Islam in India is the second-most practiced religion after Hinduism. There are approximately 151 million Muslims in India (according to government census 2001)* i.e.* 13.4% of the population..Currently* India has the third largest population of Muslims in the world (
The emergence of Islam in the region is concurrent with the Turko-Muslim invasion of medieval India (which includes large parts of present day Pakistan and the Republic of India)* where these rulers took over the administration of large parts of India. Since its introduction into India* Islam has made significant religious* artistic* philosophical* cultural* social and political influences to Indian history.
In modern times the Muslims of South Asia have had a turbulent history within the region. After the Lahore Resolution of 1946* Muslim League politicians achieved a Muslim-majority state known as Pakistan after independence from British rule. In modern times* the Muslim populations of India and Pakistan are roughly even. The previous President of India* APJ Abdul Kalam* two more before him* and numerous other politicians are Muslims* as are numerous sports and film celebrities within India. Isolated incidences of violence nonetheless have occurred between the Muslim populations and the Hindu* Sikh and Christian populations.
Contrary to popular belief* Islam came to South Asia long before Muslim invasions of India. Islamic influence first came to be felt in the early 7th century with the advent of Arab traders. Trade relations between Arabia and the subcontinent are very ancient. Arab traders used to visit the Malabar region* which was a link between them and ports of South East Asia* to trade even before Islam had been established in Arabia. According to Historians Elliot and Dowson in their book The History of India as told by its own 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 claims the first Arab Muslims settled on the Indian coast in the last part of the 7th century AD. Shaykh Zainuddin Makhdum’s “Tuhfat al-Mujahidin” also is a reliable work.This fact is corroborated* by J. Sturrock in his South Kanara and Madras Districts Manual* and also by Haridas Bhattacharya in Cultural Heritage of India Vol. IV. It was with the advent of Islam that the Arabs became a prominent cultural force in the world. The Arab merchants and traders became the carriers of the new religion and they propagated it wherever they went.
The first Indian mosque was built in 612 A.D* at the behest of Cheraman Perumal* during the life time of Muhammad (c. 571–632) in Kodungallur by Malik Bin Deenar.
In Malabar the Mappilas may have been the first community to convert to Islam because they were more closely connected with the Arabs than others. Intensive missionary activities were carried out along the coast and a number of natives also embraced Islam. These new converts were now added to the Mappila community. Thus among the Mapilas* we find* both the descendants of the Arabs through local women and the converts from among the local people
In the 8th century* the province of Sindh (Pakistan) was conquered by Syrian Arabs led by Muhammad bin Qasim. Sindh became the easternmost province of the Umayyad Caliphate.
In the first half of the 10th century* Mahmud of Ghazni added the Punjab to the Ghaznavid Empire and conducted several raids deeper into modern day India. A more successful invasion came at the end of the 12th century by Muhammad of Ghor. This eventually led to the formation of the Delhi Sultanate.
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Originally Posted by عاشقة الإنشاد
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