Growth of Muslim Population in Medieval India, A.D. 1000–1800 c16.s5.24

c16.s5.24

Now, although the growth of Muslim numbers during these sixty years (1881-1941) is continuous, the percentage of rise is not uniform. It indeed varies from 0.04% between 1901 and 1911 to 1.65 between 1931 to 1941. But, as the Table above shows, Muslim population in India was almost doubled in sixty years time from 49.9 million to 94.5 between 1881 and 1941. If in modern times the Muslim numbers rose by a hundred per cent in a little over sixty years, could they have risen at the same rate during the two centuries under review ? If so, then the numbers between 1200 and 1400 should have become double in sixty to seventy years on an average, the restrained growth of the thirteenth being made up by the accelerated rise in the fourteenth century. It is true that the period of 1881 to 1941 was of peace in India. Famine and pestilence and such like calamities were there no doubt, but there were no wars as such in India during this period. In medieval times there were recurring famines and constant wars. But the Muslims, confined mostly to urban areas, would have been better protected by governmental effort against the ravages of famine. The wars were generally of Hindu resistance and Muslim expansion. It is clear from a study of medieval Indian history that more Hindus died in battle than Muslims. Not only the medieval chroniclers say so but also because Hindus generally lost and the Muslims in course of time became masters of almost the whole country. The rise in Muslim numbers at least was not affected by these wars because any loss in battles was more than made up by the number of captives who used to be converted and also by replenishment through Muslim immigration. Thus it may not be unreasonable to suppose that during these two centuries, in the course of sixty to seventy years, the number of Muslims used to become double.