Purchase of this book includes free trial access to www.million-books.com where you can read more than a million books for free. This is an OCR edition with typos. Excerpt from book: BOOK II.—THE MUHAMMEDAN PERIOD. CHAPTER I. AFGHAN RULE. Islam.—At the time when the Rajputs were making themselves the masters of Northern India and Puranic Hinduism was everywhere replacing Buddhism, a new religion was steadily spreading from its home in Arabia over the neighbouring countries. Islam, as it was called, was the very opposite of Buddhism, both in its teaching and the methods it adopted to make converts. While Buddhism made light of gods, and taught that man independently of them could work out his own salvation, the formula of Islamic faith was "There is no god but God, and Muhammad is His prophet." Buddhists were strictly enjoined to use none but peaceful means to spread their gospel, and to be tolerant in their dealings with those who held other religious beliefs. Muhammedans were restrained by no such injunctions, and even during the lifetime of the founder Islam had become a militant faith and a strong incentive to conquest. Arab triumphs.—A religion of such fiery energy was well adapted to the natures of the fierce and impulsive Arabs. They eagerly embraced it, and thereby were, for the first time, united together into one people. Made strong by faith, and filled with holy zeal, they poured out under the white banners of their religion upon the neighbouring countries. They were naturally a brave, hardy, and warlike people, but religious enthusiasm welded them into an irresistible conquering force ; and within a hundred years of the death of Muhammad, so greawas the success of their arms, that they had already reached the borders of India. Conquest of Sind.—Scarcely then had Hinduism emerged from its struggle with Buddhism before it was called upon to fight for its very existence with a formidable and openly aggressive rival. The first warnings of...