Ritual and Religion Among Muslims in India

Unlike Hinduism, Islam was intrusive in India. It came over an already established civilization and gradually won over a large indigenous population to its fold. Because of this intrusive character and the recruitment to it of a large indigenous population, the Islamic faith in India has retained a typically indigenous flavour. This book seeks to explore this religious system typical of the Muslims in different parts of the country. The focus of the book is on religion as it is practised among Muslim communities in India. Each paper presented here is based on data collected by the authors themselves through direct personal observation, coupled with an analysis of existing source materials, and deals with the realities of religion and day-to-day religious behaviour rather than its ideology, its beliefs, its hopes and fears.