Hinduism and Islam

Hinduism and Islam, from the of arrival of the Arabs as far back as the eighth century AD, has had a checkered history.

During the Muslim conquests, Islam gained many converts on the Indian sub-continent primarily from Hinduism or Buddhism; the two dominant local religions. Inter-marriage and immigration from other Islamic lands have helped in instilling this idea in the people of greater India. Many of the new Muslim rulers looked down upon the idea Hinduism as having Iconodulistic religious practices and were to various degrees iconoclastic. Prominent examples of these are Mahmud of Ghazni and the Mughal emperor Aurangzeb on either end of the timeline for Islamic rulers. In addition, Muslims in India also developed a caste system that divided the Arab-descended "Ashraf" Muslims and the "Ajlaf" converts, with the "Arzal" untouchables at the lowest rungcite book| last = Aggarwal | first = Patrap | authorlink = Patrap C. Aggarwal | title = Caste and Social Stratification Among Muslims in India | publisher = Manohar |date= 1978 ] [Muslim Caste in Uttar Pradesh (A Study of Culture Contact), Ghaus Ansari, Lucknow, 1960, Page 66] cite web | last = Singh Sikand | first = Yoginder | title = Caste in Indian Muslim Society | publisher = Hamdard University | url = http://stateless.freehosting.net/Caste%20in%20Indian%20Muslim%20Society.htm | accessdate = 2006-10-18 ] cite book | last = Ambedkar | first = Bhimrao | authorlink = B.R. Ambedkar | title = Pakistan or the Partition of India | publisher = Thackers Publishers ] [http://www.columbia.edu/itc/mealac/pritchett/00ambedkar/ambedkar_partition/410.html Web resource for "Pakistan or the Partition of India"] ] The term "Arzal"stands for "degraded" and the Arzal castes are further subdivided into Bhanar, Halalkhor, Hijra, Kasbi, Lalbegi, Maugta, Mehtar etc. [ [http://www.indianexpress.com/story/12109.html Dereserve these myths] by Tanweer Fazal,"Indian express"]

In contrast there were also many Muslim kings who wished to live in harmony with the Hindus for interests of the Islamic empire. Akbar and Ibrahim Adil Shah II of Bijapur Adil Shah dynasty are notable examples. Akbar's court was home to intellectuals and saints both Hindu and Muslim, among them the great musician Tansen who converted to Islam, and he (Akbar) even went so far as to try and create a new religion (the "din ilahi") to create a rapprochement of both creeds for creating a stable empire. Contrary to popular belief Akbar, continued the policy of Babur and Humayun in the destruction of Hindu temples. It is recorded by Bayazid Biyat, personal attendant of Humayun, that Akbar gave two villages for the upkeep of a mosque and a Madrasa which was setup by destroying a Hindu temple, this was done under the supervision of 'Todar Mal' who was highly regarded Hindu minister (vizir) of Akbar.cite book|author=Harbans, Mukhia|title=The Mughals of India|publisher=Blackwell Publishing|isbn= 9780631185550|page= 23 ] Shaikh Ahmad Sirhindi, does not credit Akbar for saving the temple instead gives credit to the "infidels" for building their own temple by demolishing the mosque. [cite book|author= Alam, Muzaffar|page=77|title=Languages of Political Islam in India 1200-1800|date= 2004|publisher=Orient Longman|isbn=8178240629 ] Akbar's army was responsible for demolition of rich Hindu temples which had gold idols in the Doab region between Ganga and Yamuna.

Frustration in the sub-continent grew as a result of this leading to the gradual decline of the Muslim mughal empire replaced by the Sikhs, Marathas, the Vijayanagara kingdom and later the British.

In the last 60 years after Indian independence, the Muslims have had to live without the preferential treatment that was offered to them during the days of the sultanates and even during the British Raj's positive discrimination against the Muslims as a part of the divide and rule policy. The communal tensions between the Hindus and the Muslims have erupted many a times during this period. Notable incidents of this phenomenon include the demolition of the Babri Masjid and the Gujrat Riots of 2002.

The arrival of Sufi movement conversing with other mystic traditions of Vedanta and Yoga led to the rise of the syncretic Bhakti movement. Kabir was a Sufi saint who embraced the Hindu God Rama as his chosen bhakti ideal. He wrote poetry and preached to the people, advocating a blend of philosophy and spiritual practices. Sufism as a whole is primarily concerned with direct personal experience, and as such may be compared to various esoteric forms of mysticism such as Bhakti form of Hinduism, Hesychasm, Zen Buddhism, Kabbalah, Gnosticism and Christian mysticism.

The synergy between certain Sufis and Bhaktas in many regions of India led to Muslim and Hindu laity worshiping together at a "mazar" (Sufi shrine). However, Muslim and Sikh conflict erupted in India fueled by a history of regional politics, nationalism, continued conflict and the partition movements during independence from the British Raj in 1947.

However the main proponents of this new synergy included Saints like Rumi, Shirdi Sai Baba and Kabir today it can be said it exits in the form of the QawwaliQawwali is a form of devotional Sufi music common in Afghanistan, India, Iran, Pakistan, Tajikistan and Turkey. It is known for its secular strains. Some of its modern-day masters have included Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan and the Sabri Brothers. Amir Khusro, a disciple of Nizamuddin Auliya, of the Chishti Order, is credited with inventing Qawwali in the 14th century.

Mughal art forms, especially miniatures and even certain niches of Urdu poetry, were quick to absorb classic Hindu motifs, like the love story of Krishna and Radha. [http://www.bharatiyadrama.com/urdu.htm] Hindustani classical music is a complex and sonorous blend of Vedic notions of sound, raga and tala and absorbed a many instruments of either Middle Eastern origin or Indian-Muslim invention such as the ghazal

References

ee also

*Islam in India
*Islamic conquest of South Asia
*Communalism (South Asia)
*Islam and other religions
*Hinduism and other religions
*Mahāmada
*Ayodhya debate
*Pakistani nationalism
*Hindu nationalism
*Terrorism in India

External links

* [http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/south_asia/7473019.stm Islam and Hinduism's blurred lines]