Islam in South Asia

Introduction Foreigners had long been entering India Many converted to Hindu religion, found a place in the caste system, adopted the dress, and food When Muslims invaded in the late 7th century, for the first time, Indians had encountered a civilization and culture as sophisticated and ancient as their own

The First Political Divisions In 711, Muslims came in contact with Indian Civilization Muslim traders visited the ports of India An area in India – Sind – came under fire Pirates sailing from Sind on ships owned by Arabs attacked another Arab fleet The Umayyad’s then invaded Sind and took control All of this was done under the leadership of Muhammad ibn Qasim

Indian Influence on Arabs Islamic civilization was enriched by this new culture Arab thinkers began to use Indian numerals which were then passed on to Europeans and given the name “Arabic Numerals” Arabs studied Indian work on medicine and music Alchemy, palmistry, musical instruments, and even the game of chess were imported to the Muslim world

Soon, Muslims were imitating Indian dress, hairstyles, foods, riding of elephants, building styles, and art

The 2nd Invasions… Little territory was added after Qasim Then in 962, Turkish military force from Afghanistan took control of Northern India Their ruler – Mahmud of Ghazni – led a series of expeditions that included Muslim raiding of Indian regions This raid was followed by Muhammad of Ghur – he solidified control in the North

After his assassination, Qutb-ud-din Aibak seized power The new capital of the Muslim Empire in India would be in Delhi – it was located in the center of India The Arab leaders then called themselves: “sultans of Delhi”