Hindu Muslim Relations and Assimilation of two Cultures

The invasion of Muhammad Bin Qasim was the beginning of new kind of relationship between
the Hindus and the Muslims. For the first time the idolatrous people were given by the Muslims
the status of dhimmis or an allied and protected people. Their legal and religious rights were
recognized. Their personal law was given protection and left for administration in their own
hands. They were recruited to government services. The revenue department was entrusted
almost entirely to Hindu officials because of their experience of local conditions.

Towards the end of the tenth century trouble between Hindus and Muslims flared up in another
quarter, Subuktigin the ruler of Ghaznih came into conflict with his Hindu neighbor, when he
died his struggle was inherited by his son Sultan Mahmud Ghaznavih.

Ghaznavih indulged in no unnecessary bloodshed and cruelty. He treated his Hindu subjects
with kindness and consideration. They were taken into employment. Hindu quarter grew in the
metropolis of Ghaznih consisting mostly of Hindu employees.

A Hindu, Tilak by name, rose to the position of governor of the newly conquered province of the
Punjab.

Moizuddin Ghauri opened a new era. Muslim empire expanded within a short time over the
whole of North India and then gradually towards the south until it covered the whole of the
subcontinent.

Muslims weaned the cultivators and the commercial classes from the politically conscious and
powerful Hindu Ruling class. Hassan Nizami in Taj-ul-Ma'athir preserved Quatubuddin Aibak's
proclamations. (Aibak was the lieutenant and successor of Ghauri) It shows the consciousness
of the need of protecting and reconciling those classes with generous treatment.

These classes thrived under Muslim rule. Of course there were lapses. Sometimes an
avaricious official, and in times of the weakness of the central government tax farmers would
persecute the peasants and occasionally the traders as well suffered.

Generally Muslim rule followed an enlightened policy. The two classes of Hindus in the first
decade of this century was never found having anti-Muslim feelings.

Another class easily reconciled was that of lower caste Hindus. They were taken into
employment by the new rulers. Two classes who refused to bow down to Muslims or were
reluctant to reconcile were of old feudal chiefs and big landlords. Their religious or nationalist
sentiments made them hostile towards Muslims.
Muslims followed a double policy of rewarding the obedient and suppressing the refractory.
Those who showed willingness to serve faithfully were entrusted with posts of responsibility and
were able to live in affluence; this stabilized the empire and no anti-Muslim feeling was ever
recorded. On several campaigns Hindus fought more enthusiastically than Muslims calling the
Empire as their own.

The priestly class among the Hindus was even more difficult to reconcile. The anti-foreign
sentiment was enhanced by social exclusiveness based upon the dictates of religion.

The Muslims on the other hand had an intense dislike for idolatry which was expressed in
destruction of temples in times of wars. This had left deep sores among Hindus. The
subsequent tolerance and even grants from public revenues to Hindu places of worship could
not make amends.

There are numerous instances of Muslim patronage of Hindu temples, of Muslim rulers and
High officials sometimes genuinely and sometimes for political reasons asking Hindu preists to
pray for their victory or welfare. The chasm, however between both did not end.

But this does not mean there was no rapprochement between Islam and Hinduism.

Hinduism found itself at a disadvantage before the clear-cut and rational creed of Islam.
Hinduism holds within its fold beliefs at all levels of developments, from animism to system of
philosophy. It's highly elaborated, in places amoral mythology which was highly indifferent to the
laws of probability or even possibility was greatly vulnerable to the polemics of the missionaries
of Islam.

This led Hinduism to defend itself by accepting the essential doctrines of Islam without
converting to religion itself. As a result a group of new thinkers came into existence. The
Bhaktas or devotees of God believing and passionately preaching monotheism, the brotherhood
of man, the merit of virtue and the love of God, as opposed to Hindu belief that birth denoting
caste conferred excellence.

This made the conversion difficult. The movement became popular for its values and insistent
monotheism and its endeavor that a person should be evaluated based on his spiritual
achievement rather than the birth. They propagated that when all religions preach the similar
message what is the point in converting to another faith. Everyone is trying to reach the God
one way or another.

This caused grave concern in the camp of Islam. Not only did conversions became difficult but
also some faithful fell prey to such heterodoxy. Akbar is the example. When confronted with
Christianity, Hinduism again developed resistance through such varying movements.
The outcome of Bhakti movement is important as it helped develop harmonious relations
between the two faiths. They came closer and the intolerance diminished. The movement
affected life in all its aspects. It caused intermingling of the two cultures. Muslim scholars
learned Sanskrit and translated some of the classics. Al-Biruni learned sciences and Hindu
literature. Hindu officials learned Persian language which meant accelerated promotion for
them. And by the end of the 15th century Hindus had taken to Islamic learning in large numbers.
Hence both Hindu and Muslims built up fairly extensive traditions of common culture and
learning.