The Hindu kings of the western coast of India, the Bahlar kings of the north, and the Zamorin rulers of the Malabar coast encouraged Muslim merchants to settle in their kingdoms They were allowed to settle in places like Anahilwara, Calicut, Quilin, etc They then built mosques in those areas without hindrance and practiced their religious practices.

From various sources, Arab and Persian migrants settled in the coastal areas Later, they married local non-Muslim girls and settled in the country Thus, the Nawait of Konkan and Moplah Muslims emerged in the coastal areas of Malabar.

Local legends claim a much older date for the arrival of Muslims in India, but historical evidence suggests that Muslims arrived in India in the 8th century CE The Moroccan traveller Ibn Battuta arrived in India in the early 14th century CE and saw several wealthy Muslim merchants in the Malabar region, including their magnificent mosques.

The Labbai community, which is based on the eastern coast of Tamil Nadu, is believed to have originated from the fusion of local Tamil girls with Iraqis who had been washed away or taken refuge after being driven away Then, from the 11th century CE, various Islamic missionaries began to arrive in India.

First on their own initiative, later on with the encouragement of the rulers Along with the Muslim invaders, several Islamic missionaries came to India.

Another Islamic missionary, Nur Uddin alias Nur Sadagar, came to Gujarat, India from Persia in the 12th century CE The Khoja people consider him to be the first missionary of their community Syed Jalaluddin of Bukhara (1190-1291 AD) came to India with his disciples and preached Islam first in Sindh and later in the Punjab region.

Khwaja Mainuddin Chishti, a renowned Islamic saint from the eastern part of Persia, settled in Ajmer, India He died in Ajmer in 1236 Another Islamic missionary named Bu-Ali Qalandar, a contemporary of Khwaja Mainuddin Chishti, came to this country He started living in Panipat and preached Islam among the Rajputs.

He is known to have converted several Hindu communities in the Panipat area to Islam There are shrines of Sekh Jalaluddin Tabreji in undivided Bengal and present-day Bangladesh It appears that many Islamic missionaries were active in Kashmir, Punjab, Deccan, East and West India during the 13th and 14th centuries CE.

Among them were Bulbul Shah in Kashmir, two in Punjab - Baba Fariduddin and Ahmad Kabir, and the Deccan Muhammad Gisu Daraz and Pir Mahavir Khamayat.

However, the rapid expansion of Islam into the Chinese frontier and the Atlantic coast of Spain did not occur in India Muhammad bin Qasim, soon after conquering Sindh, attempted to take Gujarat, Malwa, and Broach in 712 His initial efforts failed, as he was defeated in a series of battles by Gurjaraja Nagabhata, who defeated Qasim in battle.

Qasim's successor Tanim attempted to bypass Malwa and take control of the Deccan, but was defeated in 738 by Abanijanashraya Pulakeshin, a relative of the Chalukya king Vikramaditya II and the administrator of the Lat region Pulakeshin's chronicles state that he defeated the Arab invaders and received the gallantry award "Dakshinapathasvadhara," "the Immortal-Director," from the Chalukya king Vikramaditya II.

Historian K M Panikkar states that India was thus secure for the next 275 years Of these, only Imam bin Musa invaded Kutch in 883 CE, but he too was defeated in battle by Mihir Bhoj, the ruler of Sindh Thus, the successive defeats in several battles halted the Islamic invasion of India for a long period of time, about three hundred years.

References: 1) The Political History of the Chalukyas of Badami, New Delhi, 1980 by D P Dikshit 2) Ancient History of the Deccan, Pindicherry, 1920 by J Dubreuil 3) The Classical Age, Bombay, 1962 by R C Majumder (Etd ) 4) A History of South India, Madras, 1966 by K.

A Nialkanta Sastri 5) South Indian Polity, Madras, 1955 by T V Mahalingam.