Islam in India

1. Islam in India Jeffrey L. Richey, Ph.D. REL 231 Religions of India and Tibet Berea College Fall 2005

2. ARABIAN ROOTS OF ISLAM • Muhammad (570-632 CE): • Born in Arabian city of Mecca; raised by relatives after parents’ death • Absorbs diverse religious influences (Christian, Jewish, local Arab polytheism) in cosmopolitan commercial city • Experiences revelations from Allah (name of one Arab deity) beginning with “Night of Power” (610), later transcribed in Quran • As revelations continue, begins to preach monotheism, moral purity, and simplicity of lifestyle • Persecution leads to escape (Hijra) from Mecca to Medina (622) • Gaining support, returns to Mecca as conqueror (630) • Dies after making pilgrimage (Hajj) to sacred sites in Mecca

3. WHO IS A MUSLIM? • Muslim = from Arabic Islam, “submission” • A Muslim is “one who submits” to one who submits” to Allah (God) through the revelation (Quran) given to humanity through His Prophet and final messenger, Muhammad • A Muslim is anyone who can say and believe the Shahada, or “Profession of Faith”: • There is no God but Allah • Muhammad is Allah’s Prophet • 50% of Muslims today live in South and Southeast Asia • Fewer than 20% of Muslims are Arabs

4. Shahada: profession of faith in Allah as sole deity and Muhammad as final messenger (culmination of Hebrew Bible and New Testament prophecy) Salat: ritual prayer five times daily (morning, noon, afternoon, sunset, dusk) while prostrated in direction of Mecca – customarily solitary, but communal on Fridays at noon in masjid (mosque) Zakat: charity – a “loan to God” representing 2.5% of one’s income, donated by those 16 years and older who can afford it Ramadan: abstinence from food, drink, sex, stimulants during daylight hours of ninth lunar month in commemoration of the Prophet’s “Night of Power” Hajj: pilgrimage to Mecca to be made by every Muslim at least once in a lifetime THE “FIVE PILLARS” OF ISLAM

5. THE RISE OF SUFISM • Soon after Prophet’s death, some Muslims become critical of what they see as worldliness and corruption of caliphs (“deputies” or Islamic rulers) • Preaching simple living and constant prayer, and distinguished by their blue wool (sūf) clothing, Sufis become famous for their use of meditation and mystical union with Allah • Primary value of Sufism: tawakkul (absolute trust in Allah) • Tawakkul in turn arises from tawhid (absolute unity/uniqueness of Allah) • Tawakkul is expressed through faqr (“poverty,” both material and spiritual) • Faqr in turn leads to fanā (“annihilation” of self in the presence of almighty Allah)

6. As Sufism expands throughout Muslim world, it encounters Buddhist and Hindu traditions in South and Central Asia Other Muslims criticize Sufis for assimilating non-Islamic ideas, leading to systematization and defense of Sufi doctrine Sufi teachers (shaikhs) transmit their spiritual lineages (silsila) inherited from Muhammad to communities of disciples (tarīqa) Basic Sufi theme: love, not fear, should define relationship between humanity and Allah Sufis practice dhikr (“remembrance”) of Allah through chanting, dancing, fasting, music, and prayer Abu Hamid al-Ghazali (1058-1111), most famous Sufi theologian, defines 4 major points of Sufism: islām (“surrender, submission” to God in all aspects of life) īmān (“faith” in God and his Prophet, Muhammad) ihsān (“serving God as if one were seeing Him” at all times) ishrāq (“illumination” of the soul, leading it from dark material realm to light spiritual realm) SUFI THEOLOGY

7. THE ISLAMIC CONQUEST OF INDIA • Between 700 and 1000, Islam gradually introduced to India through combination of Arab invasion, settlement, and trade • 1000-1200: Persian-speaking Turks conquer northern and central India • 1206-1526: Turkish “Delhi Sultanate” controls northern India, insulates Islam from devastating Mongol conquests elsewhere, and forms partnership with Sufi faqirs who help bridge gap between Muslim rulers and Hindu subjects • 1526-1858: Mughal Empire displaces Delhi Sultanate and eventually masters all of India

9. ISLAM UNDER THE MUGHALS • Like their Turkish predecessors, the Mughals rely on Sufi leaders to maintain power • Aurangzeb (1618-1707), heir to Shah Jahan (builder of the Taj Mahal), becomes famous for his simplicity of life and Islamic orthodoxy, imposing the jizya (tax on non-Muslims) on Hindus • Shah Wali Allah (1702-1762) leads Islamic revival across India, but weakened Mughal rule cannot check rise of quasi-independent Muslim and Hindu territories within Empire • In general, Islamic rulers preside over a syncretistic period of Indian religious history, in which multiple traditions interact and recombine to form new concepts, movements, and practices

10. COLONIAL AND POSTCOLONIAL ISLAM • Western settlements in India: • Portuguese (1510) • Dutch (1609) • English (1612) • French (1674) • 1858: British depose last Mughal emperor and rule until 1947 • 1947: Partition of mostly Muslim Pakistan from mostly Hindu India inaugurates wave of refugees and reprisals • 1948: Mahatma Gandhi assassinated by right-wing Hindu who opposed his conciliatory policy toward Muslims • 1971: India backs secession of East Pakistan (Bangladesh)