A muslim is that person whose religion is that of Islam, a teaching which was first revealed in Arabia to prophet Mohammad (PBUH). At first prophet Mohammad (PBUH) had a very few followers but later Islam spread rapidly in the Middle East.
Islam spread from Spain to China and into central Asia. The strength of muslim increased and muslim set out for trade, exploring and to conquer.
A few years after the death of Prophet Mohammad (PBUH) muslim traders reached from Arabia to Sindh. Young and volatile defeated where they came into touch with ruler of Sindh Raja Dahir, Mohammad Bin Qasim. This was the beginning of muslim life in India.
But it is amazing and interesting to know that widespread settlement of muslims in the sub-continent did not spring from this. But it was the result of invasions of India through the famous Khyber Pass near modern Peshawar City.
The first such invasion took place in A.D 1001 when Mahmood of Ghaznavi defeated the Hindu ruler of Punjab. It’s interesting to note that in the next twenty years Mahmood invaded India twelve times and each time he went further till he reached somnath (it is a very famous place which had a temple of sniva, which was destroyed by Mahmood of Ghaznavi.
Prithviraj king of Delhi (which is still capital of India) proved to be the last king of Delhi who was defeated by the succession of Mahmood of Ghaznavi. The whole northern India came under muslims power at this time. This power of muslims briskly spread west, east and south.
Baber the first and the most famous mughal emperor made himself the ruler in Delhi. Baber’s successions extended their way until in Aurangzeb Alamgir’s time the whole of sub-continent was ruled by this muslim dynasty.
But after the death of Aurangzeb Alamgir the power of mughals as well as the muslims began to decline. Not only hindus and other minorities played a big role in playing down the mughals but the rising power of british also played a very important role. So mughals came under attack not only by external forces but also the internal forces.
Eventually the british overcome the muslims and in 18577 british were the rulers of sub-continent. But it is important to remember that after ruling the sub-continent for centuries muslims became a permanent and important rather very important part of its culture. Now they are not looked as the foreign invaders rather they are looked like the locals. In 1947 there were about ninty million muslims in the whole of India.
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