Religion and Philosophy in Medieval India

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The two major movements were the Sufi movement and the Bhakti movement. Both brought new ways of expressing devotion and helped make religion more open, personal, and meaningful for common people.

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Islam was founded by Prophet Muhammad. Later religious and spiritual movements within Islam grew around the interpretation of the Quran and his sayings, called Hadis.

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Sunnis and Shias are the two major sects that arose within Islam. They developed from different understandings of leadership and religious interpretation.

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The four principal Sunni schools of Islamic law are based on the Quran and Hadis. The Hanafi school was adopted by the eastern Turks who later came to India.

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The Mutazilas were a rationalist philosophical sect within Islam. They believed in strict monotheism and held that God is just and not responsible for human evil; humans have free will and are respons…

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Abul Hasan Ashari founded the Ashari school. It opposed the Mutazilas and defended orthodox doctrine, believing that God knows, sees and speaks, and that the Quran is eternal and uncreated.

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Abu Hamid al-Ghazali was the greatest exponent of the Ashari school. He began a Sufi life in 1095, is respected by orthodox thinkers and Sufis, and is known for reconciling orthodoxy with mysticism. H…

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Madrasas were seminaries of higher learning set up by the state. They familiarised scholars with Ashari ideas and trained them for government work according to orthodox Sunni ideas.