Home to 200 million Muslims, and the Taj Mahal, Islam's most famous monument.
India has the third-largest Muslim population in the world, after Indonesia and Pakistan. Islam reached India through trade and Sufi teaching long before any political power, and Indian Muslims have shaped the subcontinent's art, architecture, music, food and language for a thousand years.
President & scientist
India's 'Missile Man' and beloved former president; a devout Muslim and national hero.
Country
India
Muslims
About 200 million Muslims
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The world's third-largest Muslim population
Landmark
Taj Mahal · Agra
Muslim traders reached India's southern coast within the Prophet's lifetime. Sufi orders spread Islam peacefully through the countryside over centuries, while successive Muslim-ruled states, including the Mughals, built a rich Indo-Islamic civilisation. The Taj Mahal, the Red Fort and the Qutb Minar are among its visible legacies. Today, India's Muslims are a vast, diverse community living in every state.
View statistical sourceIndia is proof that Islam is not the religion of one people. It reached Kerala's coast as peacefully as it reached the deserts of Arabia, carried by merchants, not conquerors. The Sufi teachers who walked through Indian villages brought the same message every prophet brought: turn to one God, purify your heart, serve His creation. Millions recognised it, because the human heart is the same in every climate. That original, pure message, unchanged from Noah to Muhammad, is what made India one of the great heartlands of Islam.
"We have sent you but as a mercy to all the worlds." — Qur'an 21:107
Positive contribution
Muslims in India contribute to the whole society — in service, scholarship, sport and charity.
The Taj Mahal, Mughal gardens, miniature painting and Indo-Islamic architecture are among the world's most celebrated artistic achievements.
Indian Muslims shaped Hindustani classical music, ghazal poetry and the Urdu language, enriching the culture of the whole subcontinent.
Bollywood, India's global film industry, was built in large part by Muslim actors, directors, composers and writers.
Indian Muslims include presidents, scientists, notably A. P. J. Abdul Kalam, and heroes of the independence movement.
Different languages, different cultures, one message. Explore more countries or read the Qur'an for yourself.
