2. Islam in India  What was pre-Islamic India like?  Very prosperous!  Not very united  India usually assimilated groups of invaders or intruders  Islamic Civilization was more sophisticated than earlier invaders, though it clashed with Hinduism

3. How did Islam spread to India?  Trade began between Arabia and western India  Pirates/War/India  The Indus region seized over this conflict  Added to Islamic Empire  Religious freedom preserved  Arabs ran the gov’t. but were a tiny minority  Indian Hindus held many gov’t. positions!

4. What did the Muslims learn from Hindu India?  Science, Math, Astronomy, Medicine, Music and Architecture!  Many Indian scientists traveled to Baghdad  Math, Algebra and Geometry was translated into Arabic  Hindu numerals were adopted and would later be adopted by the West!

5. Did the Muslims hold on to their territory for long?  No! A gradual Hindu reconquest slowly gathered momentum.  Did the Muslims ever come back? Yes  When? The 11 th and 12 th centuries  This state was called the Sultanate of Delhi  The Sultanate was independent of other Muslim states

6. How brutal was conversion to Islam?  Not brutal at all  Merchants and Sufi Mystics did most of the converting of Indians to Islam  Western and Eastern sections of India were converted to Islam  Many low caste groups and Buddhists converted  Equality before God appealed to some

7. What was the Hindu perspective on this whole thing?  Viewed Islam as an upstart and inferior faith  Hindus and Muslims mixed socially very little  They (Upper caste) were not wild about Islam but did serve in the Government  The Hindu movement bhakti served to stem the tide of Muslim conversion

8. How much did the Muslims influence the Hindus?  It was the other way around!  Muslims adopted many Hindu customs  What are some examples of this?  The sati  Coins with Hindu gods  Hindu ideas about lower class people  Marriage ages and a regal style

9. Was India the farthest extent of Islamic influence?  No! Muslim traders also spread their religion to Southeast Asia and the South Pacific  These conversions were peaceful  It was good for business to convert to Islam due to Islamic law  Many pre-Islamic traditions were retained