History of Islam in India description

Islam (Arabic: الإسلام) is the second-largest religion in India, with 14.2% of the country's population or approx. 200 million people identifying as adherents of Islam (2018 estimate).[3][4] It makes India the country with the largest Muslim population outside Muslim-majority countries. The majority of Indian Muslims belong to Sunni sect of Islam while the Shia form a sizeable minority. The Barwada mosque in Ghogha, Gujarat, India is thought to be the first mosque in India which was built before 623 CE by Arab merchants.[5][6][7] Following an expedition by the governor of Bahrain to Bharuch in the 7th century CE, immigrant Arab and Persian trading communities from South Arabia and the Persian Gulf began settling in coastal Gujarat.[8] Ismaili Shia Islam was introduced to Gujarat in the second half of the 11th century, when Fatimid Imam Al-Mustansir Billah sent missionaries to Gujarat in 467 AH/1073 CE.[9][10]

Islam arrived in North India in the 12th century via the Turkic invasions and has since become a part of India's religious and cultural heritage, with the Delhi Sultanate, Mughal Empire, and Deccan Sultanates having ruled large parts of India.[11] Over the centuries, there has been significant integration of Hindu and Muslim cultures across India[12][13] and Muslims have played a notable role in economics, politics, and culture of India.[14]