How Hindus Survived 1000 Years of Islamic Rule in India?

I found Muslims on Internet boasting that if Islam was so cruel to Hindus than how did Hindus survived despite of 1000 years of Islamic rule in India? If Islam would have spread by sword than all Hindus would have been forcibly converted and there would have been no more Hindus in this country today. This proves that Islam is Religion of mercy.

I am replying my Muslims friends in brief the causes of Survival of Hindus. It was not due to attitude and behavior of Islam but due to opposition by Hindus. Barbaric Muslim invaders tried their best but it was resistance by Hindus who saved them.

Following are the reasons for savior of Hindu race.

1. Brave hearts like Shiva Ji and other Maratha leaders in Deccan, Maharana Pratap in Rajasthan, Jats of Bharatpur and Mathura, Durga Das Rathod of Rajputana, Veer Chatrasal of Bundelkhand, Raja Krishandev of Vijayanagra, Sikh gurus in North India, Banda Bairagi, Hari Singh Nalwa and Maharaj Ranjit Singh in North India and many others resisted cruel Islamic rule in India and saved Hindus from conversion in masses.Truth is that Muslims were never rulers of complete country. In different ages different known and unknown warriors raised from Hindus and saved them from atrocities of Muslim invaders.

2. Moral Conduct of Hindus- Social practice of not to cooperate or even watch face of a Muslim by naming them as mallech (inferior) in middle ages lead to social distance in the society which was like a sort of boycott of Muslims in the main stream Hindu society. It leads to low level of penetration of Islam in masses thus leading to low number of conversion.It was a adopted view in order to make safer distance from Muslims.The main reason in development of this attitude also developed among Hindus due to plundering of Hindu temples by Muslims and converting them to Mosque, Destruction of Hindu idols which were sacred for Hindus, Cow sacrifice in Hindu Temple in front of Hindus to demoralize them. We even get references that Muslim invaders frequently abducted Hindu girls for filling their harams. So, Hindus decided to maintain a safer distance from them. Due to vast unoccupied tracts of lands all over country Hindus migrated frequently and developed new areas of living away from Muslim rule for e.g. Bhagel raja of saurashtra migrated to Rewa/Jhansi when Muslim attacked their territory in Gujarat, Chitpawan Brahmins of Goa migrated from northern parts of country to the kingdom of Shiva ji in Maharashtra. Also there are various similar instances in Rajputana.

3. Accepted Jaziya but did not left Janau (Yagyopavit or sacred thread) Hindus were given incentives in form of Money/lucrative posts/marriage with Muslim lady for conversion to Islam but rarely few only accepted these offers. Most of them paid Islamic tax but did not left Hinduism. In spite of second level treatment by Muslim invaders Hindus rejected idea of conversion to Islam. This saved them from conversion in Masses. Aurangzeb issued fatwa of gift of Rs/- 5 to Hindu man who converted to Islam and Rs/- 2 to Hindu women who converted to Islam.

4. Bhakti movement- Different saints of their times propagated the message of Hindu dharma leading to healing touch to the wounds inflicted by Muslims. They saved Hindus in large number from forced conversion. They even brought back many birth Muslims to Hindu fold for e.g.Raskhan became disciple of Hindu guru.

5. Suddhi movement- Suddhi or better say reclamation of lost brother was a system of bringing back for those Hindus who were converted to Islam forcibly.  For e.g. Neta ji Palkar suddhi by Shiva Ji, Harihra-Bukka of Vijayanagra kingdom were purified and brought back to folds of Hinduism. Suddhi ceremony is well mentioned in the Gobhil sutras as well as incidents of Suddhi are well documented in Bhavishya puran shows that the Hindu used to check number of converted Muslims.

6. The purity of thoughts- We find that most of Islamic kings were either drug addicts or slaves of sensual pleasures.For e.g. Baber was fond of boys thus homosexual, Jahangir was always busy in filling harams, Shahjahan was always busy in emptying glasses of liquor and eating sacks of opium.
Such moral of Islamic conduct failed to impress the minds of common Hindus. Contrary to this Hindus considered twice bathing and worship of deity as regular religious duty and considered adultery, animal killing for meat and drinking alcohol as grave sins. The immoral life style of Muslims was unable to impress religious minds of Hindus. Opposite to that Hindus developed hatred feeling for such Muslim practices. Such high level of thinking, intellectual progress, Vedic wisdom saved Hindus from mass conversion of Hindus.

Thus its a myth that Muslims invaders tried their best Hindus survived due to their resistance and attempt to survive.

(This is a brief write up. This article can be expanded with Historical References.)

Dr Vivek Arya