The Emergence of Muslim Rule in India

Some Historical Disconnects and Missing Links

Abstract

The emergence of Muslim rule in India is an important development in south Asia. This phenomenon, however, has not been treated in a holistic manner both in temporal and spatial terms. In temporal terms, there seems to be a disconnect in its historical reconstruction. The textbooks, for instance, show a number of disconnects among the various episodes in history, delinking them from each other. Besides, there are also several historiographical silences which mar the historiography of the emergence of Muslim rule in India. In spatial terms, the narrative remains focused on northern and north-western India, whereas the developments resulting in eastward expansion as well as in the coastal regions of India are generally ignored. These developments are the major missing links in the narrative of the emergence of Muslim rule in India. This paper attempts to point out the above-stated historical disconnents and missing links, but does not undertake to fill these gaps. The paper argues that the establishment of Muslim rule in India was not the result of any abrupt development; rather it was a complex and protracted process stretching over centuries. The Arab conquest of 93/712 was a part of the military expeditions in the north-western peripheral regions of India under the Pious Caliphs and the Umayyads. The later military expansion under the Ghaznavids and Ghaurids should be seen in the context of the weakening of the central authority of the 'Abbāsid Caliphate in face of the rise of the regional military leaders which gave fresh impetus to expansion towards India. The establishment of Muslim rule in India, eventually culminating in the foundation of Delhi Sultanate, was its direct outcome.