Topic summary
Muslim rule in India
Extracted from the Wikipedia article Muslim period in the Indian subcontinent.
Shari'a was used as the primary basis for the legal system in the Delhi Sultanate, most notably during the rule of Firuz Shah Tughlaq and Alauddin Khilji, who repelled the Mongol invasions of India. On the other hand, rulers such as Akbar adopted a secular legal system and enforced religious neutrality. Muslim rule in India saw a major shift in the cultural, linguistic, and religious makeup of the subcontinent. Persian and Arabic vocabulary began to enter local languages, giving way to modern Punjabi, Bengali, and Gujarati, while giving rise to new languages, including Hindustani and its dialect, Deccani, used as official languages under Muslim dynasties. This period also saw the birth of Hindustani music and Qawwali. Religions such as Sikhism and Din-e-Ilahi were born out of a fusion of Hindu and Muslim religious traditions as well.