The gate of the Jami mosque built in 1571 in Fatehpur Sikri, a city built by the Mughal emperor Akbar. The mosque is one of the largest in the world and houses the tomb of sufi Salim Chishti, an acquaintance of Akbar. Akbar had planned the city as his capital but shortage of water compelled him to abandon it. The capital was later shifted to Lahore, Pakistan.

Islam is India's largest minority religion, with Muslims officially comprising 13.7 percent of the country's population, or 137 million people as of 2004. The largest concentrations--about 46 % of all Muslims in India--live in the states of Bihar (13.7 million), West Bengal (20 million), and Uttar Pradesh (30.7 million), according to the 2001 census. Muslims represent a majority of the local populations only in Jammu and Kashmir (67 percent in 2001) and Lakshadweep (95 percent). High concentrations of Muslims are found in the eastern states of Assam (31 percent) and West Bengal (25 percent), and in the southern state of Kerala (25 percent). Muslims are generally more educated, integrated and prosperous in the Western and Southern states of India than in the Northern and Eastern ones. As a faith with its roots outside South Asia, Islam also offers some striking contrasts to those religions that originated in India. India has the third largest Muslim population (after Indonesia and Pakistan) and also the second largest Shia Muslim population (after Iran)in the world. The Buland Darwaja (gate) of the Jami mosque built in 1571 in Fatehpur Sikri a 16th-century capital city built by the Mughal emperor Akbar, near the city of Agra. ... The Buland Darwaja (gate) of the Jami mosque built in 1571 in Fatehpur Sikri a 16th-century capital city built by the Mughal emperor Akbar, near the city of Agra. ... Tulip Mosque in Ufa, Russia. ... Events January 11 - Austrian nobility is granted Freedom of religion. ... Fatehpur Sikri is a 16th-century capital city built by the Mughal emperor Akbar on a rocky outcrop near the city of Agra in India. ... The Mughal Empire (alternative spelling Mogul, which is the origin of the word Mogul) of India was founded by Babur in 1526, when he defeated Ibrahim Lodi, the last of the Delhi Sultans at the First Battle of Panipat. ... Jalauddin Akbar Jalaluddin Muhammad Akbár, (alternative spellings include Jellaladin) also known as Akbar the Great (Akbar-e-Azam) (October 15, 1542 – 1605) was the ruler of the Mughal Empire from the time of his accession in 1556 until 1605. ... Sufism (Arabic تصوف taṣawwuf) is a system of esoteric philosophy commonly associated with Islam. ... Lahore (لاةور) is a major city in Pakistan and is the capital of the province of Punjab. ... A Muslim (Arabic: مسلم) is an adherent of Islam. ... 2004 is a leap year starting on Thursday of the Gregorian calendar. ... Bihar (बिहार in Devanagri) is a state situated in the eastern part of India. ... West Bengal (পশ্চিম বঙ্গ, Pościm Bôngo) is a state in the eastern region of India. ... Uttar Pradesh (Hindi: उत्तर प्रदेश, Urdu: اتر پردیش), also popularly known by its acronym UP, is the fifth largest and the most populous state in India. ... Jammu and Kashmir is the northern-most state of the India, with Srinagar as its summer capital and Jammu as its winter capital. ... 2001: A Space Odyssey. ... Lakshadweep (Hindi: लक्शद्वीप Tamil: லக்ஷத்வீப்) is the smallest Union Territory of India. ... Assam (অসম) is a northeastern state of India with its capital at Dispur. ... West Bengal (পশ্চিম বঙ্গ, Pościm Bôngo) is a state in the eastern region of India. ... ... A Muslim (Arabic: مسلم) is an adherent of Islam. ... Shiʻa Islam (Arabic شيعى follower; English has traditionally used Shiite) makes up the second largest sect of believers in Islam, constituting about 30%–35% of all Muslim. ...

The Islamic contribution to India ranges from architecture such as the Taj Mahal to the development of Urdu as a language bridge between Sanskrit-based languages and Arabic-based languages. The Taj Mahal. ... Urdu(اردو) is an Indo-European language which originated in India, most likely in the vicinity of Delhi, from whence it spread to the rest of the subcontinent. ...

The Past

See:

• Islamic invasion of India
• Islamic Empires in India
• Mughal era

This article needs to be cleaned up to conform to a higher standard of quality. ... During the middle ages, several Islamic regimes established empires in India. ... // The Mughal empire Main article: Mughal empire India in the 16th century presented a fragmented picture of rulers, both Muslim and Hindu, who lacked concern for their subjects and who failed to create a common body of laws or institutions. ...

Islamic Traditions in South Asia

Muslims practice a series of life-cycle rituals that differ from those of Hindus, Jains, or Buddhists.

A significant aspect of Islam in India is the importance of shrines attached to the memory of great Sufi saints. Sufism is a mystical path (tarika) as distinct from the legalistic path of the sharia. A Sufi attains a direct vision of oneness with God, often on the edges of orthodox behavior, and can thus become a Pir (living saint) who may take on disciples ([murid]s) and set up a spiritual lineage that can last for generations. Orders of Sufis became important in India during the thirteenth century following the ministry of Moinuddin Chishti (1142-1236), who settled in Ajmer, Rajasthan, and attracted large numbers of converts to Islam because of his holiness. His Chishtiyya order went on to become the most influential Sufi lineage in India, although other orders from Central Asia and Southwest Asia also reached to India and played a major role in the spread of Islam. Many Sufis were well known for weaving music, dance, intoxicants, and local folktales into their songs and lectures. In this way, they created a large literature in regional languages that embedded Islamic culture deeply into older South Asian traditions. Sufism (Arabic تصوف taṣawwuf) is a system of esoteric philosophy commonly associated with Islam. ... Sufism (Arabic تصوف tasÌ£awwuf) is the school of esoteric philosophy in Islam, which is based on the pursuit of spiritual truth as a definite goal to attain. ... The Arabic word tarika or Tariqa: طريقه (pl. ... Sharia (Arabic: ; also SharÄ«ah, Sharia, Shariah or Syariah) is the Arabic word for Islamic law, also known as the Law of Allah. ... Khwaja Moinuddin Chishti (1141 - 1230 AD), also known as Gharib Nawaz, is the most famous Sufi saint of the Chishti Order of South Asia. ... Events End of the reign of Emperor Sutoku of Japan Emperor Konoe ascends to the throne of Japan Henry the Lion becomes Duke of Saxony Births Muin ad-Din Hasan, Indian Muslim saint Farid ad-Din Attar, Sufi mystic poet Deaths April 21 - Pierre Abélard, French scholastic philosopher (b. ... Events May 6 - Roger of Wendover, Benedictine monk and chronicler of St Albanss Abbey dies. ... Ajmer, or Ajmere, is a city in Indias Rajasthan state. ... Rajasthan (राजस्थान) is the geographically largest state in northwestern India. ... The Chishti Order was founded by Khwaja Abu Ishaq Shami (the Syrian) (d. ... This article needs to be cleaned up to conform to a higher standard of quality. ... A map showing Southwest Asia - The term Middle East is more often used to refer to both Southwest Asia and some North African countries Southwest Asia (similar to the Middle East) is the southwestern part of Asia. ... A regional language is a language spoken in a part of a country - it may be a small area, a federal state or province, or a wider area. ...

In the case of many great teachers, the memory of their holiness has been so intense that they are still viewed as active intercessors with God, and their tombs have become the site of rites and prayers by disciples and lay people alike. Tales of miraculous deeds associated with the tombs of great saints have attracted large numbers of pilgrims attempting to gain cures for physical maladies or solutions to personal problems. The tomb of the Pir thus becomes a dargah (gateway) to God and the focus for a wide range of rituals, such as daily washing and decoration by professional attendants, touching or kissing the tomb or contact with the water that has washed it, hanging petitions on the walls of the shrine surrounding the tomb, and giving money.

The descendants of the original pir are sometimes seen as inheritors of his spiritual energy and as pirs in their own right. They may dispense amulets sanctified by contact with them or with the tomb. The annual celebration of the Pir's death is a major event at important shrines, attracting hundreds of thousands of devotees for celebrations that may last for days. Free communal kitchens and distribution of sweets are also big attractions of these festivals, at which Muslim fakirs, or wandering ascetics, sometimes appear and where public demonstrations of self-mortification, such as miraculous piercing of the body and spiritual possession of devotees, sometimes occur. Every region of India can boast of at least one major Sufi shrine that attracts expressive devotion, which remains important, especially for Muslim women.

The leadership of the Muslim community has pursued various directions in the evolution of Indian Islam during the twentieth century. The most conservative wing has typically rested on the education system provided by the hundreds of religious training institutes (madrasa) throughout the country, which have tended to stress the study of the Qur'an and Islamic texts in Arabic and Persian but little else. Several national movements have emerged from this sector of the Muslim community. The Jamaati Islami (Islamic Party), founded in 1941, advocates the establishment of an overtly Islamic government through peaceful, democratic, and non-missionary activities. The Indian branch of the party had about 3,000 active members and 40,000 sympathizers in the mid-1980s. The Tablighi Jamaat (Outreach Society) became active after the 1940s as a movement, primarily among the ulema (religious leaders), stressing personal renewal, prayer, a missionary and cooperative spirit, and attention to orthodoxy. It has been highly critical of the kind of activities that occur in and around Sufi shrines and remains a minor if respected force in the training of the ulema. Conversely, other ulema have upheld the legitimacy of mass religion, including exaltation of pirs and the memory of the Prophet. A powerful secularising drive led by Syed Ali Khan resulted in the foundation of Aligarh Muslim University (1875 as the Muhammadan Anglo-Oriental College) -- with a broader, more modern curriculum -- and other major Muslim universities. This educational drive has remained the most dominant force in guiding the Muslim community. (19th century - 20th century - 21st century - more centuries) Decades: 1900s 1910s 1920s 1930s 1940s 1950s 1960s 1970s 1980s 1990s The 20th century lasted from 1901 to 2000 in the Gregorian calendar (often from (1900 to 1999 in common usage). ... Madrassa in the Gambia The word madrassa in the Arabic language (and other languages of the Islamic nations such as Persian, Turkish, Indonesian etc. ... The Quran (Arabic: al-qurān literally the recitation; also called Al Qurān Al KarÄ«m or The Noble Quran; or transliterated Quran, Koran, and less commonly Alcoran) is the holy book of Islam. ... Arabic (العربية al-arabiyyah, or less formally arabi) is the largest member of the Semitic branch of the Afro-Asiatic language family (classification: South Central Semitic) and is closely related to Hebrew and Aramaic. ... Persian (فارسی / پارسی), (local name in Iran/Persia, Afghanistan and Tajikistan: ‘Fârsi’), ‘Pârsi’ (older local name, but still used by some speakers), Tajik (a Central Asian dialect) or Dari (another local name in Tajikistan and Afghanistan), is a language spoken in Iran, Tajikistan, Afghanistan, Uzbekistan, western Pakistan, Bahrain, and elsewhere. ... Jamaat-e-Islami (Urdu/Arabic/Persian: جماعت اسلامي, Islamic Party) is a political party in Pakistan. ... 1941 was a common year starting on Wednesday (link will take you to calendar). ... // Events and trends The 1980s marked an abrupt shift towards more conservative lifestyles after the momentous cultural revolutions which took place in the 60s and 70s and the definition of the AIDS virus in 1981. ... // Roots of Tabligh Movement Originating in India in the Mewat province, Tablighi Jamaat aims to bring spiritual awakening to the world Muslims. ... // Events and trends The 1940s were dominated by World War II, the most destructive armed conflict in history. ... Muhammad is a common Muslim male name. ... Victoria gate, a prominent building at the university Aligarh Muslim University is a university located in Aligarh, Uttar Pradesh. ... 1875 was a common year starting on Friday (see link for calendar). ...

Present day

Muslims in India Census 2001

IndianMuslims.info Informational website on Indian Muslims.

See also: Mappila (Muslim community from Kerala)

Introduction The Mappilas (historically called Moplahs) are a Muslim community in Kerala and neighbouring states and territories of India. ...

See also

• Islam by country

Distribution of Islam Important note: There is currently no exact mechanism in place anywhere around the world for counting religious denomination membership with precision. ...

References

• This article incorporates public domain text from the Library of Congress Country Studies.