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CHAPTER X.

EARLY MUHAMMADAN RULERS (711 TO 1526 A.D.).

While Buddhism was giving place to Hinduism throughoutIndia , and Christianity under Nestorian bishops was spreadingalong the coast of Malabar, a new faith bad arisen in Arabia.Muhammad , born in 570 a.d., created a conquering religion, Earlyand died in 632. Within a hundred years after his death, hisfollowers had invaded the countries of Asia as far as the Hindu tions toKush. Here their progress was stayed, and Islam had to Bombay consolidate itself, during three more centuries, before it grew 7°strong enough to grasp the rich prize of India . But, almostfrom the first, the Arabs had fixed eager eyes upon that wealthycountry. Fifteen years after the death of the prophet, Usmansent a sea-expedition to Thana and Broach on the Bombay coast (647 ? a.d.) Other raids towards Sind took place in 662and 664, with no permanent results.

In 711, however, the youthful Kasim advanced into Sind, to Muham-claim damages for an Arab ship which had been seized at anIndian port. After a brilliant campaign, he settled himself in in Sind,the Indus valley; but the advance of the Musalmans depended 7u-828(?)on the personal daring of their leader, and was arrested byhis death in 714 a.d. The despairing valour of the Hindus struck the invaders with wonder. One Rajput garrison pre-ferred extermination to submission. They raised a hugefuneral pile, upon which the women and children first threwthemselves. The men then bathed, took a solemn farewellof each other, and, throwing open the gates, rushed upon thebesiegers and perished to a man. In 750, the Rajputs are Theirsaid to have expelled the Muhammadan governor, but it wasnot till 828 a.d. that the Hindus regained Sind.

The armies of Islam had carried the Crescent from the India onHindu Kush westward, through Asia , Africa, and Southern Europe , to distant Spain and France , before they obtained Muham-a foothold in the Punjab . This long delay was due, not madanonly to the daring of individual tribes, such as the Sind ioooAm.Rajputs just mentioned, but to the military organization of

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