AlaHazrat Imam Ahmed Raza Khan (RadiAllahuAnh)

AlaHazrat Imam Ahmed Raza Khan (RadiAllahuAnh)

Aala Hazrat Imam Ahle Sunnat Ash Shah, Imam Ahmad Raza Khan (Radiallahu Ta’ala Anh) was that ‘Rising Sun’ that shone upon the horizon of Islam, brightening and enlightening wherever darkness had set in. Every second of his life was entirely devoted and dedicated to the cause of Islam. He taught us a lesson of love, UNDIVIDED LOVE for the Holy Prophet (Sallallahu Alaihi Wasallam) stressing that love for the Beloved Rasool (Sallallahu Alaihi Wasallam) is the cornerstone of Imaan. Thus Aala Hazrat (Radiallahu Ta’ala Anh) stood out conspicuously as a very great personality who became the leader of the Muslims not only in his lifetime but moreso today, as millions of true Sunni Muslims see in Aala Hazrat (Radiallahu Ta’ala Anh) their teacher, their guide to the straight path, the path of the Prophets, the path of the Sahaabah and the path of the subsequent learned scholars of Islam. It is for this reason that Aala Hazrat (Radiallahu Ta’ala Anh) received the title of ‘Aala Hazrat’ on his first visit to Arabia, where his extraordinary personality moved even the greatest learned scholars in Arabia and they unanimously declared Imam Ahmad Raza Khan (Radiallahu Ta’ala Anh) to be not just an ordinary ‘Hazrat’ but an ‘Aala Hazrat’ – a great Hazrat! Subhaanallah!

MARRIAGE AND BLESSED CHILDREN: In the year 1291 A.H. (1874), Aala Hazrat (RadiallahuTa’ala Anh) married Sayyidah Irshaad Begum (Radiallahu Ta’ala Anha) who was the beloved daughter of Shaikh Fadhl Hussain (Radiallahu Ta’ala Anh). He was 18 years old at the time of his Nikah.
Almighty Allah blessed Aala Hazrat (Radiallahu Ta’ala Anh) with 7 beautiful children - 2 sons and 5 daughters. Both his sons became distinguished Islamic Scholars and great Awliyah Allah. His sons were Hujjatul Islam Maulana Haamid Raza Khan and Ghausul Waqt Huzoor Mufti-e-Azam Hind (Radiallahu Ta’ala Anhum).

BAI'AT AND KHILAFAT: In the year 1294 A.H., at the age of 22 years, Sayyiduna Aala Hazrat (Radiallahu Ta’ala Anh) became the Mureed of Imam-ul-Asfiya, Sayyiduna Shah Aale Rasool Mahrerawi (Radiallahu Ta’ala Anh). The incident surrounding the Bai'at (Spiritual Allegiance) and Khilafat (Spiritual Successorship) of Aala Hazrat (Radiallahu Ta’ala Anh) was a remarkable one. Once Hazrat Maulana Abdul Qadir Badayouni (Radiallahu Ta’ala Anh) came to Bareilly Shareef. He invited Aala Hazrat (Radiallahu Ta’ala Anh) to go to Mahrerah Shareef with him. Sayyiduna Aala Hazrat (Radiallahu Ta’ala Anh) accepted his invitation and they both set off to Mahrerah Shareef. When they arrived at the station in Marehrah Shareef, Aala Hazrat (Radiallahu Ta’ala Anh) said, “I am receiving the scent of my Murshid.” When they reached the Khanqah-e-Barakaati and entered, Sayyiduna Shah Aale Rasool (Radiallahu Ta’ala Anh) saw Aala Hazrat (Radiallahu Ta’ala Anh) and said, “Come in. I have been awaiting your presence for a long time.” Sayyiduna Shah Aale Rasool (Radiallahu Ta’ala Anh) immediately made Aala Hazrat (Radiallahu Ta’ala Anh) a mureed and blessed him with Khilafat and I'jazat in all the sufi silsilas. Hazrat Sayyiduna Abul Hussain Noori Barakaati (Radiallahu Ta’ala Anh), who was also the Peer-o-Murshid of Huzoor Mufti-e-Azam Hind Maulana Mustafa Raza Khan (Radiallahu Ta’ala Anh), was also present in this spiritual gathering. He was also a great Wali and needed no introduction to Sayyiduna Aala Hazrat (Radiallahu Ta’ala Anh). For the benefit of the others who were present and to make them aware of the exalted calibre and status of Aala Hazrat (Radiallahu Ta’ala Anh), he asked Hazrat Sayyiduna Shah Aale Rasool (Radiallahu Ta’ala Anh) a question. He asked, “Huzoor, the ritual here at Mahrerah Shareef is that if any person comes here, and after becoming a mureed desires to gain Khilafat and I'jazat, then we ask him to perform mujahida (struggle in the path of Allah). We also give him dry bread to eat as part of his spiritual training. After this, if we find him worthy enough, then we grant him Khilafat and I'jazat in one or two silsilas, but you have blessed this young man with Khilafat and I'jazat of all the silsilas, and even commanded him to look at and verify all the kitaabs which you have written. Why is this so?” Sayyiduna Shah Aale Rasool (Radiallahu Ta’ala Anh) answered with the following words, “O People! you do not know Ahmad Raza. Others who come here need to be prepared before gaining I'jazat and Khilafat, but Ahmad Raza Khan has come prepared from Almighty Allah. All he needed was a link and this is why I made him mureed. I always teared through the fear of Almighty Allah that if on the day of Qiyaamah, he questioned me concerning what I had brought for him from the world, then I would have no answer. But today, that fear no longer exists. If on the day of Qiyaamah Almighty Allah asks, “O Aale Rasool! What have you brought for me?”, then I will immediately present Imam Ahmad Raza Khan (Radiallahu Ta’ala Anh) to my Creator.” This highly spiritual incident alone gives us a glimpse into the status of Aala Hazrat, Azeemul Barkat, Imam Ahmad Raza Khan (Radiallahu Ta’ala Anh). Aala Hazrat (Radiallahu Ta’ala Anh) possessed immense love for his Peer-o-Murshid and for the family members. He also displayed his love for all those who had contact with them and respected them.
Whenever Aala Hazrat (Radiallahu Ta’ala Anh) went to Mahrerah Shareef to gain blessings from his Peer-o-Murshid, he would remove his shoes at the station and walk bare feet in Mahrerah Shareef. Whenever any person or representative from Mahrerah Shareef arrived in Bareilly Shareef to deliver a letter or parcel to Aala Hazrat (Radiallahu Ta’ala Anh), he would treat that person with great respect and dignity. He addressed the person with words of respect, such as, ‘Most Respected Representative’ and would not allow that person to leave without giving him something to eat. Aala Hazrat (RadiallahuTa’ala Anh) would personally go into the house to bring out food for that person. He showed so much respect that he even used to carry the dish or plate of food on his blessed head. Subhaanallah!

ADHERENCE TO THE SUNNAH : Imam Ahmad Raza Khan (Radiallahu Ta’ala Anh) laid great emphasis on following the Sunnah of Sayyiduna Rasoolullah (Sallallahu Alaihi Wasallam). The following account clearly describes Aala Hazrat's (Radiallahu Ta’ala Anh) great trust and faith upon the Sunnah. Aala Hazrat (Radiallahu Ta’ala Anh) narrates, “There was once a rumour in Bareilly, that the plague had appeared. Coincidently, at that moment, my gums became extremely inflamed. It continued to such proportions that it became difficult for me to open my mouth. I also had a high fever, coupled with inflamed glands. The doctor who was called, looked at me closely for a few minutes. He exclaimed that I had the plague. I could not speak at that moment, or else I would have told him that his diagnosis was incorrect and false. I was certain that I did not have the plague or any other major disease, simply because I had already recited a Dua as explained by Sayyiduna Rasoolullah (Sallallahu Alaihi Wasallam), who said that if one sees a serious and deadly illness, he should recite that Dua, which would protect the person from such an illness. Whenever I saw a serious illness, I recited this Dua, therefore I was protected against it, including the plague. Thereafter, with extreme respect I proclaimed aloud, “O Allah! Prove that the words of your Beloved Habeeb (Sallallahu Alaihi Wasallam) is true, and that the words of the doctor is false.” At that moment a voice on my right advised me to use the Miswaak and black pepper. With a little difficulty, I performed brushing with the Miswaak and kept the black pepper on my tongue as a tablet. Infinite indeed, is the Mercy of Almighty Allah! Within a few minutes, I had gained my strength and sent the doctor away by proving that his diagnosis was false and baseless.”

A similar incident showing the great trust that Aala Hazrat (Radiallahu Ta’ala Anh) had in Almighty Allah and His Beloved Habeeb (Sallallahu Alaihi Wasallam) is recorded by Maulana Muhammad Shareef. He says, “Once, when Aala Hazrat (Radiallahu Ta’ala Anh) was returning from Hajj by ship with his father, there was a great storm. The storm reached such intensity that the captain advised the passengers to wear their kafans (shrouds), for he could see no escape from such a storm. Aala Hazrat (RadiallahuTa’ala Anh), noticing the concern on the face of his father, inquired as to what had transpired. His father replied, “My beloved son, I have no concern for myself, rather it is for you that I am sad.” The young Aala Hazrat (Radiallahu Ta’ala Anh) replied, “O father, if the captain has lost hope then let him do so. We should have complete faith in Allah and His Beloved Habeeb Sayyiduna Rasoolullah (SallallahuAlaihi Wasallam). In accordance with the commands of the Beloved Rasool (SallallahuAlaihi  Wasallam), when entering this ship, I recited the Dua 'Subhaanal lazi sakh khara lana haaza wa  maa kunna lahu muq rineen wa inna ila Rabbina la mun qaliboon'. Sayyiduna Rasoolullah (SallallahuAlaihiWasallam) has stated that, “Whosoever recites this Dua when entering a ship (any mode of transport), that ship would not be destroyed. Therefore I have absolute certainty that generations may change, yet this ship would never sink.” Aala Hazrat (Radiallahu Ta’ala Anh) had merely spoken these words, when the captain arrived and began informing the passengers that the storm is subsiding and that there was no need for
concern!” Subhaanallah!

HAFIZ-UL-QUR’AN: Aala Hazrat (Radiallahu Ta’ala Anh) was intially not a Hafiz-ul-Qur’an. Once, someone wrote a letter to Sayyiduna Aala Hazrat (Radiallahu Ta’ala Anh) and addressed him as ‘Hafiz’. When Aala Hazrat (Radiallahu Ta’ala Anh) saw this, he became depressed for he felt that he was not worthy of such a title. He immediately decided to become a Hafiz of the Holy Qur’an. How did he become a Hafiz-ul-Quran? During the month of Ramadaan, Sadrush Shariah Hazrat Allama Mufti Amjad Ali (Radiallahu Ta’ala Anh) would recite one para (chapter) to Aala Hazrat (Radiallahu Ta’ala Anh) between the Azaan and Jamaat of Esha. Sayyiduna Aala Hazrat (Radiallahu Ta’ala Anh) would listen to it and, thereafter, recite the same para in the Taraweeh Salaah. He continued this routine for 30 days, and by the end of Ramadaan, Aala Hazrat (Radiallahu Ta’ala Anh) had memorised the entire Qura’n Shareef. for he felt that he was not worthy of such a title. He immediately decided to become a Hafiz of the Holy Qur’an. How did he become a Hafiz-ul-Quran? During the month of Ramadaan, Sadrush Shariah Hazrat Allama Mufti Amjad Ali (Radiallahu Ta’ala Anh) would recite one para (chapter) to Aala Hazrat (Radiallahu Ta’ala Anh) between the Azaan and Jamaat of Esha. Sayyiduna Aala Hazrat (Radiallahu Ta’ala Anh) would listen to it and, thereafter, recite the same para in the Taraweeh Salaah. He continued this routine for 30 days, and by the end of Ramadaan, Aala Hazrat (Radiallahu Ta’ala Anh) had memorised the entire Qura’n Shareef. Subhaanallah!
WRITINGS OF AALA HAZRAT (Radiallahu Ta’ala Anh): To date, it has not been fully ascertained as to exactly how many books Aala Hazrat (Radiallahu Ta’ala Anh) wrote. In 1887, At the age of 30 years, he had completed 75 Books and treatises. In 1909, at the age of 43 years, this number increased up to 500. However, it has been estimated that the number of books written by Sayyiduna Aala Hazrat (Radiallahu Ta’ala Anh) exceed 1 000 encompassing more than fifty branches of knowledge. Apart from these contributions, he had written annotations and commentaries on more than 150 books pertaining to various branches of learning.
AALA HAZRAT'S (Radiallahu Ta'ala Anh) ADVICE BEFORE HIS DEMISE
1. Nothing with photos of living objects should be near me when my Rooh (Soul) leaves.
2. Recite Surah Yaseen and Sura Ra'ad beside me.
3. Recite Durood Shareef in abundance.
4. Keep those who are weeping away from me.
5. Give my Ghusl according to the Sunnah.
6. Either Maulana Haamid Raza or Allamah Amjad Ali (Radiallahu Ta’ala Anhum) should perform my
Janazah Salaah.
7. Do not delay my Janazah.
8. When taking my Janazah, recite “Kaabe ke Badru Duja Thum pe Karoro Durood.”
9. Do not read anything in my praise.
10. Place me softly in the grave.
12. My grave should be dug according to my height.
13. My kafan should be according to the Sunnah.
14. The food of my Fathiha must be given to the poor.
15. Haamid Raza must give a fair share of everything to Chote Mia (Huzoor Mufti-e-Azam Hind). If not, my Rooh will be displeased. (Radiallahu Ta’ala Anhum)
16. All of you must remain steadfast on Deen. Do not leave the path of Shariah. Stay on the Deen on which I was.

WISAAL: The date of the Wisaal of Sayyiduna Aala Hazrat (Radiallahu Ta’ala Anh) was actually deduced by himself from the Holy Quran four months and twenty days prior to his passing away. Sayyiduna Aala Hazrat, Mujaddide Deen-o-Millat, Imam Ahle Sunnat Ash Shah Imam Ahmad Raza Khan (Radiallahu Ta’ala Anh) left this mundane world on Friday, the 25th of Safar 1340 A.H. (28 October 1921) at 2.38 p.m. while the Jummah Azaan was being given. His rooh undertook the eternal journey exactly at the moment when the words ‘HAYYA ALAL FALAH’ (COME TO SUCCESS) were being recited. This was a fitting tribute to the rooh of Aala Hazrat (RadiallahuTa’ala Anh), as it were to enter the abode of the successful!At the time of the demise of Sayyiduna  ala Hazrat (Radiallahu Ta’ala Anh), a certain saint of Syria, while in Baitul Mukaddas, dreamt of the Holy Prophet (Sallallahu Alaihi Wasallam). In his dream, the saint saw many Sahaba-Ikraam (Ridwaanullahi Ta’ala Alaihim Ajma’een) seated around the Holy Prophet (Sallallahu Alaihi Wasallam). All of them seemed to be waiting for someone. The saint was curious at the silence in the gathering and says that, in his dream, he asked, “Ya Rasoolallah (Sallallahu Alaihi Wasallam), whose presence is being awaited?” The Holy Prophet (Sallallahu Alaihi Wasallam) replied, “We are waiting for Ahmad Raza.” The blessed saint then asked, “Who is Ahmad Raza?” The Holy Prophet (Sallallahu Alaihi Wasallam) answered, “An Aalim from Bareilly in India.” When this saint awoke, he immediately journeyed from Syria to Bareilly Shareef to meet Aala Hazrat (Radiallahu Ta’ala Anh), but to his dismay, he learnt that Aala Hazrat (Radiallahu Ta’ala Anh) had already departed from this world.

MAZAAR SHAREEF: The Mazaar Shareef of Sayyiduna Aala Hazrat (Radiallahu Ta’ala Anh) is situated in Mohallah Saudagaran, Bareilly Shareef in India. Each year, in the month of Safar, during the Urs Shareef of Sayyiduna Aala Hazrat (Radiallahu Ta’ala Anh), hundreds of thousands of Muslims from all over the world present themselves in Bareilly Shareef to partake in the Urs Shareef of the Mujaddid of Islam, Imam Ahmad Raza Khan (Radiallahu Ta’ala Anh). May Allah Ta’ala grant us all Insha Allah the opportunity to present ourselves in the Darbaar of Aala Hazrat (Radiallahu Ta’ala Anh) to make Ziyaarat of his blessed Mazaar Shareef, Ameen.

Education in Islamic History

From the very earliest days of Islam, the issue of education has been at the forefront at the minds of the Muslims. The very first word of the Quran that was revealed to Prophet Muhammad ﷺ was, in fact, “Read”. Prophet Muhammad ﷺ once stated that “Seeking knowledge is mandatory for all Muslims.” With such a direct command to go out and seek knowledge, Muslims have placed huge emphasis on the educational system in order to fulfill this obligation placed on them by the Prophet ﷺ.

Throughout Islamic history, education was a point of pride and a field Muslims have always excelled in. Muslims built great libraries and learning centers in places such as Baghdad, Cordoba, and Cairo. They established the first primary schools for children and universities for continuing education. They advanced sciences by incredible leaps and bounds through such institutions, leading up to today’s modern world.

Attitudes Towards Education

Today, education of children is not limited to the information and facts they are expected to learn. Rather, educators take into account the emotional, social, and physical well-being of the student in addition to the information they must master. Medieval Islamic education was no different. The 12th century Syrian physician al-Shayzari wrote extensively about the treatment of students. He noted that they should not be treated harshly, nor made to do busy work that doesn’t benefit them at all. The great Islamic scholar al-Ghazali also noted that “prevention of the child from playing games and constant insistence on learning deadens his heart, blunts his sharpness of wit and burdens his life. Thus, he looks for a ruse to escape his studies altogether.” Instead, he believed that educating students should be mixed with fun activities such as puppet theater, sports, and playing with toy animals.

The First Schools

Ibn Khaldun states in his Muqaddimah, “It should be known that instructing children in the Qur’an is a symbol of Islam. Muslims have, and practice, such instruction in all their cities, because it imbues hearts with a firm belief (in Islam) and its articles of faith, which are (derived) from the verses of the Qur’an and certain Prophetic traditions.”

A miniature from the Ottoman period of students and their teacher

The very first educational institutions of the Islamic world were quite informal. Mosques were used as a meeting place where people can gather around a learned scholar, attend his lectures, read books with him/her, and gain knowledge. Some of the greatest scholars of Islam learned in such a way, and taught their students this way as well. All four founders of the Muslim schools of law – Imams Abu Hanifa, Malik, Shafi’i, and Ibn Hanbal – gained their immense knowledge by sitting in gatherings with other scholars (usually in the mosques) to discuss and learn Islamic law.

Some schools throughout the Muslim world continue this tradition of informal education. At the three holiest sites of Islam – the Haram in Makkah, Masjid al-Nabawi in Madinah, and Masjid al-Aqsa in Jerusalem – scholars regularly sit and give lectures in the mosque that are open to anyone who would like to join and benefit from their knowledge. However, as time went on, Muslims began to build formal institutions dedicated to education.

From Primary to Higher Education

Dating back to at least the 900s, young students were educated in a primary school called a maktab. Commonly, maktabs were attached to a mosque, where the resident scholars and imams would hold classes for children. These classes would cover topics such as basic Arabic reading and writing, arithmetic, and Islamic laws. Most of the local population was educated by such primary schools throughout their childhood. After completing the curriculum of the maktab, students could go on to their adult life and find an occupation, or move on to higher education in a madrasa, the Arabic world for “school”.

The Registan complex in Samarkand, Uzbekistan contains three madrasas in the same square

Madrasas were usually attached to a large mosque. Examples include al-Azhar University in Cairo, Egypt (founded in 970) and al-Karaouine in Fes, Morocco (founded in 859). Later, numerous madrasas were established across the Muslim world by the great Seljuk vizier, Nizam al-Mulk. At a madrasa, students would be educated further in religious sciences, Arabic, and secular studies such as  medicine, mathematics, astronomy, history, and geography, among many other topics. In the 1100s, there were 75 madrasas in Cairo, 51 in Damascus, and 44 in Aleppo. There were hundreds more in Muslim Spain at this time as well.

These madrasas can be considered the first modern universities. They had separate faculties for different subjects, with resident scholars that had expertise in their fields. Students would pick a concentration of study and spend a number of years studying under numerous professors. Ibn Khaldun notes that in Morocco at his time, the madrasas had a curriculum which spanned sixteen years. He argues that this is the “shortest [amount of time] in which a student can obtain the scientific habit he desires, or can realize that he will never be able to obtain it.”

When a student completed their course of study, they would be granted an ijaza, or a license certifying that they have completed that program and are qualified to teach it as well. Ijazas could be given by an individual teacher who can personally attest to his/her student’s knowledge, or by an institution such as a madrasa, in recognition of a student finishing their course of study. Ijazas today  can be most closely compared to diplomas granted from higher educational institutions.

Education and Women

Throughout Islamic history, educating women has been a high priority. Women were not seen as incapable of attaining knowledge nor of being able to teach others themselves. The precedent for this was set with Prophet Muhammad’s own wife, Aisha, who was one of the leading scholars of her time and was known as a teacher of many people in Madinah after the Prophet’s ﷺ death.

Later Islamic history also shows the influence of women.  Women throughout the Muslim world were able to attend lectures in mosques, attend madrasas, and in many cases were teachers themselves. For example, the 12th century scholar Ibn ‘Asakir (most famous for his book on the history of Damascus, Tarikh Dimashq) traveled extensively in the search for knowledge and studied under 80 different female teachers.

Women also played a major role as supporters of education:

The University of al-Karaouine in Fes, Morocco was founded by Fatima al-Fihri in 859

• The first formal madrasa of the Muslim world, the University of al-Karaouine in Fes was established in 859 by a wealthy merchant by the name of Fatima al-Fihri.
• The Abbasid caliph Harun al-Rashid’s wife, Zubayda, personally funded many construction projects for mosques, roads, and wells in the Hijaz, which greatly benefit the many students that traveled through these areas.
• The wife of Ottoman Sultan Suleyman, Hurrem Sultan, endowned numerous madrasas, in addition to other charitable works such as hospitals, public baths, and soup kitchens.
• During the Ayyubid period of Damascus (1174 to 1260) 26 religious endownments (including madrasas, mosques, and religious monuments) were built by women.

Unlike Europe during the Middle Ages (and even up until the 1800s and 1900s), women played a major role in Islamic education in the past 1400 years. Rather than being seen as second-class citizens, women played an active role in public life, particularly in the field of education.

Modern History

The tradition of madrasas and other classical forms of Islamic education continues until today, although in a much more diminshed form. The defining factor for this was the encroachment of European powers on Muslim lands throughout the 1800s. In the Ottoman Empire, for example, French secularist advisors to the sultans advocated a complete reform of the educational system to remove religion from the curriculum and only teach secular sciences. Public schools thus began to teach a European curriculum based on European books in place of the traditional fields of knowledge that had been taught for hundreds of years. Although Islamic madrasas continued to exist, without government support they lost much of their relevance in the modern Muslim world.

Today, much of the former Ottoman Empire still runs education along European lines. For example, what you are allowed to major in at the university level depends on how you do on a certain standardized test at the end of your high school career. If you obtain the highest possible grades on the test, you can study sciences such as medicine or engineering. If one scores on the lower end of the spectrum, they are only allowed to study topics such as Islamic sciences and education.

Despite the new systems in place in much of the Muslim world, traditional education still survives. Universities such as al-Azhar, al-Karaouine, and Darul Uloom in Deoband, India continue to offer traditional curricula that bring together Islamic and secular sciences. Such an intellectual tradition rooted in the great institutions of the past that produced some of the greatest scholars of Islamic history and continues to spread the message and knowledge of Islam to the masses.

Education in Islamic History

From the very earliest days of Islam, the issue of education has been at the forefront at the minds of the Muslims. The very first word of the Quran that was revealed to Prophet Muhammad ﷺ was, in fact, “Read”. Prophet Muhammad ﷺ once stated that “Seeking knowledge is mandatory for all Muslims.” With such a direct command to go out and seek knowledge, Muslims have placed huge emphasis on the educational system in order to fulfill this obligation placed on them by the Prophet ﷺ.

Throughout Islamic history, education was a point of pride and a field Muslims have always excelled in. Muslims built great libraries and learning centers in places such as Baghdad, Cordoba, and Cairo. They established the first primary schools for children and universities for continuing education. They advanced sciences by incredible leaps and bounds through such institutions, leading up to today’s modern world.

Attitudes Towards Education

Today, education of children is not limited to the information and facts they are expected to learn. Rather, educators take into account the emotional, social, and physical well-being of the student in addition to the information they must master. Medieval Islamic education was no different. The 12th century Syrian physician al-Shayzari wrote extensively about the treatment of students. He noted that they should not be treated harshly, nor made to do busy work that doesn’t benefit them at all. The great Islamic scholar al-Ghazali also noted that “prevention of the child from playing games and constant insistence on learning deadens his heart, blunts his sharpness of wit and burdens his life. Thus, he looks for a ruse to escape his studies altogether.” Instead, he believed that educating students should be mixed with fun activities such as puppet theater, sports, and playing with toy animals.

The First Schools

Ibn Khaldun states in his Muqaddimah, “It should be known that instructing children in the Qur’an is a symbol of Islam. Muslims have, and practice, such instruction in all their cities, because it imbues hearts with a firm belief (in Islam) and its articles of faith, which are (derived) from the verses of the Qur’an and certain Prophetic traditions.”

A miniature from the Ottoman period of students and their teacher

The very first educational institutions of the Islamic world were quite informal. Mosques were used as a meeting place where people can gather around a learned scholar, attend his lectures, read books with him/her, and gain knowledge. Some of the greatest scholars of Islam learned in such a way, and taught their students this way as well. All four founders of the Muslim schools of law – Imams Abu Hanifa, Malik, Shafi’i, and Ibn Hanbal – gained their immense knowledge by sitting in gatherings with other scholars (usually in the mosques) to discuss and learn Islamic law.

Some schools throughout the Muslim world continue this tradition of informal education. At the three holiest sites of Islam – the Haram in Makkah, Masjid al-Nabawi in Madinah, and Masjid al-Aqsa in Jerusalem – scholars regularly sit and give lectures in the mosque that are open to anyone who would like to join and benefit from their knowledge. However, as time went on, Muslims began to build formal institutions dedicated to education.

From Primary to Higher Education

Dating back to at least the 900s, young students were educated in a primary school called a maktab. Commonly, maktabs were attached to a mosque, where the resident scholars and imams would hold classes for children. These classes would cover topics such as basic Arabic reading and writing, arithmetic, and Islamic laws. Most of the local population was educated by such primary schools throughout their childhood. After completing the curriculum of the maktab, students could go on to their adult life and find an occupation, or move on to higher education in a madrasa, the Arabic world for “school”.

The Registan complex in Samarkand, Uzbekistan contains three madrasas in the same square

Madrasas were usually attached to a large mosque. Examples include al-Azhar University in Cairo, Egypt (founded in 970) and al-Karaouine in Fes, Morocco (founded in 859). Later, numerous madrasas were established across the Muslim world by the great Seljuk vizier, Nizam al-Mulk. At a madrasa, students would be educated further in religious sciences, Arabic, and secular studies such as  medicine, mathematics, astronomy, history, and geography, among many other topics. In the 1100s, there were 75 madrasas in Cairo, 51 in Damascus, and 44 in Aleppo. There were hundreds more in Muslim Spain at this time as well.

These madrasas can be considered the first modern universities. They had separate faculties for different subjects, with resident scholars that had expertise in their fields. Students would pick a concentration of study and spend a number of years studying under numerous professors. Ibn Khaldun notes that in Morocco at his time, the madrasas had a curriculum which spanned sixteen years. He argues that this is the “shortest [amount of time] in which a student can obtain the scientific habit he desires, or can realize that he will never be able to obtain it.”

When a student completed their course of study, they would be granted an ijaza, or a license certifying that they have completed that program and are qualified to teach it as well. Ijazas could be given by an individual teacher who can personally attest to his/her student’s knowledge, or by an institution such as a madrasa, in recognition of a student finishing their course of study. Ijazas today  can be most closely compared to diplomas granted from higher educational institutions.

Education and Women

Throughout Islamic history, educating women has been a high priority. Women were not seen as incapable of attaining knowledge nor of being able to teach others themselves. The precedent for this was set with Prophet Muhammad’s own wife, Aisha, who was one of the leading scholars of her time and was known as a teacher of many people in Madinah after the Prophet’s ﷺ death.

Later Islamic history also shows the influence of women.  Women throughout the Muslim world were able to attend lectures in mosques, attend madrasas, and in many cases were teachers themselves. For example, the 12th century scholar Ibn ‘Asakir (most famous for his book on the history of Damascus, Tarikh Dimashq) traveled extensively in the search for knowledge and studied under 80 different female teachers.

Women also played a major role as supporters of education:

The University of al-Karaouine in Fes, Morocco was founded by Fatima al-Fihri in 859

• The first formal madrasa of the Muslim world, the University of al-Karaouine in Fes was established in 859 by a wealthy merchant by the name of Fatima al-Fihri.
• The Abbasid caliph Harun al-Rashid’s wife, Zubayda, personally funded many construction projects for mosques, roads, and wells in the Hijaz, which greatly benefit the many students that traveled through these areas.
• The wife of Ottoman Sultan Suleyman, Hurrem Sultan, endowned numerous madrasas, in addition to other charitable works such as hospitals, public baths, and soup kitchens.
• During the Ayyubid period of Damascus (1174 to 1260) 26 religious endownments (including madrasas, mosques, and religious monuments) were built by women.

Unlike Europe during the Middle Ages (and even up until the 1800s and 1900s), women played a major role in Islamic education in the past 1400 years. Rather than being seen as second-class citizens, women played an active role in public life, particularly in the field of education.

Modern History

The tradition of madrasas and other classical forms of Islamic education continues until today, although in a much more diminshed form. The defining factor for this was the encroachment of European powers on Muslim lands throughout the 1800s. In the Ottoman Empire, for example, French secularist advisors to the sultans advocated a complete reform of the educational system to remove religion from the curriculum and only teach secular sciences. Public schools thus began to teach a European curriculum based on European books in place of the traditional fields of knowledge that had been taught for hundreds of years. Although Islamic madrasas continued to exist, without government support they lost much of their relevance in the modern Muslim world.

Today, much of the former Ottoman Empire still runs education along European lines. For example, what you are allowed to major in at the university level depends on how you do on a certain standardized test at the end of your high school career. If you obtain the highest possible grades on the test, you can study sciences such as medicine or engineering. If one scores on the lower end of the spectrum, they are only allowed to study topics such as Islamic sciences and education.

Despite the new systems in place in much of the Muslim world, traditional education still survives. Universities such as al-Azhar, al-Karaouine, and Darul Uloom in Deoband, India continue to offer traditional curricula that bring together Islamic and secular sciences. Such an intellectual tradition rooted in the great institutions of the past that produced some of the greatest scholars of Islamic history and continues to spread the message and knowledge of Islam to the masses.

Imam al-Bukhari and the Science of Hadith

In Islamic sciences, all knowledge of the religion comes back to two sources: the Quran and the sayings and doings of the Prophet Muhammad ﷺ – the hadith. The Quran is of course considered the un-changed word of Allah as revealed to Prophet Muhammad ﷺ and is thus the foundation of all Islamic knowledge. Second after the Quran is the example set forth by the Prophet ﷺ.

But considering that he lived 1400 years ago, how can we be sure that the sayings and doings we attribute to him are real and unchanged? To someone unfamiliar with the science of hadith, the collections of hadith may seem unreliable and susceptible to corruption. However, due to the work of Imam Muhammad al-Bukhari in the 9th century, the science of hadith has been protected from such problems using a systematic and thorough method of verification for each and every saying attributed to the Prophet ﷺ. Thus, in the 21st century we can still benefit directly from the authentic sayings of the Prophet Muhammad ﷺ.

Al-Bukhari’s Early Life

Imam al-Bukhari was born and raised in the city of Bukhara, in Central Asia

Abu Abdallah Muhammad ibn Ismail al-Bukhari was born in 809 or 810 in the city of Bukhara, in what is now Uzbekistan. He came from a Persian family that converted to Islam 3 generations before his time. Unfortunately for the young al-Bukhari, his father died while he was still an infant, leaving his upbringing to his mother. Despite the difficult circumstances, al-Bukhari dedicated himself to studying Islamic sciences from a young age.

Studying with the scholars in and around his hometown, al-Bukhari immersed himself in hadith studies as well as fiqh, Islamic jurisprudence. From a young age he showed a unique ability to understand complex issues of law, but more importantly, he was capable of remembering long and complex chains of narrations of hadiths. For a hadith to be considered authentic, a reliable chain of narrators is needed to connect that saying to the Prophet Muhammad ﷺ. In this, al-Bukhari excelled.

By his late teens, al-Bukhari had completed his studies in Bukhara and set out to Makkah to do Hajj (pilgrimage) with his mother and brother. Since the rise of Islam in the 600s, Makkah has been a unique mixing place for world travelers. Since all Muslims are obligated to complete the Hajj at least once, Makkah is constantly visited by people from all corners of the world. For a hadith scholar like al-Bukhari, this type of environment was invaluable.

He stayed in Makkah and Madinah for several years, where he continued to collect hadiths from some of the leading hadith scholars of the world, memorizing the text of the hadiths (the matn), the chain of narrators (the isnad), and advancing his understanding of the reliability of those narrators (the knowledge of men – ‘ilm al-rijaal). He traveled through Egypt, Syria, and Iraq to continue his studies throughout his adult life, finally settling in Basra, where he would compile his monumental hadith collection.

Sahih al-Bukhari

Although Imam al-Bukhari authored several works on the science of hadith, his most lasting contribution to Islamic sciences was his compilation of over 7000 hadiths, which he called al-Jaami’ al-Sahih al-Musnad al-Mukhtasar min Umur Rasool Allah wa sunanihi wa Ayyamihi, meaning “The Abridged Collection of Authentic Hadith with Connected Chains regarding Matters Pertaining to the Prophet, His practices and His Times”. This collection took him 16 years to complete and since its compilation has been considered the most authentic book of hadith in history, thus the book’s common name: Sahih al-Bukhari meaning “The Authentic Hadiths of al-Bukhari”.

What makes Sahih al-Bukhari so unique was Imam al-Bukhari’s meticulous attention to detail when it came to the compilation of hadiths. He had far stricter rules than other hadith scholars for accepting a hadith as authentic. The chain of narrators for a particular hadith had to be verified as authentic and reliable before Imam al-Bukhari would include that hadith in his compilation. For example, the first hadith in the book begins:

“We have heard from al-Humaydi Abdallah ibn al-Zubayr who said that he heard from Sufyan, who said he heard from Yahya ibn Sa’eed al-Ansari who said he was informed by Muhammad ibn Ibrahim al-Taymi that he heard ‘Alqama ibn Waqqas al-Laythi say that he heard ‘Umar ibn al-Khattab say on the sermon pulpit that he heard the Prophet Muhammad ﷺ say: ‘Actions are only by intentions…'”

This chain of six narrators was meticulously inspected by Imam al-Bukhari. In order for him to consider the hadith authentic, he had to study the lives of all the people in the chain in depth. He studied where and when the narrators lived, in order to make sure that if someone narrates from someone else, they must both have been in the same place at the same time and have actually met and discussed hadith. Other hadith scholars did not all require evidence that two consecutive narrators met personally, but Imam al-Bukhari’s strict requirements is what makes his compilation unique.

Imam al-Bukhari also studied the lives of narrators, to make sure they were trustworthy and would not fabricate, or change the wording of a hadith. If he discovered that someone in a chain openly sinned or was not considered trustworthy, that hadith was immediately discarded and not included in his book unless a stronger chain for it existed.

Using his strict guidelines for hadith acceptance, Imam al-Bukhari was the first to make a systematic approach to classifying hadith. Each hadith he analyzed was labelled as either sahih (authentic), hasan (good), mutawatir (recurrent in many chains), ahad (solitary), da’eef (weak), or mawdu’ (fabricated). This system for hadith then became the standard by which all hadiths were classified by other hadith scholars.

Imam al-Bukhari’s Fiqh

Imam al-Bukhari’s collection of hadiths is a monumental achievement and an irreplaceable cornerstone of the science of hadith scholarship. Through his work, hadith studies became a science with governing laws that protected the field from innovations and corruptions. However, his Sahih is not just a simple collection of hadiths. Al-Bukhari organized his collection in a way that it can also be used to help deduce rulings within Islamic law – fiqh.

The Sahih is divided into 97 books, each with numerous chapters within it. Each chapter is then titled with a ruling on a particular issue within fiqh. Then within the chapter will be all the hadiths that he considered authentic that support that ruling. For example, the chapter about extra prayer during the month of Ramadan (Taraweeh) is titled “The Superiority of Extra Prayers at Night in Ramadan” and it contains six sayings of the Prophet ﷺ that indicate how important the Taraweeh prayer is.

Thus, not only is Sahih al-Bukhari the most authentic book of hadith ever compiled, but Imam al-Bukhari also had the foresight to organize it into a book of law that helps everyday Muslims live their lives as close to the life of the Prophet ﷺ as possible. His monumental work would go to inspire generations of hadith scholars, including al-Bukhari’s student Muslim ibn al-Hajjaj, who would go on to collect Sahih Muslim, which is considered second only to Sahih al-Bukhari in authenticity.

One of the common accusations made by non-Muslims against Islamic sciences and the study of hadith is that there is no way of verifying the hadith and that they should not be used as a source of belief or law. This argument is based on a very rudimentary and flawed understanding of how the hadith were collected and the incredible amount of effort scholars such as al-Bukhari put into verifying their authenticity. With the monumental work of al-Bukhari and other scholars of hadith, we have been able to know what words and actions can truly be attributed to the Prophet Muhammad ﷺ even 1400 years after his life.

Bibliography:

Khan, Muhammad. The Muslim 100. Leicestershire, United Kingdom: Kube Publishing Ltd, 2008. Print.

Siddiqi, Muhammad. Hadith Literature. Cambridge: The Islamic Texts Society, 1993. Print.

The Last Great Caliph: Abdülhamid II

Throughout Islamic history, one of the uniting aspects of the Muslim world was the caliphate. After the death of Prophet Muhammad ﷺ, his close companion, Abu Bakr, was elected as the first khalifah, or caliph, of the Muslim community. His job as leader combined political power over the Muslim state as well as spiritual guidance for Muslims. It became a hereditary position, occupied at first by the Umayyad family, and later by the Abbasids. In 1517, the caliphate was transferred to the Ottoman family, who ruled the largest and most powerful empire in the world in the 1500s.

For centuries, the Ottoman sultans did not place much emphasis on their role as caliphs. It was an official title that was called in to use when needed, but was mostly neglected. During the decline of the empire in the 1800s, however, a sultan came to power that would decide to revive the importance and power of the caliphate. Abdülhamid II was determined to reverse the retreat of the Ottoman state, and decided that the best way to do it was through the revival of Islam throughout the Muslim world and pan-Islamic unity, centered on the idea of a strong caliphate. While Abdülhamid’s 33-year reign did not stop the inevitable fall of the empire, he managed to give the Ottomans a final period of relative strength in the face of European encroachment and colonialism, with Islam being the central focus of his empire.

Islamic Reform

The Ottoman Empire in 1878

Throughout the 1800s, the Ottoman government had been trying desperately to slow the decline of the empire. Beginning with Mahmud II and throughout the reigns of Abdülmecid and Abdülaziz, attempts at reforming the empire were at the forefront of the government agenda. These Tanzimat(reorganization) reforms attempted to rebuild the Ottoman state along liberal, European lines. Islam (and religion in general) was given a back seat in public life, as secular ideas began to influence laws and government practices.

These reforms proved to do nothing to reverse the decline of the empire. If anything, the increased emphasis on non-Islamic identities of Ottoman subjects just further promoted the nationalistic aims of the Ottoman Empire’s numerous subjects, which created further disunity in the empire. During the Tanzimat Era, the Ottoman provinces of Serbia, Greece, Wallachia, Modova, Abkhazia, Bulgaria, and Algeria were all lost to European encroachment or nationalism.

Abdülhamid decided to take a radically different approach. Because of the loss of European territory that had occurred just before and in the first few years of his reign, the empire was now overwhelmingly Muslim. Throughout Ottoman history, Christians had been a major part of the population, at some times being about 80% of the population. Throughout the 1800s, however, the Ottoman Empire was losing Christian-majority lands in Europe, and was getting a net influx of Muslim immigrants coming into the empire. With about 3/4th of his empire Muslim, Abdülhamid decided to emphasize Islam as the dominant uniting factor among his subjects.

Tughra of Abdulhamid II

The rest of Europe was experiencing powerful nationalistic movements in the 1800s. Pan-Slavism and Pan-Germanism were examples of uniting factors for people who spoke the same languages and had similar cultures. The Ottoman empire had always been multi-cultural. Turks, Arabs, Albanians, Bosnians, Kurds, Armenians, and many others made up the empire. Abdülhamid attempted to make Pan-Islamism a uniting factor for Muslims, both inside and outside of the empire’s borders.

To show his role as supreme leader of Muslims worldwide, Abdülhamid placed much emphasis on the holy sites of Makkah and Madinah. In the 1800s, a building program commenced in the holy cities, with hospitals, barracks, and infrastructure being built in the Hejaz to aid in the yearly gathering of Muslims in Makkah – the Hajj. The Ka’aba itself and the Masjid al-Haram that surrounded it were also renovated with a modern water system that helped reduce the severity of floods.

In 1900, Abdülhamid commenced the beginning of the Hejaz Railway. It began in Istanbul and traveled through Syria, Palestine, and the Arabian desert, ending in Madinah. The goal of the railway was to better connect the holy sites with the political authority of Istanbul, as well as make the pilgrimage easier. To show his emphasis on the protection of Makkah and Madinah, Abdülhamid decided that the gauge (width of the rails) of the Hejaz Railway should be slightly smaller than standard European ones. His reasoning for this was that if Istanbul were to ever fall to European imperialists, he wanted to make sure they could not use the Hejaz Railway with European trains to easily invade Makkah and Madinah.

Non-Ottoman Muslims

Throughout Ottoman history, there have been examples of the sultans helping Muslim communities outside their borders whenever the opportunity arose and the Ottoman state was capable. For example, in the 1500s, the Ottoman navy was a key force in the Indian Ocean, aiding local Muslims fighting Portuguese colonialism as far away as India and Indonesia. Abdülhamid considered it his duty to do the same in the 1800s, especially since large populations of Muslims in Africa and Asia were under European imperial control.

The opening of the Hamidiye University in Beijing

Delegations were sent to African Muslim kingdoms such as Zanzibar, giving gifts from Abdülhamid and asking them to acknowledge the caliph as their protector against European imperialism. Similar delegations were sent to Muslims living within Russian and Chinese borders.

In 1901, Abdülhamid sent one of his advisors, Enver Pasha, along with numerous Islamic scholars, to China. When they arrived in Shanghai, they were warmly greeted by the Chinese authorities, and especially so by the local Chinese Muslims, who had lived in China for centuries. Abdülhamid later helped establish a Muslim university in Beijing, called the Peking (Beijing) Hamidiye University. Even as far away as China, Abdülhamid wanted to create a sense of belonging and unity among Muslims, centered on the caliphate.

Abdülhamid’s efforts resulted in the caliph of the Muslim world being acknowledged in Friday prayers from small towns throughout Africa to the major Muslim communities of India and China.

The Issue of Palestine

In the late 1800s, a potent nationalist movement was forming among European Jews: Zionism. Zionist ideology called for a Jewish state to be established in their ancient homeland, Palestine. Although European Jews were dispersed throughout Europe, the unique financial and political power of numerous Jewish families was able to make Zionism a major force in the late 1800s.

In the late 1800s, Sultan Abdülhamid II attempted to bring back the Islamic character of the Ottoman Empire.

Theodor Herzl, the founder of the Zionist movement, personally requested from Abdülhamid II special permission to settle in Palestine, in exchange for 150 million pounds of gold, which could have helped the Ottomans repay their enormous debts. Herzl’s aims were not to settle there and live under Ottoman authority, he clearly wanted to establish a Jewish state carved out of Muslim lands (as of course happened in 1948). Abdülhamid realized that his role as caliph required him to protect the sanctity and sovereignty of Muslim land, so he responded to Herzl with the following:

™Even if you gave me as much gold as the entire world, let alone the 150 million English pounds in gold, I would not accept this at all. I have served the Islamic milla [nation] and the Ummah of Muhammad for more than thirty years, and never did I blacken the pages of the Muslims- my fathers and ancestors, the Ottoman sultans and caliphs. And so I will never accept what you ask of me.

He further prevented the purchase of tracts of land within Palestine by Zionist organizations, ensuring that their attempts at establishing a foothold there were futile. Ultimately, the Zionists were allowed to purchase land and settle in Palestine after the reign of Abdülhamid II, when the Young Turk movement was in charge of the Ottoman Empire.

Legacy

Abdülhamid II was the last of the Ottoman sultans who had any real power. He was overthrown in 1909 by a group known as the Young Turks. They were Western-educated liberal secularists who vehemently disagreed with the Islamic direction that Abdülhamid took the empire in from 1876 to 1909. After his overthrow, his brother Mehmed Reshad was chosen as sultan by the Young Turks, but he effectively had no power, and the empire was run by an oligarchy of three ministers in the Young Turk government.

Three more people held the office of caliph after Abdülhamid II: Mehmed V, Mehmed VI, and Abdülmecid II, none of which had any power. In 1924, the caliphate was abolished by the new Turkish parliament and Abdülmecid and the rest of the Ottoman family were forced into exile. As such, Abdülhamid II was the last of the caliphs to have had any power over the Muslim world. The tradition of a strong, in charge caliph that commenced with Abu Bakr in 632 was upheld by Abdülhamid in the late 1800s before finally being overthrown by liberal elements within the empire.

Abdülhamid II died in Istanbul in 1918, and was buried in a mausoleum along with Sultans Mahmud II and Abdülaziz near Sultanahmet Square.

How Islam Spread in India

How Islam Spread in India

Today, there are over 500 million Muslims throughout the Indian subcontinent (India, Pakistan, and Bangladesh), making it one of the largest population centers of Muslims in the world. Since Islam first entered India, it has contributed greatly to the area and its people. Today, numerous theories about how India came to be such a largely Muslim land exist. Politically, some (such as the Hindutva movement in India) try to make Islam seem foriegn to India, by insisting it only exists because of invasions by Arab and Persian Muslims. The truth, however, is far from that.

The Earliest Muslim Indians

Cheraman Juma Masjid

Even before the life of Prophet Muhammad (Peace Be Upon Him) in the 600s, Arab traders were in contact with India. Merchants would regularly sail to the west coast of India to trade goods such as spices, gold, and African goods. Naturally, when the Arabs began to convert to Islam, they carried their new religion to the shores of India. The first mosque of India, the Cheraman Juma Masjid, was built in 629 (during the life of Prophet Muhammad) in Kerala, by the first Muslim from India, Cheraman Perumal Bhaskara Ravi Varma. Through continued trade between Arab Muslims and Indians, Islam continued to spread in coastal Indian cities and towns, both through immigration and conversion.

Muhammad bin Qasim

The first great expansion of Islam into India came during the Umayyad Dynasty of caliphs, who were based in Damascus. In 711, the Umayyads appointed a young 17 year old man from Ta’if to extend Umayyad control into Sindh: Muhammad bin Qasim. Sindh is the land around the Indus River in the Northwestern part of the subcontinent, in present-day Pakistan. Muhammad bin Qasim led his army of 6,000 soldiers to the far eastern reaches of Persia, Makran.

He encountered little resistance as he made his way into India. When he reached the city of Nerun, on the banks of the Indus River, he was welcomed into the city by the Buddhist monks that controlled it. Most cities along the Indus thus voluntarily came under Muslim control, with no fighting. In some cases, oppressed Buddhist minorities reached out to the Muslim armies for protection against Hindu governors.

Despite the support and approval of much of the population, the Raja of Sindh, Dahir, opposed the Muslim expansion and mobilized his army against Muhammad bin Qasim. In 712, the two armies met, with a decisive victory for the Muslims. With the victory, all of Sindh came under Muslim control.

It is important to note, however, that the population of Sindh was not forced to convert to Islam at all. In fact, for almost everyone, there was no change in day-to-day life. Muhammad bin Qasim promised security and religious freedom to all Hindus and Buddhists under his control. For example, the Brahman caste continued their jobs as tax collectors and Buddhists monks continued to maintain their monastaries. Due to his religious tolerance and justice, many cities regularly greeted him and his armies with people dancing and music.

Patterns of Conversion

The successive waves of Muslim armies penetrating into India followed much the same pattern. Leaders such as Mahmud of Ghazni and Muhammad Tughluq expanded Muslim political domains without altering the religious or social fabric of Indian society.

Because pre-Islamic India was entirely based on a caste system in which society was broken into separate parts, conversion to Islam happened in a step-by-step process. Often, entire castes would convert to Islam at a time. This would happen for many different reasons. Often, however, the equality Islam provided was more attractive than the caste system’s organized racism. In the caste system, who you are born to determines your position in society. There was no opportunity for social mobility or to achieve greater than what your parents achieved. By converting to Islam, people had the opportunity to move up in society, and no longer were subservient to the Brahman caste.

The Jama Masjid in Delhi, India

Buddhism, which was once very popular in the subcontinent, slowly died out under Muslim rule. Traditionally, when people wanted to escape the caste system, they would move to the major population centers and convert to Buddhism. When Islam became an option, however, people began to convert to Islam instead of Buddhism, while still leaving the caste system. The myths of Islam violently destroying Buddhism in India are simply false. Buddhists were tolerated under Muslim rule and no evidence exists that shows forced conversions or violence against them.

Wandering teachers also had a major role in bringing Islam to the masses. Muslim scholars traveled throughout India, making it their goal to educate people about Islam. Many of them preached Sufi ideas, a more mystical approach to Islam that appealed to the people. These teachers had a major role in bringing Islam to the masses in the countryside, not just the upper classes around the Muslim rulers.

Did Islam Spread by Force?

While some claim that Islam’s huge population in India is a result of violence and forced conversion, the evidence does not back up this idea at all. Although Muslim leaders replaced Hindu kings in most areas, society was left as is. Stories of forced conversion are very few and often not credible enough to warrant academic discussion.

If Islam spread through violence and warfare, the Muslim community today in India would exist only in the areas closest to the rest of the Muslim world. Thus only the western part of the subcontinent would have any Muslim population at all. What we see instead is pockets of Islam throughout the subcontinent.  For example, Bangladesh and its 150 million Muslims are in the far east, separated from other Muslim-majority areas by Hindu lands in India. Isolated communities of Muslims exist also exist in western Myanmar, central India, and eastern Sri Lanka. These communities of Muslims are proof of Islam spreading peacefully throughout India, regardless of whether or not a Muslim government existed there. If Islam spread by force as some claim, these communities of Muslims would not exist.

Conclusions

Islam is an integral part of India and its history. As the Indian subcontinent remains today a multi-ethnic and multi-religious place, it is important to understand the position Islam has in the region. The political claims that some making regarding Islam as if it is an invading religion and foriegn to the people of India need to be defied with the truth of Islam’s peaceful spread throughout India.

Bibliography:

Hodgson, M. The Venture of Islam . 2. Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 1961. Print.

Kennedy, Hugh. The Great Arab Conquests: How the Spread of Islam Changed the World We Live In. Philadelphia: Da Capo Press, 2007. Print.

“World’s second oldest mosque is in India.” Bahrain Tribune 07 06 2006, n. pag. Web. 23 Nov. 2012..