The Spread of Islam: An Analysis

The Spread of Islam An Analysis

1990 10 October 7-9 The Spread of Islam: An Analysis (989) The founder of the Mughal empire in India, Zahiruddin Mohammad Babar (1483-1530), first invaded the subcontinent in 1519. After several battles, he finally captured Delhi and Agra in 1526 to establish Mughal ruler. He was succeeded by his son Humayun.

Jalaluddin Mohd. Akbar (1542-1605), the son of Humayun, ascended the Mughal throne in 1556 after his father’s death. At that time, Mughal rule was marked by instability. One reason was that the Mughals, being foreign invaders aroused great resentment among the local people. To end this state of unrest, Akbar resorted to his policy of Din-e-Elahi. It was not, in fact, a religion. It was rather a piece of strategy designed to put an end to the hatred existing between Muslims and non-Muslims. In spite of its apparent clumsiness, this strategy worked, so that Akbar, by getting the cooperation of the majority, succeeded in bringing about political stability in the country.

Although Akbar had been largely motivated by political interests in trying out this strategy. Islam also benefitted from the disappearance of Hindu-Muslim hatred in that people began to enter the fold of Islam in great numbers. Indeed, from the reign of Akbar to that of Shah Jehan, tens of thousands of people accepted Islam. 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, the above analysis still remains valid. It is an irrefutable fact that Akbar’s policy of appeasement resulted in the rapid spread of Islam. Even if, as a man, he was ill-intentioned, the results he achieved as a monarch will beat out the words of the Prophet: There is no doubt that God will help this religion even if it be through a sinner.

During the reign of the last Mughal emperor, Aurangzeb Alamgir (1618-1707), the relations between Muslims and non-Muslims once again turned sour, for his policies antagonised all communities: Rajputs, Marathas, Sikhs, even common Hindus began to dislike him. Consequently, tension again prevailed. The process of spreading Islam which was well under way, thanks to Akbar’s policies, again came to a halt. Hindu-Muslim antagonism thus put an end to the friction-less atmosphere which is a must for the spread of Islam.

After Aurangzeb, the Mughal empire went into a decline. At that point, however, the situation was saved by God bringing the Sufis (mystics) on to the scene. The sufis set about establishing Khanqah (monasteries) all over the country, their main purpose being to spread the message of love among the people. In this mission they met with extraordinary success. Their following among both Muslims and Hindus increased until they became the most influential element of society in shaping the character of the people.

Just as the hatred engendered by Babar was nullified by Akbar, the hatred engendered by Aurangzeb was ended 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 Mughal empire’s decline after Aurangzeb, the spread of Islam was actually accelerated. During this period, tens of thousands of people entered its fold.

This process of the spread of Islam continued until Mr. Muhammad Ali Jinnah (1876-1948) appeared on the scene. It was he who invented the ‘two-nation theory’, meaning that Hindus and Muslims were separate nations. If this theory of separateness had been purely a matter of ideology, relatively little harm would have ensued. Unfortunately, he chose to stress the geographical aspects of this divisive concept. As a result, hatred and confrontation between the two groups became matters of permanent political principle.

The ‘two-nation theory’ was, in fact, an offshoot of the hatred stirred up between the two nations, and it was under exceptional circumstances that this concept gained tremendous popularity among the Muslims. Indeed, the whole country responded to the ‘two-nation theory’. The greatest ‘religion’ for both the communities became Hindu-Muslim hatred. This poisonous form of politics saw its completion in 1947 when a wall of hatred – a wall far stronger than the Berlin wall – rose up between the two communities, giving birth to the separate entity of Pakistan.

By the middle of the twentieth century, the dissemination of Islam in this country had once again halted. The principle reason for this state of deadlock was Mr. Jinnah’s brand of politics having produced an atmosphere charged with hatred and bitterness between Hindus and Muslims. Now, once again, the heavens await the day when this atmosphere of hatred between Dayee and Madu will be dissipated and the door to the dissemination of Islam will open once again as before.

Islam is a natural faith, free of all adulteration, which, over a long period of history, has become a firmly established religion. These inherent qualities have given Islam the ability to spread on its own. By sheer virtue of its own strength, it can make inroads into the hearts of the people. The only barrier to its spreading automatically is the atmosphere of hatred and bitterness which has been created between the Dayee and the Madu. Now, if the message of Islam is to be successfully communicated, Muslims themselves must prevent any unfavourable atmosphere from coming in the way. If Muslims can achieve only this, Islam will enter the hearts of the people on its own. There will be no further need to make any direct efforts towards this end.

Although the actual objective of the Tablighi Jamaat is the religious reformation of Muslims, it indirectly performs the same task of putting an end to inter-communal hatred, as had been done – on a larger scale, of course – by the sufis of old. Islam, at the present time, is in the gravest jeopardy, and it will only be if the process of dispelling hatred is appreciably intensified that the spread of Islam will meet with success throughout the entire country.