The combined population of Muslims in the Indian subcontinent is about 400 million which is pretty dang much
It is, but the population of Hindus in the Indian subcontinent is much more than double that. The question is converting the Hindus, which is, as OTL has showed time and time again, very hard.
IOTL, Hinduism reacted to the rise of Islam by centralizing around Advaita Vedanta (which was the form of Hinduism most other schools found most acceptable), and every time Hindus felt too persecuted, it has resulted in them pushing back and absorbing a few foreign concepts, with the religion of the "barbarians" (mleccha) ultimately failing to make much headway. This pushback strikes me as inevitable. Even the Caliphate didn't exactly do a very good job of converting Sindh (the only part of the subcontinent which they conquered), considering prior to Partition it was only barely majority-Muslim (and even today is the only part of Pakistan with a substantial Hindu minority) and even towards the end of the Caliphate, Sindh was likely majority-Hindu. I really don't see what a POD for this would be.
You could have Hinduism lose/not gain more ground against Buddhism and Jainism. Those two faiths have a lot weaker self-preservation/self-perpetuation system built in and less codification and appeal to the upper/government building class (being highly individual rather than society focused). This would give Muslim missionaries and conquerors more incentive to push conversion and greater relative success.
Does not most muslims in the Indian subcontinent descend from indiginous people, who converted to Islam from Hinduism? What was the reason these people converted but the ancestors of the present day Hindus did not convert?It is, but the population of Hindus in the Indian subcontinent is much more than double that. The question is converting the Hindus, which is, as OTL has showed time and time again, very hard.
IOTL, Hinduism reacted to the rise of Islam by centralizing around Advaita Vedanta (which was the form of Hinduism most other schools found most acceptable), and every time Hindus felt too persecuted, it has resulted in them pushing back and absorbing a few foreign concepts, with the religion of the "barbarians" (mleccha) ultimately failing to make much headway. This pushback strikes me as inevitable. Even the Caliphate didn't exactly do a very good job of converting Sindh (the only part of the subcontinent which they conquered), considering prior to Partition it was only barely majority-Muslim (and even today is the only part of Pakistan with a substantial Hindu minority) and even towards the end of the Caliphate, Sindh was likely majority-Hindu. I really don't see what a POD for this would be.
Poverty(Islamic converters offered money) ,Fear(At the tip of the sword ) ,Luck .Does not most muslims in the Indian subcontinent descend from indiginous people, who converted to Islam from Hinduism? What was the reason these people converted but the ancestors of the present day Hindus did not convert?
You forgot the last one - the Caste system. Those of lower caste have little to no social mobility under Hindu religion, but under Islam it is theoretical that the son of the latrine cleaner could rise up and become a powerful person where every women wishes to marry him.Poverty(Islamic converters offered money) ,Fear(At the tip of the sword ) ,Luck .
The stratified Hindu social system was not firmly established in most areas that are now majority Muslim. Punjab is majority Muslim because formerly pastoral peoples with little connection to institutional Hinduism were settled there under Mughal rule, and eastern Bengal, which Eaton has studied extensively, is almost entirely Muslim because forest peoples who adopted intensive agriculture under Mughal rule adopted Islam as part and parcel of adopting a more "civilized" (for lack of a better word) lifestyle.Does not most muslims in the Indian subcontinent descend from indiginous people, who converted to Islam from Hinduism?
This can't be the case because the places where Hindu caste distinctions were strongest prior to Muslim rule, like the central Gangetic Basin, have a lot less Muslims than places where Hindu institutions were weak before Muslim rule, like the forests of Bangladesh.You forgot the last one - the Caste system. Those of lower caste have little to no social mobility under Hindu religion, but under Islam it is theoretical that the son of the latrine cleaner could rise up and become a powerful person where every women wishes to marry him.
Whom are you speaking of ???You forgot the last one - the Caste system. Those of lower caste have little to no social mobility under Hindu religion, but under Islam it is theoretical that the son of the latrine cleaner could rise up and become a powerful person where every women wishes to marry him.
Those of lower caste, they are whom he is speaking ofWhom are you speaking of ???
Here is a map from Eaton's book I recolored, needs a legend but it's easily understandable by knowing that the dark greenest color is 80-90% and white is 0-10%, the data is from the British census in 1887 I think:The stratified Hindu social system was not firmly established in most areas that are now majority Muslim. Punjab is majority Muslim because formerly pastoral peoples with little connection to institutional Hinduism were settled there under Mughal rule, and eastern Bengal, which Eaton has studied extensively, is almost entirely Muslim because forest peoples who adopted intensive agriculture under Mughal rule adopted Islam as part and parcel of adopting a more "civilized" (for lack of a better word) lifestyle.
In India, Islam was the Religion of the Plow, the faith of agricultural development.
This can't be the case because the places where Hindu caste distinctions were strongest prior to Muslim rule, like the central Gangetic Basin, have a lot less Muslims than places where Hindu institutions were weak before Muslim rule, like the forests of Bangladesh.
What PODs are there for a Muslim-majority India?
You forgot the last one - the Caste system. Those of lower caste have little to no social mobility under Hindu religion, but under Islam it is theoretical that the son of the latrine cleaner could rise up and become a powerful person where every women wishes to marry him.