Islam in India
A good number of Muslim leaders seem to be keen to promote Islam and Islamic values in India by trying to project the view that Islam needs their protection. Nothing could be farther from the truth. They would do well to cast even a cursory look at India’s history to realise that their approach is doing more harm than any good to the cause of Islam or Muslims in India.
The founder of the Moghul empire in India, Zahiruddin Mohammad Babar (1483-1530 AD), first invaded the subcontinent in 1519. After several battles, he finally captured Delhi and Agra in 1526 to establish the Moghul rule. He was succeeded by his son, Nasiruddin Humayun.
Jalaluddin Mohammad Akbar (1542-1605), son of Humayun, ascended the Moghul throne in 1556 after his father’s death. At that time Moghul rule was marked by instability. One reason was that Moghuls, being foreign invaders, aroused great resentment among the local people. To end this state of unrest, Akbar resorted to his policy of Sulh-e-Kul (peace with all concerned) and Din-e-Ilahi. The religion Akbar proposed was not, in fact, a religion. It was rather a piece of strategy designed to put an end to hatred that had developed between the Muslims and the non- Muslims during the reigns of earlier Sultans of Delhi. In spite of its apparent clumsiness, the strategy worked and Akbar by securing the cooperation of the majority of people, and despite the opposition of the orthodox section of his courtiers, succeeded in bringing about political stability in the country and people prospered. Indeed, from the reign of Akbar to that of Shahjehan, tens of thousands of people voluntarily accepted Islam and entered its egalitarian fold. The key factor in creating this propitious atmosphere was the policy followed by Akbar.
We know nothing of Akbar’s intentions. But even if he had been as evil as some people thought him to be, the above analysis retains its validity. It is an irrefutable fact that Akbar’s policy of appeasement resulted in the rapid spread of Islam along with an atmosphere of peace and tranquillity. Even if, as a man, he was ill-intentioned, the results he achieved as a monarch will bear out the words of the Prophet: There is no doubt that God will help this religion “even if it be through a sinner.”
In contrast, during the reign of the last Moghul emperor, Mohiuddin Aurangzeb (who assumed the title of Alamgir, the world conqueror), relations between Muslim and non-Muslims once again turned sour, for his policies antagonized all communities and castes: Marathas, Rajputs, Sikhs, Hindus and even intelligent Muslims began to dislike him and his policies. As a natural consequence, society again became tension ridden. The process of dissemination of Quran’s teachings which was well under way as a result of Akbar’s policies was halted. Hindu-Muslim antagonism thus put an end to the friction-free atmosphere which is a must for the spread of Islam.
After Aurangzeb, the Moghul Empire went into a decline. At that point, however, the situation was saved by the appearance of Sufis on the scene. The Sufis set about establishing khanqah (monasteries) all over the country and revived the traditions of earlier Sufi saints to spread the message of love, elimination of hatred between man and man and to emphasize the oneness of mankind and that of God, the Almighty. They met with extraordinary success. Their following increased both among the Hindus and Muslims until they became the most influential element of society in shaping the character of the people.
Just as the hatred engendered by earlier Sultans and Babar was nullified by Akbar, the hatred aroused by Aurangzeb was extinguished by the Sufis. It was then that there came into existence an atmosphere truly conducive to the communication of the message of Islam. That is why, in spite of the Moghul Empire’s decline and fall after Aurangzeb the spread of Islam was actually accelerated. That the spread of Islam also cemented the foundation of the nation became evident during the so called Mutiny of 1857 when Hindus and Muslims, Peshwas and molavis, women of valour like Rani of Jhansi and Begum Hazrat Mahal, fought shoulder to shoulder to regain the nation’s pride and independence from the alien English.
This process of spreading of Islam continued until Mr. Mohammad Ali Jinnah (1876-1948) appeared on the scene. It was he who invented, under western inspiration, the ‘two-nation theory,’ thereby creating afresh a chasm between Hindus and Muslims and an atmosphere of constant friction between them by getting the country divided with the blessings of aliens who realized that they could not no longer stay and rule over us all If this theory of separateness had remained in the realm of ideology alone, relatively little harm would have ensued. Unfortunately, he and his ilk chose to stress the geographical aspect of this divisive concept. As a result, we are left with holding the baby of this hatred-filled concept in the form of a permanent confrontation and friction between the two major sections of Indian people in the form of a political principle which more often than not brought to the fore by politicians of all hues and colour.
The ‘two-nation theory’ was, in effect, an off-shoot of the constant friction and confrontation stirred up between the two peoples and it was under exceptional circumstances that this concept gained popularity among the Muslims. Indeed, the whole country responded to the ‘two-nation theory’. The greatest religion for both communities became Hindu-Muslim hatred. This poisonous form of politics saw its culmination in 1947 when a wall of hatred—a wall far stronger than the Berlin Wall—rose between the two communities.
By the middle of the twentieth century, the dissemination of Islam in this country had come to a halt once again. The principal reason for this interruption was Mr. Jinnah’s brand of politics spewing bitterness and hatred all over again and once again the heavens await the day when this atmosphere of enmity and abhorrence for each other among the Muslims and others will dissipate and dissolve and the door for acceptance of Islam as a religion of peace, tranquility and prosperity will open once again as before.
Islam is a natural faith, free of all adulterations. By sheer virtue of its own strength, it can make inroads into the hearts of the people. The only barrier to its natural acceptance by others is the atmosphere of belligerence.
If the message of Islam is to be successfully communicated, Muslims themselves must prevent any unfavourable atmosphere from coming in its way. If Muslims can achieve only this, Islam will begin again to command respect from others and enter the hearts of people on its own. There will be no further need to make any direct efforts towards this end.
