Indian Muslims: Who Are They c7.7

c7.7

In one respect alone Jahangir deviated from the policy of his father: he did not permit people to embrace Hinduism even of their own free will. He severely punished Kaukab, Sharif and Abdul Latif who, under the influence of a Sanyasi, showed inclination for Hinduism.¹⁹ This policy would have stopped any erosion of Muslim numbers. Besides, while on a visit to Kashmir, when he learnt that the Hindus and Muslims intermarried freely, and both give and take girls (he ordered that) taking them is good but giving them, God Forbid.²⁰ And any violation of this order was to be visited with capital punishment.²¹ This indeed was in accordance with the Islamic law. As per the Shariat law a Muslim may marry a Jewess, or a Christian, or a Sabean, but a marriage between a Musalman and a Hindu is invalid. Similarly, it a female Muslim cannot under any circumstances marry a non-Muslim.²² So, Jahangir was being unnecessarily fussy, because, whether a Muslim married a Hindu girl or a Hindu married a Muslim girl, in course of time all of them used to become Muhammadan. Shahjahans orders in this regard were that the Hindus could keep their Muslim wives only if they accepted Islam. Consequently, during his reign, 4,000 to 5,000 Hindus converted to Islam in Bhadnor alone.²³ Seventy such cases were found in Gujarat and 400 in the Punjab.²⁴ The policy of converting such families would have contributed to the growth of Muslim numbers.