UNIT # 3 EVOLUTION OF MUSLIM SOCIETY IN SUB CONTINENT

a) Emergence of Muslim Society in South Asia

b) Muslim Society- its emergence progress in South Asia

As topic (a) and (b) are same so, we will discuss it in one lecture

Introduction
Although Islam spread rapidly in the world as soon as it surfaced in the world, but it established
its foothold in the Indo-Pak Sub-continent in the beginning of 8 th Century. During Hazrat Omar’s
Caliphate (634-644 CE) trade relationships started between Arabs and native people of South
Asia specifically those in Sindh. The Governor of Iraq Hajaz Bin Yousaf sent an expedition by
land, which captured Makran under the command of Rabi Bin Zeyad Haris. Though Makran was
conquered but the victory was short-lived, as the locals recaptured the country. In fact the
permanent Muslim foothold in the subcontinent was achieved with the entrance of Muhammad
Bin Qasim.

Long before the advent of Islam in Arabia, the Arabs used to visit the coast of Southern India,
which then provided the link between the ports of South and South East Asia. A number of
Arabs lived in coastal area embraced Islam. During those days of 711, some Muslim traders
living in Ceylon (older name of Sirilanka) died and the ruler of Ceylon sent their widows and
orphans back to Baghdad. They made their journey by sea. The King of Ceylon also sent many
valuable presents to Walid Bin Abdul Malik and Hajjaj. As the eight-ship caravan passed by the
seaport of Deabul, Sindhi pirates, who were being supported by Raja Dahir, looted it and took
the women and children prisoner.

Muhammad Bin Qasim and Muslim society

In 712, Hajjaj sent 6000 selected Syrian and Iraqi soldiers and a baggage train of 3000 camels to
Sindh under the command of his nephew and son-in-law Imad-ud-din Muhammad Bin Qasim
(695-715). He first captured Deabul, and then turned towards Nirun. Dahir was overpowered and
killed and Muslims conquered Brahmanbad.

In the words of Italian scholar F. Gabrieli,“Present day Pakistan, holding the values of Islam in
such high esteem, should look upon the young Arab conqueror, Muhammad Bin Qasim, almost
as a founding father, a hero of South Asian Islam.”

Besides being a great general, he was also an excellent administrator. He established peace and
order as well as a good administrative structure thus proving a base for the emergence of Muslim
society in present day Pakistan.
Raids of Mahmud of Ghazni
Mahmud of Ghazni (979-1030) led a series of raids against Rajputs and rich Hindu temples and
established a base in Punjab for future incursions. His court was full of scholars including
Ferdosi the poet, Behqi the Historian and Al-Beruni the versatile scholar. He had has the credit to
establish the first Muslim society in Delhi.

Shahab-ud-din Muhammad Ghuri’s rule and Muslim Society

He was the first Muslim ruler to conquer Delhi and established a Muslim rule in India. In 1192,
he defeated Raja Pritviraj Chauhan in the 2nd battle of Tarain. He had no heirs so he left his
throne for his slaves to whom he treated as sons.

Delhi Sultanate’s role in Muslim Society

From 1206 to 1526 Delhi Sultanate rose to power. It is believed, however, that the period of
Delhi Sultanate was politically turbulent but the Muslim society under the Sultanate period
flourished at a great length. Sufism also made its way during this era. QutabUddinAibek is aptly
called as the founder of Muslim Empire in Indo-Pak Sub-continent.

Mughal Empire and Muslim Society

The Mughal Empire was founded byZaheer-ud-Din Babar, a Central Asian ruler who was
descended from the Turkic-Mongol conqueror Timur (the founder of the Timurid Empire) on his
father's side, and from Genghis Khan on his mother's side.  Babur turned to India and established
himself in Kabul and then pushed steadily southward into India from Afghanistan through
the Khyber Pass. Babur's forces occupied much of northern India after his victory
at Panipat,entered India in 1526 and remained in power, though nominally, till 1857.
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,
Nizam-ud-Din Chishty, etc.

Conclusion
Islam and the emergence of Muslim society 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.

Further Study
https://courses.lumenlearning.com/atd-tcc-worldciv2/chapter/mughal-empire-history/
TOPIC: DECLINE OF MUSLIM SOCIETY, SCHOLARS AND INSTITUTIONS

The fall of Mughal Empire (1526 – 1875) was the end of the Muslim rule in the sub-continent.
This was a severe blow to the culture and history of Muslim India. Why this degradation took
place is no mystery. The reasons for their downfall were as under:

Weak Successors of Aurangzeb

After the death of Aurangzeb in 1707, his incapable and weak successors had not the stamina of
holding his vast empire. A war of succession among his three sons Bahadur Shah I, Muhammad
Azam Shah, and Muhammad KamBakhsh began for the throne.When Aurangzeb died, the
empire of the Mughals was the largest in India. Yet, within about fifty years of his death, the
Mughal Empire disintegrated.

Babur, Hamayun, Akbar, Jahangir, Shah Jehan, Aurangzeb

Absence of a Definite Law of Successions

Mughals had no set rules for succession. Whenever a ruler died, there appeared many royal
princes to claim for the right to succession. There was a war among them. According to Erskine,
“The sword was the grand arbiter of right and every son was prepared to try his fortune against
his brothers.”

The succession war that took place among Aurangzeb, DaraShikoh, Shah Shuja and MuradBaksh
who were the sons of the Shah Jehan caused a great damage to the good-will of the Mughal
dynasty. Likewise, on the death of Aurangzeb the war was again fought among his kin, which
divided the Muslim elite. These wars of succession were also responsible for the decline of the
Muslim Empire.

Undue Liberal Policy of Akbar

Akbar was monarch marked with grandeurs. He made a number of conquests and set up an
effective administration in his vast empire. He was however, so liberal that he married Hindu
women and appointed Hindus on key posts. Thus Hindus became influential and they began to
exercise their powers in state affairs. Akbar also introduced a new religion Deen-i-Ilahi which
led him to take such measures as were against the tenets of Islamic faith. This policy caused a
great harm to his vast empire and led it on the way to decline.

Rise of Hindus of Rajputana

The religious policy of Aurangzeb was not liberal like his predecessors. He re-imposed Jazia on
the Hindus. These acts created certain doubts in the minds of Hindus. Especially the Rajputs of
Mewar and Marwar fought a prolonged war against the Muslim. Thus, they were deprived of the
services of their centuries old friends.
Deterioration of Ruler's Character

Deterioration of character was another phenomenal contributor to the downfall. The king and
sultans like Iltumish, Balban, AlauddinKhalji, Muhammad Tughlaq, Sikandar Lodhi, Babar,
Akbar and Aurangzeb, were competent, hard worker and intelligent people, who were well aware
of the art of smooth sailing of the government. The remaining rulers were neither competent nor
had the highest values of the character. The courtiers and the noble of Mughal rulers of 17th and
18th century were not men of characters and divided on ethnic and linguistic basis. The character
of the Rulers nobility also degenerated with their rulers. Abundance of wealth, leisure and luxury
rendered them inefficient and incompetent. This affected the administration of the State.

Internal Conspiracies

The incompetent successors of Aurangzeb made the Royal court an area of conspiracies. The
ministers and nobles were made about key posts and monopoly on state affairs. This struggle
badly upset the whole administration. Jealousy and hypocrisy ruled the country. The nobles
quarrelled among themselves for power. Such a state of affairs turned the country too weak to
survive.

Backward in Education

During the period of Muslim rule, the education system completely depended on the religious
institutions which were run by the trusts. The Britishers confiscated these trusts. As a result, the
Muslims lagged behind in the field of education. They neither cooperated with the conquerors
nor did they want to learn English language which was the fate way to modern sciences. This
backwardness baldly affected their economic and political life. As a result, Hindus occupied high
positions in government offices and left the Muslims behind in every walk of life.

Intellectual Bankruptcy

The latter Muslim Rulers and nobility suffered from intellectual bankruptcy because there was
no proper system of education in the country. Lack of proper training resulted in the production
of rulers who were not competent to face the challenges of their jobs.Unfortunately, the Muslim
rulers neglected the importance of educational institutions. When Europe was being illuminated
with renaissance movement, establishing universities, hospitals and welfare institutions, our
rulers were indulged in making gardens, palaces and palace intrigues.

Rise of Sikhs

Rise of Sikhs in the 18th century was another factor which contributed to the downfall of the
Muslim Society. After the death of Aurangzeb, the weak Muslim rulers could not check the
emergence of Sikhs as a power in Punjab. During the reign of Mughal Emperor Jahandar Shah
(1712-13) and Farrukhsiyar (1713-19) Banda Bahadur who was the Sikh Leader captured
Sirhindi and killed its Governor Wazir Khan. The rise of Sikhs also contributed to the downfall
of Muslim Society.

Advent of English East India Company

The advent of Europeans like Portuguese and the English is an event of great significance in the
Muslim rule. The Portuguese and the British (The English East India Company) came in the
guise of traders but developed factories and forts which ultimately became centre of their
subversive activities. Their clever manoeuvrings and the weaknesses of the Muslim Rulers
enabled the British to seize control of the country by 1857.

Further Reading

https://www.mohammedamin.com/Reviews/Muslim-civilisation-the-causes-of-decline-and-the-
need-for-reform.html

http://shaikhabbas.blogspot.com/2014/01/causes-of-downfall-of-muslims-in.html

TOPIC: NATIONAL REFORM MOVEMENT

A reform movement is a type of social movement that aims to bring a social or political system

closer to the community's ideal. It could be political, cultural, religious, educational and
economic.

The Indian subcontinent, witnessing many historical ups and downs, especially after the British
colonialism, created the ground for the formation of various religious and political movements.
New Islamic thoughts came to existence in India with the modernism doctrine, intended to
correct and challenge the imported thoughts remaining from the colonialism era. The new
schools of thought came with special interpretation of the Islamic religious beliefs, in particular
concerning the Quran and hadith.

1. MijadidAlifSani and Shah Walliullah’s efforts for the revival of Islam are included in
religious reform movement.
2. Aligarh movement is example of educational reform movement.
3. Establishment of Islamic banking in the ideology of Pakistan is included in economic
reform movement.
4. Securing cultural heritage could be incorporated as cultural reform movement.
5. Inception of Pakistan in a form of Independent country is an example of political
reformation movement.

TOPIC: ROLE OF EDUCATIONAL INSTITUTIONS

1. Aligarh Movement
After 1857, the Muslims emerged as a backward. They were deprived of their basic rights and
were neglected economically, politically, socially so, in these conditions they neither trusted
Hindus nor British, who spared no effort to tortured Muslims.

The services which Sir Syed Ahmad Khan rendered for the Muslims renaissance are known as
Aligarh Movement. The main focus of the Aligarh movement was:

1. Loyalty to British Government.

2. Modern western education for the Muslims to compete with Hindus.
3. To keep away the Muslims from politics.

He took concrete steps for his education plan which are as follow.

In 1859, Sir Syed Ahmad Khan set up Gulshan School for Muslims of India at Muradabad where
English and Persian were taught.

In 1863 sir Syed established another school, named as Victoria School at Ghazipur. 

In 1864 he set up the Scientific Society in Ghazipur. This society was involved in the translation of
English works into the native language such as Urdu and Persian.

In 1866 Aligarh Institute Gazette. This imparted information on history; ancient and modern
science of agriculture, natural and physical sciences and advanced mathematics.

In 1870 Sir Syed, after his return from England, setup an organization known as “Anjuman-i-
Taraqi-i-Muslamanan-i-Hind” in order to impart modern education to the Muslims of India.

In 1874 first MAO High School was establishedat Aligarh.

In 1877 Sir Syed struggled hard to raise MAO high school to uplift on the level of a college.

In 1920 this college was raised to the level of university.

Further Readings

https://www.ukessays.com/essays/history/background-information-on-the-aligarh-movement-
history-essay.php

https://aligarhmovement.com/

2. Dara-ul-Uloom-i-Deoband

Muslims took part in the 1857 War of Independence, they too had to bear British wrath after the
war. An active campaign of Christian missionaries was developing a serious threat to Islam in
India and lastly the western education with the patronage of the government had completely
ignored the Islamic learning. The religious education imparted by the local institutions was
discouraged and new educational philosophies were driven which aimed at converting the local
people in to Christians.

In order to combat this lethargy in the religious sphere, the Ulema decided to launch a movement
for the religious training of the Muslims of India.

Dara-ul-Uloom-i-Deoband was started at Deoband, a small town of Saharanpur. It began

functioning on 14th April, 1866. Basically this idea was given by Haji Muhammad Hussain Abid.
He then informed Maulana Muhammad Qasim Nanautvi and requested him to teach at Deoband.

Deoband’s curriculum is based on 17th century Indo-Islamic syllabus known as Darse Nizami.
The core curriculum teaches Islamic law (Shariah), Islamic jurisprudence (Fiqah),and traditional
Islamic spirituality (tasawuf).

Following are the objectives of Dara-ul-Uloom-i-Deoband.

1. Providing comprehensive information to the Muslims about their religion and making
arrangements for teaching of Quran, Tafseer, Hadees, etc.
2. Invoking the spirit of Islam among the students.
3. Propagation and teaching of Islam.
4. Establishment of Arabic institution for the propagation of Islam.

Further Readings

http://www.darululoom-deoband.com/english/

https://historypak.com/dar-ul-uloom-deoband/

3. Nadva-tul-Uloom

Aligarh School and College and Dar-ul-Uloom-i-Deoband were in contrast to each other. Aligarh
emphasized on the modern western education, while teachings of Deoband were about religious
spirit and knowledge of religion. In those circumstances there was a great need of the emergence
of an institution that could deliver the two types of education at the same time and at one place. It
aimed to train ulama who would promote traditional religious knowledge and national Muslim
leadership using some Western learning.

The founding personality behind this movement was Hazrat Maulana Mohammad Ali Mongeri
and was founded in 1894 at Lucknow by Moulvi Abdul Ghaffar.

The following were the objectives of Nadwa-tul-Ulama.

1. To bring harmony and co-operation among various groups within the Muslims.
2. To bring about the moral, religious and educational reforms and progress.
 3. To introduce suitable changes in the syllabi of Islamic institutions with a view to bringing
it in line with the changed conditions of the modern knowledge.
4. To propagate Islamic faith and ideals by suitable literature and making arrangements for
its publication.

Further Reading

https://lucknowobserver.com/nadwatul-ulema/

http://www.cssforum.com.pk/css-compulsory-subjects/pakistan-affairs/27308-nadwatul-
ulama.html

https://historypak.com/nadvatul-ulema/

4. Jamia Millia Islamia Delhi

Jamia Millia Islamia (JMI) is located in Jamia Nagar, New Delhi, India. It was originally
established at Aligarh, during British rule in 1920. It became a Central University by an act of
the Indian Parliament in 1988. 

It came into existence on 29 October 1920 through the tireless efforts of its founders, such as
Shaikh ul Hind Maulana Mahmud Hasan, Maulana Muhammad Ali Jauhar, Hakim Ajmal Khan,
Dr. Mukhtar Ahmad Ansari, Jenab Abdul Majeed Khuwaja and Dr. Zakir Husain.

The objective of establishment of Jamia Millia Islamia was to lay down the common curriculum
for Indian Muslims taking into account the future challenges. It was conceived as a national
institution that would offer progressive education and Indian nationalism to students from all
communities, particularly Muslims.

Further Reading

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jamia_Millia_Islamia

5. Anjuman Himayat-I-Islami

The Punjab, which during period of Ghaznavi was known for its educational institutions, became
extremely backward by the end of nineteenth century educationally. In 1849 Sikh rule over the
Punjab, annexed it and brought western educational system and established number of schools,
colleges in Lahore. Due to the certain valid reasons the Muslim did not benefit from these
institutions and went on to decline educationally. 

In 1883, a Sayed lady along with her three children converted to Christianity. This accident was
a serious challenge to Muslims. But although she re-embarrassed Islam later, yet the whole
incident was shocking enough to open the eyes of Muslims of the Punjab.

In order to face these kinds of situations, Maulana Qazi Hamid-ud-Din invited a number of
public-spirited persons to a small gathering and set up the Anjuman Himayat-i-Islam in 24th Sep,
1884.
The Anjuman was set up to achieve the following aims and objectives:

1. Providing for the religious and general education for male and female for Muslims
students.
2. Protection and propagation of Islamic values against the Christian missionaries and
Hindu revivalists.
3. To counteract the propaganda against Islam through speeches and publications.

Further Reading

https://historypak.com/anjuman-himayat-i-islam/

http://www.cssforum.com.pk/css-compulsory-subjects/pakistan-affairs/21343-anjuman-himayat-
i-islam-1884-1947-a.html

6. Sindh Madrassah

Sindh Madressatul Islam University is a university in Karachi, Sindh, Pakistan. It is one of the

oldest educational institutions in South Asia. Sindh Madrassah was founded on 1 September
1885 by Hassan Ali Effendi,

It is the alma mater of Father of the Nation, Quaid-e-Azam Mohammad Ali Jinnah. Within
two years of its establishment, Jinnah got enrolled in Sindh Madrassahand studied there from
July 1887 to June 1892. Throughout his life, Jinnah remained emotionally attached to his alma
mater and in 1943 he personally inaugurated the Sindh Madrassah College.

A number of prominent Muslim leaders who struggled for a separate homeland for the
Muslims of the Subcontinent, studied in Sindh Madrassah. They included Sir Abdullah
Haroon, Sir Ghulam Hussain Hidayatullah, Sir Shah Nawaz Bhutto, Mohammad AyubKhuhro,
Shaikh Abdul Majid Sindhi and others. That’s why the Sindh Madressatul Islam is called
“Child of Sindh and Mother of Pakistan”

In 2012, Sindh Madrassah was elevated to the status of a university. Sindh Madrassah has five
departments, including media studies and communication, education, environmental sciences,
business administration and management sciences and computer science.

Further Reading

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sindh_Madressatul_Islam_University

7. Islamia College, Peshawar

Islamia College and Collegiate School Peshawar formerly known as the “Darul-Uloom-e-
Islamia Sarhad”. It is one of the oldest institutions of higher education in Pakistan, and its
historical roots are traced from the culminating point of the Aligarh Movement
When the new province of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (previously N.W.F.P) was formed in 1901 after
its separation from the Punjab, there was only one college Edwards College in whole province.
This scarcity of quality educational institutions forced local youth to travel to faraway regions of
the country in pursuit of higher education. This same lack of educational opportunities in the
region motivated Nawab Sir Sahibzada Abdul Qayum and Sir George Roos-Keppel to establish
an institution in 1913 that would not only cater the academic needs of the region but also
produce leaders from the region.

The university provides higher learning in arts, languages, humanities, social sciences and

modern sciences. In 1950, the Peshawar University was founded as an offshoot of Islamia
College Peshawar, with the latter being associated to the university as a constituent college.
Initially established as Islamia College, it was granted university status by the Government of
Pakistan in 2008; the word college is retained in its title for preserving its historical roots.

Further Reading

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Islamia_College_University

http://www.dostpakistan.pk/islamia-college-peshawar/