History of Islam in the Indo-Pak Sub-continent

• Islam spread rapidly in the world as soon as it surfaced in the world, but it took its root in the Indo-Pak Sub-continent in the beginning of the 8th Century A.D.
• During the rule of sixth Umayyad caliph, Walid bin Abdul Malak (705-715 A.D), when an overarching incidence of ship looting occurred near Debal, a sea port, Hindu pirates attacked the ships and ransacked them. Hajjaj bin Yousef sent his emissary, Imaduddin Muhammad bin Qasim, to teach the raja a lesson and release the prisoners. Muhammad bin Qasim led a glorious Muslim army and invaded Sindh in 712 A.D.
• During the rule of Abbasid caliph Al-Mansur (754-775 A.D), scholars from the Sindh were welcomed at the court of Baghdad. In the north Islam was making inroads from Afghanistan into the north-western region of Pakistan. Islamic missionaries were actively spreading their faith among the tribes.
• Due to weak Abbasid ruler, who acceded to the throne later on, lost sway over the territories of the Sub-continent at the end of 9th Century. 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 invaded India seventeen times from 1001 to 1027 A.D; the motives behind the attempts were not for the cause of Islam but for bounties.
• After the Ghaznavids, came Ghoris headed by Muhammad Ghori. The Ghoris ruled from 1148 to 1206 A.D. From 1206 to 1526 A.D Delhi Sultanate rose to power. It is believed that though this period of Delhi Sultanate was politically tumultuous, it was a time of great cultural and Islamic expansion.
• The Muslim society flourished during the Sultanate period in the Sub-continent.
• Sufism made its way during this era and gave a boost to religious reformists and saints.
• The effects of Islam on the Sub-continent were far-reaching, with the society changing the style of thinking of the people.
• The Muslim glory period in the Sub-continent was due to the influence of Turks and Persian.

Test your knowledge about the spread and influence of Islam in the Indo-Pak Sub-continent from the 8th to the 16th century, encompassing the Umayyad and Abbasid caliphates, invasions, and the rise of the Delhi Sultanate.