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Travel to India >> Religion in
India >> Islamism Religion in India
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Islamism in
India
 Islam is an Arabic word
meaning both "Submission to God" and "Peace". The followers of
Islam who are called Muslims are found all over the world. One
tenth of the total Muslims in the world live in India. India is
one of the largest Islamic nations in the world.
The Religion's founder, the prophet Muhammad, was born in 570
A.D. in Mecca, now in Saudi Arabia. He had his first revelations
from Allah, in 610 A.D. and later these visions were compiled
together to form what is today called the Holy Quran. Muslims
teaching correspond closely with the Old Testament of the Bible
and Moses and Jesus are both accepted as Muslim prophets. The
sayings of the Muhammad, which are distinguishable from the words
of God are collected separately and called Hadith, the second
most important source of Islam. The Arabs called him Muhammad
Al-Amin or "the trustworthy man".
Opposition for Muhammad slowly started to creep in and so he fled
to Mecca in 622 AD. It is from this year that the Muslim calendar
starts. Muhammad arrived in Medina where the people accepted him
as their prophet. The Arabs, who first propagated the faith,
developed a reputation as being ruthless opponents but reasonable
masters, so people often found it advisable to surrender to
them.
Muhammad died in 632 AD. The death of the prophet posed a serious
problem for succession. The third Caliph, successor to Mohammed,
was murdered and followed by Ali, the prophet's son-in-law, in
656. The Governor of Syria, who set himself as the Caliph,
assassinated Ali in 661A.D in preference to the descendants of
the Ali. Most Muslims are called Sunnites, followers of the
succession from the Caliph, while the others are Shias who follow
the descendants of the Ali.
The visible effects of Muslim influence in India are strongly
found in Architecture, art and food.
HAJI
Friday is the Muslim holy
day and the main Mosque in each city is called the Jami Masjid or
Friday Mosque. The eventual aim of every Muslim is to make the
pilgrimage to Mecca and become a Hajji at least once in a
lifetime. The Hajj is a great assembly of Muslims from all parts
of the world in Mecca, the birthplace of the Muhammad. Each
Muslim is supposed to offer Namaz or prayer daily for five times
and fast for the whole month of ramzan. A Muslim is also supposed
to give away one fortieth of his wealth every year as
charity.
PEOPLE THRONGING THE AJI HALI MOSQUE IN BOMBAY
Some of India's most spectacular Mosques are relics of the
Mughals who ruled India from 1525 to early 18th century. Most of
the Mosques are found in the northern part of the country only.
Mosques have a large space inside for prayer with the outer part
having astounding beauty and different designs. In essence its
plan is derived from the prophet's house in Medina.
Mosques are usually built around a rectangular courtyard with a
tank at the center. Three sides of the courtyard are cloistered
while the fourth side is the main entrance. One must remove the
shoes before entering the Mosque. Many Mosques now allow women
inside while some do not. Both men and women should cover their
legs and arms once inside. People are not allowed to wear shoes
inside.
Delhi's Jama Masjid is one of India's most spectacular mosques
and features traditional Ablaq stonework. It is the country's
largest mosque and is able to hold 25,000 people at any time.
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