From the time it was brought to South Asia, Islam has been a strong force in the lives of many South Asians.

Sometimes peaceful but more often bloody, the spread of Islam reached the borders of South Asia — specifically India, Pakistan, and Bangladesh — in the beginning of the 8th century. Within a few short centuries, an entire Muslim empire dominated much of the land.

In 711 C.E., the powerful Muslim governor of Iraq wished to gain greater control over shipping lanes in the Indian Ocean. He mounted an invasion of South Asia, and the Sind province in modern Pakistan became the first Muslim province in India. For 200 years, it was the only Muslim province in the region.

Enter the Turks

Making a pilgrimage to Mecca (Hajj) is one of the Five Pillars of Islam, the framework of Muslim life laid out in the Koran.

Mahmoud did not seem as interested in holding the lands he invaded as he was in stealing their treasure and people. He and his soldiers would ride their horses into Hindu territory and return with plunder. The only region he captured permanently was Punjab, a conquest he made just before dying in 1030.

Mahmoud and his soldiers tried to force their Hindu slaves to convert to Islam, and many did. But the main effect of these efforts was a mutual bitterness and mistrust between Hindu and Muslim that dates back more than 1,000 years and endures today.

The Delhi Sultanate of Pakistan had a long and rich history, but the Mongol invasion led by Babur brought the reign of the sultans to an end.

The Age of the Sultanates

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Once they were well entrenched in South Asia, the Muslims eased their vicious raiding and built a cultured civilization. The Delhi Sultanate was founded in 1206 and lasted for 300 years. At its peak, the Sultanate's power spread deep into India. Some of the Sultans were cruel, but many proved to be very good rulers. The Delhi Sultanate even boasted a woman sultan at one point — something almost unheard of 1,000 years ago.

The Sultanate effectively came to an end in 1398, when a Muslim warrior named Timur attacked the capital city of Delhi. His attack was so vicious that, when he left, not one person survived. Timur built towers out of the skulls of the people he had slain, and the city remained desolate for more than a hundred years.

Timur was anything but "lame." His empire spanned from the Middle East to India.

The Moghul Empire

Art was very important to the Mughal sultans. This painting is only half of Akbar Restrains Hawa'i, an Enraged Elephant. Being depicted as powerful was essential to the Mughals, both during and after life.

Babur's grandson AKBAR proved to be one of the greatest rulers South Asia has ever known. A master politician and military strategist, Akbar cemented the power of the Moghul Empire so firmly that, after his 50 years as emperor, the empire lasted for a few hundred years.

Akbar became the emperor when he was only 13, and many people tried to steal the throne from him. He was a strong leader, though, and at once began working to consolidate the empire. Akbar did use military force when necessary and proved himself very brave on the battlefield, but he worked hard to strengthen the empire through nonmilitary means as well.

His greatest achievement was to earn the respect and trust of his Hindu subjects. He married a Hindu, and he did not try to convert her to Islam. This proved to the Hindu people that he respected their religion. He also eased taxes that earlier Muslim rulers had levied against Hindus alone.

In fact, Akbar encouraged freedom of religious thought and invited Christian, Jewish, and Zoroastrian thinkers to join with Muslims, Jains, and Hindus in debates about religious truth.

The Taj Mahal

The Taj Mahal is a timeless architectural marvel.

After a series of wars of succession, the throne fell to Aurangzeb in 1658 — even though his father Shah Jahan was still alive. A devout Muslim who was displeased with the tolerance his forbears had shown Hindus, he levied taxes that only Hindus had to pay and forbade them from building new temples. He also had Sikh leaders murdered and tried to capture Guru Govind Singh.

AURANGZEB kept his own father, Shah Jahan, imprisoned in his harem until he died in 1666. Although Aurangzeb held power strongly during his life, his policies considerably weakened the empire Akbar had built. When the British, who had entrenched themselves in Madras and Calcutta in the south, turned their eyes northward, they found an empire they could easily topple.

Muslims in South Asia Today

Pachisi, known as Parcheesi in the U.S., is the national game of India. Moghul emperor Akbar I played the game on a giant board, with women from his harem acting as pieces.

Most of the time, they have struggled with one another. They have fought many wars, and countless people have died standing up for their faiths.

But there have been moments of peaceful coexistence, even under the Moghul Empire that was founded by Muslim invaders. And despite all the conflict, cultural exchange has been enriching for the Muslim and Hindu people. In the past they have enhanced one another's understandings of science, art, and music, and even today they can share the treasures of their cherished land.

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