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Unlike Hinduism, Islam was intrusive in India. It came over an already established civilization and gradually won over a large indigenous population to its fold. Because of this intrusive character and the recruitment to it of a large indigenous population which brought along previous religious beliefs and orientations into the faith upon conversion, the Islamic faith in India has retained a typically indifenous flavour. This book, the third in a series of four volumes dealing with the social and cultural life of Muslims in India, seeks to explore this religious system typical of the Muslims in different parts of the country.

The focus of the book is on religion as it is pratised among Muslim communities in India rather than on the theological and philosophical principles and the accompanying social system as laid down in Islamic scriptures. Each paper presented here is based on data collected by the authors themselves through direct personal observation, coupled with an analysis of existing source materials, and deals with the realities of religion and day-to-day religious behaviour rather than its ideology, its beliefs, its hopes and fears. The latter are dealt with only peripherally, usually in order to illumine aspects of actual religious beliefs and practices. This makes the book the first of its kind, and it is hoped that it will contribute towards an understanding of Islam as a practised religion in India.