Machine summary:
From a study of these books it is patent that, until the time ofMahmudof Ghazni,not a singleMuslimmlechch had set his feetuponthe sacred soil of India ; that there existed no relations of any sort between the Hindus and the Muslims.
But further away from this dreadful carnage and terrible holocaust there were colonies of Muslim Arabs and 'Iraqis who did not come to the South by the land route from the North but travelled on the sea-coast until they settled down in those parts.
Ceylon, the First ltluslim Centre Firishta has written, " Since the Arabs came to these islands as merchants and the inhabitants of these islands went to Arabia even at a time when Islam had not yet dawned upon the world, the Raja of Sarandip first became familiar with Islam.
H. , Hajja] was the Governor of 'Iraq and ships hovering round the south of India came from the harbour of 'Iraq, the Raja of Sarandip (alsocalled by the Arabs 'the island of rubies') sent in a ship to 'Iraq, as a token of goodwill and friendshiptowards -------- (1) Probably this very word is described in one place as Beykarjtn ~ h and somewhere else as Beykarnatin ~ h in Kitabu'l- B~dau't-Tarikh t ;WI,.
He says, " In no other kingdom in Sind or in India are the Arabs and Muslims treated with so much respect as in the kingdom of the Bilahra Rajas.