their religion when they had first entered the subcontinent. The two religion slowly mixed together. Eventually Hindus found that Islam would be impossible to absorbed due to the fact that large religion which appealed to many.

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Summary -

Spread of Islam in India

The spread of Islam to India had also come along with the expansion of the Islamic Empire. Through waves of Muslim invaders and Muhammad ibn Qasim’s taking of the Indus valley area, parts of India became under the Umayyad Empire’s rule.

Trade routes in India had existed long before Islam’s arrival. Routes had streched from the Mediterranean Sea to the South China Sea. With Muslim traders able to be found in many ports along this route, Islam was capable to spread easier due to the fact that Muslim traders would be more likely to trade with other Muslim traders. Rumor’s of India’s riches and wealth lead to Mahmud’s desire to spread Islam as well as looting temples further in the subcontinent. Future rulers of the Muslim empire also raided places in Northern India.

While moving to the north of India and defeating confederations of Hindu princes one after another, Delhi became the capital of the new Muslim Empire because if was in the center of India. By having Delhi as the capital as well as in the center of India, it would show that the Muslim dynasty was born rather than an extension of another empire.

Upon the arrival of Islam in India, many Hindus had believed that Muslims will be asborbed by their “superior” religion. With the spread of Islam to India, Hindu and Buddhist beliefs had eventually blended with Islamic beliefs. Many Hindus and Buddhists made up the majority of those who converted to Islam, along with a few people form the lower-caste. Other reasons to convert to Islam were to avoid the head tax that was established by Muslim rulers which only affected those who were nonbelievers or other special taxes. There had also been limited monastic supervision which caused a mini spiral downfall for Buddhism in India. The Muslim caste system differed from India’s where Muslims were at the top of the hierarchy if they were Arab, Turk, or Persian. High-caste Hindus who convert came next, followed by the artisan and merchant groups. The low n bottom of the hierarchy