Islam in India

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 52 percent of all Muslims in India--live in the states of Bihar (12 million), West Bengal (16 million), and Uttar Pradesh (24 million), according to the 1991 census. Muslims represent a majority of the local populations only in Jammu and Kashmir (not tabulated in 1991 but 65 percent in 1981 ) and Lakshadweep (94 percent). As a faith with its roots outside South Asia, Islam also offers some striking contrasts to those religions that originated in India. Islam has contributed largely to India from Islamic architecture such as that of the Taj Mahal to the widely spread Islamic-style culture of modern day. Islam has in the past, and still continues to, grow rapidly in India and gains many converts.

This is about Islam in the Republic of India. See Islam in South Asia for wider definitions of "India" Ethnic group Islam is second-most practiced religion in the Republic of India after Hinduism , with more than 13.4% of the country's population (over 138 million as per 2001 census and 160.9 million per 2009 estimate) identifying themselves as Muslims . India's Muslim population is the world's third largest and the world's largest Muslim-minority population. Most of the Muslim population is of local origin with undetectable or minor to obvious levels of gene flow from outside, primarily from Iran and Central Asia, rather than directly from the Arabian Peninsula. Matters of jurisdiction involving Muslims in India related to marriage, inheritance and wakf properties are governed by the Muslim Personal Law , and the courts have ruled that Sharia or Muslim law, holds precedence for Muslims over Indian civil law. Mapping the Global Muslim Population: A Report on the Size and Distribution of the World’s Muslim Population ( PDF ) .

Total population approx. 180 million (2015 estimate) Regions with significant populations Throughout India Large concentration in Assam and West Bengal . Large populations in Uttar Pradesh , Bihar , Maharashtra and Kerala Religions Sunni , Ahmadiyya , Shia , Dawoodi Bohra , Wahabi and Deobandi . Languages Main Languages spoken are Urdu , Bengali , Dakhini , Awadhi , Arabic and some other regional languages of India Islam is the second-largest religion in India , making up 14.88% of the country's population with about 180 million adherents ( 2011 census ). Islam first came to the western coast of India with Arab traders as early as 7th century AD to coastal Malabar and the Konkan - Gujarat . Cheraman Juma Masjid in Kerala is thought to be the first mosque in India, built in 629 AD by Malik lbn Dinar . Following an expedition from the governor of Bahrain to Bharuch in the 7th century AD, large numbers of immigrant Arab and Persian trading communities from South Arabia and the Persian Gulf began settling in coastal Gujarat . Islam arrived in north India in the 12th century with Turkic invasions and has since become a part of India's religious and cultural heritage . Over the centuries, there has been significant integration of Hindu and Muslim cultures across India and the Muslims have played a prominent role in India's economic rise and cultural influence. The Times of India . Population by Religion in India The author has posted comments on this article (27 April 2014). "The mind of the Muslim voter - The Times of India" (in Swedish). The Times of India. 4 September 2011 . Abantika Ghosh , Vijaita Singh (24 January 2015). Al-Hind, the making of the Indo-Islamic world (2. ed., amended. ed.). Up to about the tenth century the largest settlement of Arabs and Persian Muslim traders are not found in Malabar however but rather more to the north in coastal towns of the Konkan and Gujarat, where in pre-Islamic times the Persians dominated the trade with the west. Here the main impetus to Muslim settlement came from the merchants of the Persian Gulf and Oman, with a minority from Hadramaut. Surat In The Seventeenth Century . Islam was introduced into Gujarat in the 7th century A.D. The first Arab raid came in 635 when the Governor of Bahrain sent an expedition against Broach. Then through the centuries colonies of Arab and Persian merchants began sprouting in the port cities of Gujarat, such as Cambay, Broach and Surat. Cultural and Religious Heritage of India: Islam . The adventures of Ibn Battuta, a Muslim traveller of the fourteenth century . India: From Midnight to the Millennium and Beyond . Impact of Hindu Culture on Muslims .

Overview of the role of the Islam in India Islam is India's second-largest religion , with 14.2% of the country's population, or approximately 172.2 million people, identifying as adherents of Islam in 2011 Census. India also has the third-largest number of Muslims in the world. The majority of India's Muslims are Sunni , with Shia making up 13% of the Muslim population. Islam spread in Indian communities along the Arab coastal trade routes in Gujarat and along the Malabar Coast shortly after the religion emerged in the Arabian Peninsula . Islam arrived in the inland of Indian subcontinent in the 7th century when the Arabs conquered Sindh and later arrived in Punjab and North India in the 12th century via the Ghaznavids and Ghurids conquest and has since become a part of India's religious and cultural heritage . The Barwada Mosque in Ghogha , Gujarat built before 623 CE, Cheraman Juma Mosque (629 CE) in Methala , Kerala and Palaiya Jumma Palli (or The Old Jumma Masjid, 628–630 CE) in Kilakarai , Tamil Nadu are three of the first mosques in India which were built by seafaring Arab merchants . According to the Legend of Cheraman Perumals , the first Indian mosque was built in 624 CE at Kodungallur in present-day Kerala with the mandate of the last ruler (the Tajudeen Cheraman Perumal) of the Chera dynasty , who converted to Islam during the lifetime of Muhammad (c. 570–632). Similarly, Tamil Muslims on the eastern coasts also claim that they converted to Islam in Muhammad's lifetime. The local mosques date to the early 700s. "Religion PCA – India" . 2011 Census of India . Encyclopedia of Arabic Language and Linguistics . Jammu and Kashmir: The view from India . "The countries with the 10 largest Christian populations and the 10 largest Muslim populations" .

"Indian Muslims" and "Muslims in India" redirect here. Islam is India's second-largest religion , with 14.2% of the country's population, or approximately 172.2 million people, identifying as adherents of Islam in a 2011 census. India also has the third-largest number of Muslims in the world . The majority of India's Muslims are Sunni , with Shia making up around 15% of the Muslim population. Islam spread in Indian communities along the Arab coastal trade routes in Gujarat and in Malabar Coast shortly after the religion emerged in the Arabian Peninsula . Islam arrived in the inland of Indian subcontinent in the 7th century when the Arabs invaded and conquered Sindh and later arrived in Punjab and North India in the 12th century via the Ghaznavids and Ghurids conquest and has since become a part of India's religious and cultural heritage . The Barwada Mosque in Ghogha , Gujarat built before 623 CE, Cheraman Juma Mosque (629 CE) in Methala , Kerala and Palaiya Jumma Palli (or The Old Jumma Masjid, 628–630 CE) in Kilakarai , Tamil Nadu are three of the first mosques in India which were built by seafaring Arab merchants . According to the legend of Cheraman Perumals , the first Indian mosque was built in 624 CE at Kodungallur in present-day Kerala with the mandate of the last ruler (the Tajudeen Cheraman Perumal) of the Chera dynasty , who converted to Islam during the lifetime of Prophet Muhammad (c. 570–632). Similarly, Tamil Muslims on the eastern coasts also claim that they converted to Islam in Muhammad's lifetime. The local mosques date to the early 700s. Encyclopedia of Arabic Language and Linguistics . "Religion PCA – India" . 2011 Census of India . "The countries with the 10 largest Christian populations and the 10 largest Muslim populations" .