Preface
Islamic Studies may be defined as a discipline which is devoted to studying Islam as faith, culture and civilization. In simple words Islam is faith, culture and civilization. Many Muslim thinkers describe Islam as a way of life because it guides human existence in all its aspects. Islam is not theology which studies man's relation with God nor is it the personal matter of a man. For Islam man is not an isolated existence; he, being a social animal, lives in groups. A Muslim lives in a society that draws its rules and customs from Islam, follows a culture that Islam shapes and creates a civilization inspired and developed by Islamic faith. Islam is thus an all-embracing religion and provides guidance in every sphere of life. It guides how to develop individual personality and how to create a society/country inspired by Islam and its lofty ideals.
Some people, being secular in the strict "anti-religion" sense of the word, prefer to distinguish between Islamic Studies and theology. For them theology is the study of man's faith, Aqeeda, whereas Islamic Studies aims to study the cultures and civilizations of Muslim societies across the globe, be they a minority or a majority. What they do not realize is that the Islamic faith has inspired and influenced Muslim societies, cultures and civilization across the globe in an overwhelming manner. This is the reason that no Muslim society or country can be studied and understood properly without a thorough understanding of the Islamic faith.
Islam is not only about faith. It embraces all aspects of life and society and promotes culture and civilization within Islamic framework. The discipline of Islamic Studies is expected to study Islam in its totality whether it exists in Muslim majority or Muslim minority situations. There is a branch of Figh which is called the Jurisprudence for Muslim Minorities. Figh in fact is human understanding of the Islamic Shariah, and its application in human life. Figh al-Aqalliyaat, as can be imagined, is concerned with providing guidance to Muslims living in non-Muslim countries and therefore is limited in meaning and scope. Islamic Studies includes Figh al-Aqalliyaat and much more. It would be wrong to treat Islamic Studies and Figh/Islamic law as synonyms.
India is very big in size, almost a continent with a population of 1.3 billion people. Muslim population, can be estimated about or over 15 per cent of the total population which is about 200 million. Although a minority Indian Muslims outnumber most Muslim nations barring Indonesia and Pakistan. Islam entered India both from the north and the south. The Arabs have been trading with Kerala, India since pre-Islamic time. Islam reportedly came to Kerala during the time of the Prophet (PBUH). A Keralite King, Peramull, is said to have visited Madina and embraced Islam at the hand of Prophet Muhammad (PBUH). On the other hand Islam entered northern India with the conquest of Sindh during the Ummayyad rule. In the next 1000 years large numbers of local Hindus embraced Islam both in Kerala and Northern India. When Muslims conquered Sindh and declared the local population as part of their large empire, they had to decide the status and rights of non-Muslims in the Islamic state. Islamic Studies solved the vexed issue by declaring and treating the Hindus as similar to Ahl-e-Kitab (People of the Book) and allowed them to worship and follow their religion in a peaceful manner. They also allowed the Hindus to follow their own law in religious matters and keep offering to the Brahmins what was considered by the Hindu masses as their due. In sum the Islamic Studies or the Muslim jurists of the time decided to consider the Hindus on par with Jews and Christians and let them enjoy the benefits of Ahl-e-Kitab on the ground that although idol-worshipers, they had some beliefs which resembled those of Muslims and other People of the Book. Thus, on the basis of Qiyas, analogy, Islamic Studies solved the problem relating to the status of the Hindus in the Islamic State.
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