Advent of Islam in the Sub-Continent

The last Prophet of Islam, Prophet Muhammad (SAW), completely changed the intellectualoutlo
ok of Arabia. Within a span of 23 years he transformed the barbarous and impious Arabs into a
civilized and religious nation. During his life and also after his death, Muslims took the message
of Islam to every corner of the world and within a few years Muslims became the
super power of the era.

1. Trade relations between Arab and sub-continent

Long before the advent of Islam in Arabia, the Arabs used to visit the coast of Southern
India. After the Arab traders became Muslim, they brought Islam to South Asia. A number of
local Indians living in the coastal areas embraced Islam. 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 Makran against the Muslims.

2. Causes of Sindh Invasion

During the reign of the great Umayyad Caliph Walid bin Abdul Malik, Hajjaj bin Yousaf was
appointed as the governor of the Eastern Provinces. At that time, Raja Dahir, a Brahman, ruled
Sindh. However, the majority of the people living in the region were Shudders or Buddhists.
Dahir treated members of these denominations inhumanly. Sindhi pirates, protected by Dahir,
were active on the coastal areas and whenever they got a chance, they plundered the ships
passing by Daibul. During those times, some Muslim traders living in Ceylon died and the ruler
of Ceylon sent their families back to Baghdad Along with many valuable presents for Walid
and Hajjaj by sea. As the eight-ship caravan passed by the seaport of Daibul, Sindhi pirates
looted it and took the women and children prisoner. When news of this attack reached Hajjaj, he
demanded that Dahir return the Muslim captives, the looted items and the culprits be punished.
Dahir replied that he had no control over the pirates and was, therefore, powerless to rebuke
them. On this Hajjaj decided to invade Sindh. Two small expeditions sent by him failed to
accomplish their goal. Hajjaj decided to undertake a huge offensive against Dahir, who was
patronizing the pirates.
 3. Sindh Invasion by Muhammad Bin Qasim
In 712, Hajjaj sent 6,000 selected Syrian and Iraqi soliders with
a baggage train of 3,000 camels to Sindh under the command of his seventeen years
nephew and son in law, Imad-ud-din Muhammad bin Qasim. He also had a 'manjaniq',
or catapult, which was operated by 500 men and could throw large stones a great distance. On
his way, additional forces from Makran and a good number of Jats and Meds joined him.
Muhammad bin Qasim first captured Daibul. He then turned towards Nirun. After a fierce
struggle, Dahir was overpowered and killed. Raor fell into the hands of the Muslims. The Arab
forces then occupied Alor and proceeded towards Multan. Along the way, the Sikka fortress,
situated on the bank of the Ravi, was also occupied. The Hindu ruler of Multan offered resistance
for two months after which the Hindus were overpowered and defeated. Prior to this,
Muhammad bin Qasim had taken Brahmanabad and a few other important towns of Sindh.
Muhammad bin Qasim was planning to proceed forward when the new Caliph
Suleman bin Abdul Malik recalled him. After the departure of Muhammad bin Qasim, different 
Muslim generals declared their independence at different areas.

4. Spread of Islam
Muhammad bin Qasim conquered Sindh followed a lenient policy and treated the local
population generously. Everyone had full religious freedom and even the spiritual leaders of
local religions were given salaries from the government fund. Local people were allowed to hold
offices. All taxes were abolished and Jazia was imposed. Everyone was treated equally. Poor
people, especially Buddhists, were very impressed by his policies and many of them embraced
Islam. A number of Mosques and Madrasas were constructed in important towns.
Sindh became a center of Islamic learning. A number of religious scholars, writers and poets wer
eemerged and they spread their knowledge. The Muslims learned Indian sciences like medicine,
astronomy and mathematics. Sanskrit books on various subjects were translated into Arabic.

5. Ghaznavid Rule (977-1186)

In the 10th Century Turks invaded the Sub-continent through renowned Khyber Pass. The most
important of them was Mahmud of Ghazni, the son of Sabuktagin the great General. Mahmud
ruled the sub-continent from 997 A.D. He wanted to expand his rule across India and attacked
seventeen times in this regard. He became known as an Idol Breaker after the destruction of
Somnath temple.

6. Ghauri rule (From 1192 AD)

Muizz-ud-din Muhammad bin Sam, known as Shahab-ud-din Muhammad Ghuri is among the
one who played a paramount role in the establishment of Muslim rule, especially in North India.
He defeated the fearsome army of Prithvi Raj Chauhan in 1192 in the second battle of Tarain. He
had has the credit to establish the first Muslim in Delhi.

7. Delhi Sultanate
From 1206 to 1526 A.D Delhi Sultanate rose to power

1. Slave Dynasty (1206-1290): Founded by Qutbudin Abik, was a Turkic ex-slave of

Ghauri. He established his Capital first at Lahore and then at Delhi.
2. Khilji Dynasty (1290-1320): Founded by Jalaludin Khilji that ruled northern Indian and
the Deccan from their capital at Delhi.
3. Tuqluq Dynasty (1320-1414): This dynasty was of Turkic origin and Mahmud was the
last ruler.
4. Sayyid Dynasty (1414-1451): Founded by Sayyid Khizar Khan.
5. Lodhi Dynasty (1451-1526): Founded by Bahlol Lodhi. Lodhis were Afghans.

8. Role of Delhi sultanate in Spreading Islam

By the time the Muslim Empire was established at Delhi, Sufi fraternities had come into being
and the Sufi influence was far more powerful. The two great fraternities
that established themselves in Muslim India were the Suhrawardiyah and the Chishtiyah. The
Suhrawardiyah order was founded by Sheikh Ab-al-Najib Suhrawardi (1097 -1162) and was
introduced into Muslim India by Sheikh Baha-ud-din Zakariya (1182 - 1268) of Multan. With
Multan as its center the Silsilah became dominant in the areas that now constitute Pakistan.
Hadrat Khawaja Muin-ud-din introduced the Chishtiyah Silsilah in the Sub-continent. He settled
in Ajmer. He established the first Sufi Silsilah in the Indian sub-continent. Khawaja Muin-ud-
din Ajmeri's chief disciple, Khawaja Qutb-ud-din Bakhtiyar Kaki, who lived at Delhi, was held
in high esteem by Iltutmush. Baba Farid who was the disciple of Khawaja Qutb-ud-din Bakhtiyar
Kaki, decided to settle in Punjab. The Chishtiyah order remained the most popular order during
the Sultanate period. Baba Farid appointed Sheikh Nizam-ud-din Auliya (1238 - 1325) as his
Khalifah, who trained a group of Sufis for the propagation of Islam in Gujarat, the Deccan and
Bengal. Earlier, Sheikh Ali Hajweri, popularly known as Data Ganj Baksh, came from Ghazni to
Lahore a few days after the death of Sultan Mahmud. He is mainly responsible for the
propagation of Islam in Punjab. The disciple of Sheikh Baha-ud-din Zakariya, Syed Jalal-ud-
din Bukhari, popularly known as Mukhdum Jahanian Jahangasht, was one of the most important
saints of the Suhrawardiyah order. He played an important part in the propagation of Islam in
Sindh. Shah Jalal came from Turkey and was a great Suhrawardi saint of Bengal. Due to his
missionary activities, Islam gained good ground in Sylhet. Sheikh Ala-ul-Haq and his son Nur
Qutb Alam established new orders after their names in Bengal.

9. Mughal Rule
Mughals, led by Zaheer-ud-Din Babar entered India in 1526 A.D and remained in power, though
nominally, till 1857. The Babar defeated Ibrahim Lodhi in the first battle of panipat in 1526.
Then Hamayun defeated Bahadar shah in 1535 and captured Gujrat. Then Sher khan defeated
Hamayun in 1539 and died in 1545. After his death, in 1555 the Hamayun recaptured. The Akbar
reestablished the Mughal Empire in the 2nd battle of panipat in 1556 with Hemubikal. The
Glorious period of Shah Jahan started in 1628 and he permitted the English merchants to set up
the trading ports in Surat (1632). After that Aurangzaib Almghur came in 1658 who compiled
Fatawal Alamgiri. The Mughal epoch is particularly known as the period of Muslim architecture,
literature and gave a boost to religious reformists and saints such as Sheikh Ahmad Sirhindi,
Shah Walliullah, Sheikh Farid-ud-Din Ganj Shakar, Nizam-ud-Din Chishty, etc.

10. Impact of Islam

Islam left profound effects on minds of people of the Sub-continent. Islam completely changed
the living standard and style of thinking of the people of the Sub-continent. The Muslim society
gave a welcome fillip to the cultural, economic and, social development in the Sub-continent and
boosted inter-religious harmony as well. Turks introduced Persian language which intermingled
with Arabic and other local languages gave birth to several new languages including Urdu.
Though the Muslim society experienced ups and downs throughout the history, yet it yielded
positive effects on the minds of people at large in Indo-Pak Sub-continent.
Mujadad Alaf Sani

Introduction
The first of the great reformers, Sheikh Ahmad Sarhindi al-Farooqi an-Naqshbandi, was born in
Sarhind on June 26, 1564. He belonged to a devout Muslim family that claimed descent from
Hazrat Umar Farooq (RA). His father Sheikh Abdul Ahad was a well-known sufi of his times.
Sheikh Ahmad received his basic education at home. His initial instructions in the Holy Quran,
Hadith and theology were rendered in Sarhind and Sialkot. Later, he devoted most of his time to
the study of Hadith, Tafseer and philosophy. He worked for some time in Lahore as well. But the
greater part of his life was spent in Sarhind, where he was to become the champion of Islamic
values. It was not until he was 36 years old that he went to Delhi and joined the Naqshbandiya
Silsilah under the discipleship of Khawaja Baqi Billah.

1. Successful Jihad against Deen-e-Elahi

During this period the Muslims in India had become so deficient in the knowledge of true Islam
that they had more belief in Karamat or miracles of the saints than Islamic teachings. The Ulema
and theologians of the time had ceased to refer to the Quran and Hadith in their commentaries,
and considered jurisprudence the only religious knowledge. Akbar, the Mughal king had started
a series of experiments with Islam, propagating his own religion Din-i-Ilahi, an amalgamation of
Hindu and Muslim beliefs. During Akbar's reign, emperor married hindu princesses and adopted
hindu customs. In these circumstances, Sheikh Ahmad set upon himself the task of purifying the
Muslim society. His aim was to rid Islam of the accretions of Hindu Pantheism. He was highly
critical of the philosophy of Wahdat-ul Wujud, against which he gave his philosophy of Wahdat-
ush-Shuhud. However the Mujaddid succeeded in his efforts at last and As soon as Akbar died
Jahangir cancelled all those orders of his father which were against the spirit of Islam and thus
Deen-e-Elahi came to an ignoble end.

2. Refusal to prostrate before Jahangir

Jahangir ascended the throne; Sheikh Ahmed Sarhindi came out to reform and to do away with
all Islamic practices and beliefs initiated by Akbar among the Muslims. Sheikh Ahmed Sarhindi
never entered into any political conflict directly. He wrote letters to all the nobles' of Jahangir's
court. Most of them were the same who were present in Akbar's court. The opponents of Sheikh
also came out and he was dubbed as an atheist by them. So Sheikh was summoned to the court of
Jahangir and was asked to bend down. He was so rigid in his approach towards Islam that he did
not bend before the emperor as per the prevalent custom. His plea that bending down before
anyone except Allah was un-Islamic annoyed Jahangir, who ordered for his imprisonment in the
Fort of Gawaliar for two years due to his discourteous behavior.

3. Preaching of Islam during the Imprisonment in Gawaliar's Fort

Hazrat Mujaddid continued preaching of Islam during the imprisonment in the Fort of Gawaliar.
Due to his efforts thousands Non-Muslims accepted Islam. After a year however, Jahangir under
the influence of his Islamic writings released him from jail and offered huge gifts to him. The
king befriended and respected the Sheikh. He listened to his advices. After Maghrib prayers the
king would grant him special audience where Sheikh would talk about religious affairs to
Jahangir. He asked his son Shah Jahan to become a spiritual disciple of the Sheikh.

4. Wahdat-al-Shuhud
The philosophy of Wahdat-al-wujud was presented by some Sufis of Akbar's time. They
believed that the entire universe is the symbol of Almighty God and a source of revelation of
God's sovereignty. He vehemently opposed the Sufi doctrine of Wahdat- al-Wujud which
maintained, that real Being is Allah and we are all His manifestations. This approach resulted in
bringing about greater unity among people of different religion, race and tribe.

5. Books and Magazines (Risala)

He wrote many books, including his famous works, Isbat-ul-Nabat and Risal-i-Nabuwat. In these
works the need and importance of prophet hood was described. His greatest work on Islamic
philosophy was the Tauheed-i-Shuhudi. Sheikh Ahmed continued preaching Islam till the end of
his days.

6. Two Nation Theory

Mujaddid Alif Sani cleared on the Muslims that they were the separate nation from Hindus and
nothing was common in them. Therefore, the Muslim should keep themselves distinct from
Hindus with reference to food, dress, social custom and way of life. With this declaration, he
founded the first stone of Two Nation Theory in Indo-Pak subcontinent which led to the success
of Pakistan Movement and establishment of Pakistan. That's why Hazrat Mujaddid was rightly
called First Founder of Pakistan.

Conclusion
The efforts of Sheikh Ahmed to purify the religious and practical life of the Muslims left an
indelible impact on the history of Muslim India. Hazrat Mujaddid Alf Sani was the most
powerful religious personality in the history of sub-continent who opposed Akbar and thereby
invited his wrath. He was a widely read scholar and a magnetic orator. He got an opportunity in a
liberal atmosphere in Jahangir's reign to use his powerful pen to denounce Akbar's religious
innovations. He is considered as a pioneer of Muslim self-assertion by denouncing Un-Islamic
practices.

Shah-Wali-Ullah

Introduction
Shah-Wali-Ullah was a revolutionary of 18th century. Shah-Wali-Ullah was born in 1703.He
belonged to a family of religious preachers. He was raised up in an environment where people
use to have discourses on Quran, shariah, Muslim morality and social values. His father was a
religious scholar of repute. Madrasa Rahimia was established by father of Shah-Wali-Ullah,
Shah-Abdur-Rahim in Delhi. This madrasa served the Muslims of Northern India. Shah-Wali-
Ullah received his early education from the same college. After graduating he started to teach
over there. He continued teaching till 1730 when he went to Saudi Arabia for further studies in
theology. There he spent more than a year. During his stay there he met Sheikh-Abu-Tahir-bin-
Ibrahim for whom he had great regard. Here turned to sub-continent with a vividaimin his mind
to serve the Muslims of sub-continent and Islam. When he was just 4 years old in1707 the last
Mughal Emperor Aurangzeb Alamgir died and the history of sub-continent took a new turn and
the power and social status of Muslims in sub-continent started to decline. Since his death the
political decline of Mughal sand social decline of Muslims started and it is still declining. Shah-
Wali-Ullah experienced this decline a she grew up and was worried about it. Throughout his life
he wanted to revive Islam and the status of Muslims in the subcontinent he tried to solve
problems faced by Muslims systematically.

Weaknesses of Muslims of subcontinent: (Realized by Shah-Wali-Ullah).

I. Muslims were not following Islam according to its true teaching because they didn’t
understand it properly.
II. Muslims were divided among themselves on the basis of different sects.
III. Muslims were indulging themselves in the luxuries of life.
IV. Muslims were losing status and their rule in Sub continent because of loss of political
power.

1. Religious Reforms
a) Translation of the Holy Quran: Shah-Wali-Ullah believed that Holy Quran was not
understandable to all the readers because of the language barrier. Shah Wali Ullah was
the first in the subcontinent who translated the Holy Quran into Persian language for
better understanding of the holy book. He believed that it would be easy for Muslims to
understand.
b) Explanation of Muatta
 The life and traditions of prophets were the second source of Islamic teachings.
 He established schools for the study of Hadith.
 He selected “Imam Maliki's Muatta” as the most authentic collection of the
Hadith.
c) Synthesis of different schools of thought: He wrote “Al-Insaf-fi-Bayan Sahab al
Ikhtalaf,” in order to create a balance between the four schools of thought. His object was
to alleviate the deteriorating condition of the Muslim society and to defend it from
external threats.
d) Emphasis on Ijtehad: Shah Wali Ullah was the first person to emphasize the importance
of Ijtehad and denounced blind Taqlid for the solution of intricate problems in everyday
life. He presented Islam in a more rational way to make it acceptable to a larger number
of people.
 e) Efforts for the Revival of Islam: He was against the limited universality of the applications
of the injunctions of the Quran. He tried to resolve the controversies among various schools of
thoughts and gave a new life to the spirit of Islam.
f) Promotion of Madarras Rahimiya: He rendered great services to Islam by the
promotion of Madarrasah Rahimiya.

2. Economic Reforms
In his famous book “Hijjat-ul-Balagh,” he pointed out that social and economic factors were
responsible for the problems in human society.

a) The working and poor class was being exploited but the noble, ulema and rulers were
being fed on the public treasury without performing their corresponding duties. Shah
Wali Ullah raised his voice for the Economic equilibrium, Removal of inequalities and
equitable distribution of resources. He appealed to the classes concerned responsible to
realize their responsibilities and duties towards the people.

b) Heavy taxation on peasants, merchants, and workers, with the result that tax evasion was
rampant. According to Shah Wali Ullah, a state can prosper only if there were light and
reasonable taxes.

3. Political Reforms
His main political agenda was a retain Mughal Empire. The rise of Marhattas and Sikhs has
posed serious problems in the Muslim Rulers. He wanted to remove Marhattas from Delhi. Shah
Wali Ullah wrote many letters to “Ahmad Shah Abdali” and encouraged Najib-ud-Daula of
Bengal to help him save the Muslim Community from the Marhattas. He gave a crushing defeat
to the Marhattas at Panipat which is knowns as third battle of panipat in 1761. The occasion was
the culmination of Shah Wali Ullah's political efforts. He also wrote letters to:

 Artisans, workers, and peasants, to remind them that the economic prosperity of the state
depended on their labors.
 The Emperor, asking him to teach a lesson to the Jats threatening the Mughal Empire. He
also wrote and advised him not to give jagirs (land) to mansabdars who were not loyal to
the state. Masses, to be conscious of their duties and not to indulge in the accumulation of
wealth
He was a staunch supporter of two nation theory. He played a vital role to make Muslims
stronger nation on the basis of their culture, history and heritage. His teachings proved helpful
and saved mulim culture from amalgamation of Hindu culture.

4. Social Reforms
He propagated the principles of Adl and Tawazun, “Adl” means Justice and 'Tawazun" means
equilibrium. He persuaded Muslims to practice these principal in their daily lives to make their
lives better. He believed that these two principles are the back bone of any economy and through
this Muslims can make their economic conditions better. He emphasized on all basic rights such
as free dispensation of justice, equality, brotherhood, etc. He also struggled again dowry and
other unnecessary expanses on the time of marriage. He tried to abolish mourning on death more
than three days as it was against Islamic teachings

Conclusion
In short Imam-ul-Hind Hazrat Shah Wali Ullah, a great saint, scholar and reformer are one of
those great personalities of Islam who, with his dedicated services had brought the Muslim
society together on the stable foundations. The efforts of Shah Wali Ullah for the integration of
whole Islamic structure would never be forgotten. He can be called “The founder of Neo-
Islamization” of the Muslim society in the Sub-Continent. He stressed that genuine mysticism, as
distinguished from pseudo-mysticism, encourages an active way of life that assures progress and
prosperity in this world and salvation in the hereafter. It was because of the effects of Shah Wali
Ullah's reforms that the other religious movements, such as movements of Syed Ahmad Shaheed
and Sir Syed Ahmad Khan flourished after him