Islam in Asia
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Part of a series on Islam by continent |
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Asia
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Contents |
[edit] Introduction
Islam began in Asia in the 7th century during the life of its prophet Muhammad (SallaAllaho Allayhi Wasalaam)number of adherents of Islam has lived in Asia and specially South and Middle-east Asia since the beginning of Islamic history. Islam said to have arrived in Manipur (Northeast India) in 615 AD via Chittagong coast in the age of silk route (both onland and by sea) trades when Sa'ad ibn abi Waqqas (b.594-d.674 AD) and other Sahabas namely Uwais al-Qarni (594-657), Khunais ibn Hudhaifa, Saeed ibn Zaid, Wahb Abu Kabcha, Jahsh, Jafar ibn Abu Talib preached there after sailing from Abyssinia in 615 and then the three Sahabas preached in China among the Hui Chi (now Hui Hui) in 616-17 AD where many embraced Islam. Islam also arrived in Kerala (Malabar), southern India mainly in sea shore areas where according to local legends Arabs led by some Sahabas notably Malik bin Deenar preached there; a first mosque was built by him in 629 in Malabar. He was sent by a king of Chera kingdom who earlier went to Arabia and met Muhammad, and embraced Islam in the presence of Abu Bakr.
Islam was founded in Sind (Pakistan) in 711 AD. On the political development,Delhi Sultanate was established in 1208 AD.
Barmaks were probably the earliest of converts to Islam from South Asia. The family has its origin in a line of hereditary Hindu priests from North India and Kashmir. [1] (The name comes from the Sanskrit प्रमुख Pramukh, arabized to Barmak). Traditionally, Islamic historians considered the Barmakids to be Hindu or sometimes mistakingly Zoroastrian priests before converting to Islam.
The Barmakid family was an early supporter of the Abbasid revolt against the Umayyads and of As-Saffah. This gave Khalid bin Barmak considerable influence, and his son Yaḥyá ibn Khālid (d. 806) was the vizier of the caliph al-Mahdi (ruled 775–785) and tutor of Hārūn al-Rashīd (ruled 786-809). Yaḥyá's sons al-Faḍl and Ja'far (767-803) both occupied high offices under Harun.
Many Barmakids were patrons of the sciences, which greatly helped the propagation of Indian science and scholarship from the neighbouring Academy of Gundishapur into the Arabic world. They patronized scholars such as Gebir and Jabril ibn Bukhtishu. They are also credited with the establishment of the first paper mill in Baghdad. The power of the Barmakids in those times is reflected in The Book of One Thousand and One Nights; the vizier Ja'far appears in several stories, as well as a tale that gave rise to the expression "Barmecide feast".
We know of Yaḥyá ibn Khālid al-Barmakī (d. 805) as a patron of physicians and, specifically, of the translation of Hindu medical works into both Arabic and Persian. In all likelihood however, his activity took place in the orbit of the caliphal court in Iraq , where at the behest of Hārūn al-Rashīd (786-809), such books were translated into Arabic. Thus Khurāsān and Transoxiana were effectively bypassed in this transfer of learning from India to Islam, even though, undeniably the Barmakī's cultural outlook owed something to their land of origin, northern Afghanistan, and Yaḥyá al-Barmakī's interest in medicine may have derived from no longer identifiable family tradition.[2]
Many of the early governors of the Caliphate were Barmakids. Khalid ibn Barmak built Mansura,Sindh and later Baghdad. His son was the governor of Azerbaijan. .
[edit] Current status
Hinduism and Islam are currently the largest religions in Asia (25% each). The total number of Muslims in Asia in 2010 was about 1 billion (25% of the total population). Asia is home to the largest Muslim population, with the Middle East (West/Southwest Asia), Central Asia, South Asia and Southeast Asia being particularly important regions. 62% of the world's Muslims live in Asia, with Indonesia, Pakistan, India and Bangladesh having the four largest Muslim populations in the world. The spread of Islam outside of the Arabian peninsula and into other parts of the continent can be linked to the extensive trade routes connecting the Middle East to China. Muslim traders exported their religion along with their goods.
[edit] References
- ^ Encyclopedia Iranica, "Barmakids" by I. Abbas
- ^ History of Civilizations of Central Asia, Volume 4, Part 2 By C. E. Bosworth, M.S.Asimov, page 300
