Islam & Persianization of South Asia

600-1300 CE

I. The birth of IslamII. The Qur’anIII. The HijraIV. Key elements of theologyV. Textual authoritiesVI. Chains of transmissionVII. Law, Ethics & political theoryVIII. Ghaznavid rule in PunjabIX. Lahore: ‘Little Ghazna’X. Turkic Invasions & Persian @ Delhi SultanateXI. Multilingual/Multireligious North

I. The Birth of Islam

Prophet Muhammad

Mecca

7th c. CE

Serial revelations

Qu’ran

II. The Qur’an

“The Recital”

Allah

Angel Gabriel

610 CE

Emergent canon mid 600s

III. The Hijra

622 CE

Medina

Islamic calendar

Religio-political experiment

ummah

IV. Islam: Key Elements of Theology

Creation of the world

Uniqueness & transcendance

Recognition

Human capacity & responsibility

Aim of religious practice

V. Textual Authorities

The Qur’an

The Sunnah

The Hadith

Law/Shari’a

Theological treatises

Sufi teachings

VI. Chains of transmission

The logic of lineage

Connections to Prophet Muhammad & formative community

Textual commentary and lineage of teachings

VII. Law, Ethics & Political theory

Shari’a

Adab

Akhlaq

VIII. Ghaznavid Rule in Punjab

Turkic rule in Afghanistan

11th c. rule of Punjab from Ghazna

Movement of Islam & rise of Persian within Islam

Religious & non-religious themes

Multi-religious environment of Persian

IX. Lahore: “Little Ghazna”

SA center for Ghaznavid rule

Flow of scholars & administrators

Iran

Turkemenistan

Uzbekhistan

Afghanistan

X. Turkic Invasions & Persian at Delhi Sultanate

12th-13th c. Mongol invasions

Punjab, Afghanistan Iran

Delhi

Persian-using migration

‘ulama’

Sufi teachers

XI. Multilingual/Multireligious North

The king, the court, & Persian

Poetry: religious & non-religious

Sermons

Sufi teachings

Language of exile & nostalgia

Language of connection to non-Muslims

Comparative theology

Devotional movements

Non-religious poetics

Persian, Sanskrit, & rising literary vernaculars of the north