History
There is no certainty as to when the Shia community first established itself in the Indian Subcontinent. As per historical evidences and the genealogy maintained by the Sayyids who migrated to India from Middle East the history of Shia Islam traces long back around 1000 years. The rulers of various dynasties of India and also in the 11th century the rulers of Multan and Sindh were adherents of Shia Islam. The Nawabs of Awadh and Hyder Ali & Tipu Sultan of Mysore, who were rulers in India, were also Shia Muslims.
Shia culture and belief has left its influence all over India with Imam Hussein ibn Ali becoming the revered personality in India not only for the Shias but also from non-Muslim communities, especially the Hindus of northern India who participate in ceremonies commemorating Hussein ibn Ali's martyrdom on the Day of Ashura.
Shaykh al-Mufid writes that before the Battle of Karbala, Hussein ibn Ali and the commander of the enemy forces, Umar ibn Saad, met at night and talked together for a long time. After that meeting Umar ibn Saad sent a letter to the Governor of Kufa, Ubayd-Allah ibn Ziyad in which he wrote that Hussein ibn Ali has suggested that he go to ‘one of the border outposts’ of the rapidly expanding Muslim empire as a way of resolving conflict. Other traditions name that border outpost as Al Hind or India. Even though Hussein ibn Ali himself was not able to go to India, some of the Shia did emigrate there for various reasons, including those who came as refugees from Umayyads and Abbasids persecution. These refugees brought with them rituals which kept alive the remembrance of Karbala and their Shia Identity.
Its narrated by Abd al Razzaq al Muqarram in his work of Maqtal al-Husayn that prior to his martyrdom, Al-Abbas ibn Ali while asking water for Mohammad's family from the Yazid I's army expressed his desire to go either Rome or to India. This made some people weep in the army of Yazid.
It has been believed that in 7th century few ladies from the household of Prophet Mohammad after Battle of Karbala came to Punjab province which became a part of Pakistan. One of the prominent of them was Ruqayyah bint Ali, the daughter of Ali through his wife Umm ul-Banin, Ruqayyah bint Ali was the sister of Al-Abbas ibn Ali and wife of Muslim ibn Aqeel. Still her shrine in Lahore, Punjab of Pakistan, is visited by people all around and she is referred as Bibi Pak Daman.
Most of the Persians Shias migrated to South Asia to prosper and obtain high positions in Muslim Sultanates and later Mughal Empire. There were also rebels and nobles who lost royal favour and migrated to Mughal Empire. The Mughals also preferred to employ foreign Muslim officials that had no local interests and thus were loyal to the Mughal emperor. The Humayun has returned from exile in Persia with thousands of Persians soldiers and nobles this increased the influence of the Shia Persians in Mughal Empire.
Read more about this topic: Shi'a Islam In India
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