Islamic Civilization in South Asia: A History of Muslim Power and Presence in the Indian Subcontinent

346 Pages·2013·3.38 MB·English

by  Burjor Avari

ISLAMIC CIVILIZATION
IN SOUTH ASIA
Muslims have been present in South Asia for fourteen centuries. Nearly 40
per cent of the people of this vast land mass follow the religion of Islam,
and Muslim contribution to the cultural heritage of the subcontinent has
been extensive. This textbook provides both undergraduate and post -
graduate students with a comprehensive account of the history of Islam in
India, encompassing political, socio-economic, cultural and intellectual
aspects.
Using a chronological framework, the book discusses the main events in
each period between c.600 CEand the present day, along with the key social
and cultural themes. It discusses a range of topics, including:
(cid:129) how power was secured, and how it was exercised;
(cid:129) the crisis of confidence caused by the arrival of the West in the sub-
continent; and
(cid:129) how the Indo-Islamic synthesis in various facets of life and culture came
about.
Excerpts at the end of each chapter allow for further discussion, and
detailed maps alongside the text help visualize the changes through each
time period. Introducing the reader to the issues concerning the Islamic past
of South Asia, the book is a useful text for students and scholars of South
Asian History and Religious Studies.
Burjor Avari is Honorary Research Fellow at Manchester Metropolitan
University, UK. His research interests include Indian and South Asian
History, and he is the author of India: The Ancient Past – The History of
the Indian Subcontinent from 7000 BC to AD 1200 (Routledge, 2007).
‘. . . the author’s story is extremely well told. This will be a most
accessible book [. . .] most pleasingly his exposition, working over
some heavily contested areas of history, is very well-balanced.’
Francis Robinson, Professor of South Asian History,
Royal Holloway, University of London, UK
ISLAMIC
CIVILIZATION IN
SOUTH ASIA
A history of Muslim power and
presence in the Indian subcontinent
Burjor Avari
First published 2013
by Routledge
2 Park Square, Milton Park, Abingdon, Oxon OX14 4RN
Simultaneously published in the USA and Canada
by Routledge
711 Third Avenue, New York, NY 10017
Routledge is an imprint of the Taylor & Francis Group, an informa business
© 2013 Burjor Avari
The right of Burjor Avari to be identified as the author
of this work has been asserted by him in accordance
with sections 77 and 78 of the Copyright, Designs and
Patents Act 1988.
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be
reprinted or reproduced or utilized in any form or by any
electronic, mechanical, or other means, now known or hereafter
invented, including photocopying and recording, or in any
information storage or retrieval system, without permission
in writing from the publishers.
Trademark notice: Product or corporate names may be
trademarks or registered trademarks, and are used only for
identification and explanation without intent to infringe.
British Library Cataloguing in Publication Data
A catalogue record for this book is available from
the British Library
Library of Congress Cataloging in Publication Data
Avari, Burjor.
Islamic civilization in South Asia: a history of Muslim power and
presence in the Indian subcontinent / Burjor Avari.
p. cm.
Includes bibliographical references and index.
1. Islam–India–History. 2. India–Civilization–Islamic influences.
I. Title.
BP63.I4A946 2012
954.02–dc23
2012011479
ISBN: 978–0–415–58061–8 (hbk)
ISBN: 978–0–415–58062–5 (pbk)
ISBN: 978–0–203–09522–5 (ebk)
Typeset in Sabon
by Florence Production Ltd, Stoodleigh, Devon, UK
FOR ZARIN
CONTENTS
List of plates and acknowledgments x
List of maps xii
List of excerpts xiii
Preface xv
1 Introduction 1
The first Muslims 1
The South Asian context 5
Historiography and sources of study 13
Select excerpts 15
2 The era of Arab predominance (c. 600 to 1000 CE) 17
Early Arab commerce and settlement in India 17
The Arab conquest of Sind 20
Arab rule in Sind 22
Early Islamic thirst for knowledge 30
Select excerpts 34
3 Turkish power and Persian culture in the age of transition
(1000–1206) 37
Ghaznavids and Ghurids: their wars and conquests 38
The Ghaznavid model of authority 45
Zealotry and realism in religious policy 48
The dominance of Persian cultural tradition 50
Select excerpts 54
4 The Delhi Sultanate at its zenith (1206–1351) 57
Sultans and nobles 57
Territorial expansion and the Mongol threat 62
Peasants, craftsmen, slaves and traders 66
vii
CONTENTS
Guardians of Islam and attitudes to Hindus 69
The Sultanate architecture 72
Narrating and composing in the Persian tradition 74
Select excerpts 77
5 New centres of Muslim power and culture (1351–1556) 80
Fluctuations of imperial power and fortunes 80
The rise of regional sultanates 85
The Muslim community: a snapshot 89
Art and architecture: imperial and regional 92
Intermingling of literary styles 96
Select excerpts 98
6 The Mughal ascendancy: Akbar and his successors
(1556–1689) 101
The four Mughals: a brief introduction 101
The Mughal imperial order 103
The Mughal economy 108
Religion and state 112
Courtly culture and imperial patronage 116
Select excerpts 124
7 The age of Mughal disintegration (1689–1765) 127
Factors in imperial decline 128
The post-Mughal political scene 134
Some trends in Indian Islam 137
Cultural developments of the later Mughal period 142
Select excerpts 147
8 Muslims under the East India Company (1765–1858) 150
The supremacy of the Company 151
Muslim resentment and resistance 156
Continuity of Muslim social order 162
Cultural and intellectual ferment 166
Select excerpts 171
9 Stirrings of a Muslim modernity under the Raj (1858–1924) 176
Education and Muslim identity 177
Muslim political desires and outcomes 182
The Muslim poor in three regions 190
Modern Muslim scholarship and literature 194
Select excerpts 198
viii
CONTENTS
10 Unity or separatism?: Muslim dilemma at the end of the Raj
(1924–1947/8) 203
From Khilafat to Pakistan: a political narrative 203
The bitter fruits of division 212
Fighting illiteracy and purdah seclusion: Muslim women’s
advances 217
Eminent literati before independence 220
Select excerpts 223
11 Epilogue: new challenges in a fractured subcontinent
(1947–2011) 227
The Muslim minority in independent India 228
The travails of Pakistan 233
From East Pakistan to Bangladesh 242
Literature and the arts 247
Select excerpts 250
Concluding thoughts 253
Select landmark dates 254
Muslim royal dynasties 257
Glossary 263
Notes 265
Bibliography 287
Index 307
Index of Persian/Urdu/Bengali texts 316
ix
PLATES AND
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
Plate section can be found between pages 142–3
Front cover: A section of the Taj Mahal gardens
Source: Professor Ebba Koch, University of Vienna, author: The Complete
Taj Mahal, Thames and Hudson, 2006
1 Islamic architectural styles
Source: Mr Ismail Lorgat, Blackburn, UK, private album
2 An artist’s model of the Qutb complex in Delhi
Source: Sir Wolsey Haig, editor: The Cambridge History of India, Vol. 3,
Cambridge University Press, 1928
3 Two styles of royal tombs: Sher Shah and Jahangir
3.1 Source: Sir Richard Burn, editor: The Cambridge History of India,
Vol. 4, Cambridge University Press, 1937
3.2 Source: Mr Akhtar Hussain, Manchester, UK, private album
4 Two Mughal emperors: Babur and Akbar
4.1 Source: Dr Peggy Woodford Aylen, Rise of the Raj,
Midas Press, 1978
4.2 Source: Dr Peggy Woodford Aylen, Rise of the Raj,
Midas Press, 1978
5 Two Mughal forts: Lahore and Agra
5.1 Source: Mr Akhtar Hussain, Manchester, UK, private album
5.2 Source: Mrs Maharukh Desai, Goa, India, private album
6 Two gateways: Teen Darwaza (Ahmadabad) and Char
Minar (Hyderabad)
6.1 Source: Miss Azzmin Mehta, Ahmadabad, India
6.2 Source: Dr George Michell, co-author: Architecture and Art
of the Deccan Sultanates, Cambridge University Press, 1990
7 . . . ‘space fit for royalty’ – a Mughal palace and a garden
7.1 Source: Mr Imtiaz Patel, Blackburn, UK, private album
7.2 Source: Mrs Maharukh Desai, Goa, India, private album
x