Most historians believe that Islam originated in Mecca and Medina at the start of the 7th century CE, approximately 600 years after the founding of Christianity.

1. Muslim Advent

2. The last Prophet of Islam, Prophet Muhammad (SAW), completely
changed the intellectual outlook of Arabia.
Within a span of 23 years he transformed the barbarous and impious
Arabs into a civilized and religious nation.
During his life and also after his death, Muslims took the message of
Islam to every corner of the world and within a few years Muslims
became the super power of the era.

3. Trade relations between Arabia and the Sub-continent dated back to
ancient times.
 Long before the advent of Islam in Arabia, the Arabs used to visit the
coast of sub continent .
After the Arab traders became Muslim, they brought Islam to South
Asia.
A number of local Indians living in the coastal areas embraced Islam.

4. During the reign of the great Umayyad Caliph Walid bin Abdul Malik, Hajjaj
bin Yousaf was appointed as the governor of the Eastern Provinces.
 At that time, Raja Dahir, a Brahman, ruled Sindh.
 However, the majority of the people living in the region were Shudders or
Buddhists.
Dahir treated members of these denominations inhumanly.
 They were not allowed to ride horses or to wear a turban or shoes. Sindhi
pirates, protected by Dahir, were active on the coastal areas and whenever
they got a chance, they plundered the ships passing by Daibul.

5. During those times, some Muslim traders living in Ceylon died and
the ruler of Ceylon sent their widows and orphans back to Baghdad.
They made their journey by sea. The King of Ceylon also sent many
valuable presents for Walid and Hajjaj.
As the eight-ship caravan passed by the seaport of Daibul, Sindhi
pirates looted it and took the women and children prisoner.
 When news of this attack reached Hajjaj, he demanded that Dahir
return the Muslim captives and the looted items.

6. He also demanded that the culprits be punished. Dahir replied that
he had no control over the pirates and was, therefore, powerless to
rebuke them. On this Hajjaj decided to invade Sindh.
Two small expeditions sent by him failed to accomplish their goal.
Thus, in order to free the prisoners and to punish the guilty party,
Hajjaj decided to undertake a huge offensive against Dahir, who was
patronizing the pirates.

7. In 712 AD , Hajjaj sent 6,000 select Syrian and Iraqi soldiers, a camel
corps of equal strength and a baggage train of 3,000 camels to Sindh
under the command of his nephew and son in-law, Imad-ud-din
Muhammad bin Qasim, a young boy of just seventeen years.
 He also had a ‘manjaniq’, or catapult, which was operated by 500
men and could throw large stones a great distance.
 On his way the governor of Makran, who provided him with
additional forces, joined him. Also, a good number of Jats and Meds,
who had suffered at the hands of native rulers, joined the Arab forces.

8. Muhammad bin Qasim first captured Daibul. He then turned towards
Nirun, near modern Hyderabad, where he easily overwhelmed the
inhabitants.
Dahir decided to oppose the Arabs at Raor. After a fierce struggle,
Dahir was overpowered and killed. Raor fell into the hands of the
Muslims.
The Arab forces then occupied Alor and proceeded towards Multan.
Along the way, the Sikka (Uch) fortress, situated on the bank of the
Ravi, was also occupied.

9. The Hindu ruler of Multan offered resistance for two months after
which the Hindus were overpowered and defeated. Prior to this,
Muhammad bin Qasim had taken Brahmanabad and a few other
important towns of Sindh.
Muhammad bin Qasim was planning to proceed forward when the
new Caliph Suleman bin Abdul Malik recalled him.
After the departure of Muhammad bin Qasim, different Muslim
generals declared their independence at different areas.

10. The Muslim conquest of Sindh brought peace and prosperity to the
region. Law and order was restored.
The sea pirates of Sindh, who were protected by Raja Dahir, were
crushed. As a result of this, sea trade flourished.
The port of Daibul became a very busy and prosperous commercial
center.

11. When Muhammad bin Qasim conquered Sindh, the local people, who had
been living a life of misery, breathed a sigh of relief.
Qasim followed a lenient policy and treated the local population
generously. Everyone had full religious freedom and even the spiritual
leaders of local religions were given salaries from the government fund.
No changes were made in the local administration and local people were
allowed to hold offices – particularly in the revenue department.
All taxes were abolished and Jazia was imposed. Everyone was treated
equally. Poor people, especially Buddhists, were very impressed by his
policies and many of them embraced Islam.

12. A number of Mosques and Madrasas were constructed in important
towns. In a short period of time Sindh became a center of Islamic
learning.
A number of religious scholars, writers and poets were emerged and
they spread their knowledge.
The Muslims learned Indian sciences like medicine, astronomy and
mathematics. Sanskrit books on various subjects were translated into
Arabic.
During the reign of Haroon al Rasheed, a number of Hindu scholars
were even invited to Baghdad.

13. The establishment of Muslim rule also paved way for future
propagation of Islam in Sindh and the adjoining regions.