In this episode of his Ramadan series, Yasir Qadhi explores one of the earliest encounters between the Muslim world and the Indian subcontinent: the campaign that brought Islam to Sind.
Long before the arrival of Muslim armies, the region was home to ancient civilizations, powerful dynasties, thriving Buddhist centers, fortified river cities, and maritime trade networks that connected India to the wider world. Into this complex landscape entered a young general whose name would become inseparable from the history of the region: Muhammad ibn al-Qasim.
Under the Umayyad Caliphate, and with the backing of the powerful governor al-Hajjaj ibn Yusuf, the campaign into Sind was launched with multiple objectives. It sought to address piracy along the Makran coast, secure trade routes, and expand the political authority of the Umayyad state.
The episode traces the political context of the time, from the rule of ʿAbd al-Malik and al-Walid, to the wider expansion of the Muslim world across Central Asia and beyond. It also examines the role of other figures such as Qutaybah ibn Muslim, whose campaigns opened the eastern frontiers of the Muslim world.
Beyond military history, the episode explores how early Muslim rule interacted with the existing religious communities of the region. Hindus and Buddhists were largely allowed to maintain their traditions while participating in the new political order through the system of jizya, reflecting a broader pattern of governance in early Islamic expansion.
Throughout the lecture, Shaykh Yasir reflects on the deeper lessons of history: the rise and fall of kingdoms, the role of youth in leadership, and the Qur’anic reminder that true authority belongs to Allah alone.
This episode also reflects on prophetic traditions about the conquest of India and places them within the broader historical context of the early Muslim world.
From the Makran coast to the cities of Sind, this is the story of how Islam first entered the Indian subcontinent and how those events shaped centuries of history that followed.
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