Bombay Islam
Book Description
In the bustling commercial heart of nineteenth-century Bombay, a remarkable spiritual marketplace emerged as migrants from across India and distant shores sought meaning amid rapid industrial transformation. Nile Green reveals how this dynamic port city became a crucible where diverse Muslim communities, mill workers, and merchants shaped an entirely new religious landscape.
As steam ships and printing presses revolutionized communication, Bombay's Islamic teachers and entrepreneurs competed with Christian missionaries to serve the spiritual needs of displaced populations seeking connection to their faith. The city's colonial policy of religious non-interference created unprecedented opportunities for Islamic scholarship and practice to flourish in innovative ways.
Drawing from Persian, Urdu, and Arabic sources including spiritual biographies, travel accounts, and devotional poetry, Green illuminates how ordinary people navigated the intersection of ancient wisdom and modern industrial life. Their spiritual productions reached far beyond India's borders, influencing Muslim communities from South Africa to Iran.
This exploration of vernacular spirituality demonstrates how migration, commerce, and religious seeking intertwined to create what the author terms an "industrial economy of enchantment." For readers interested in how spiritual communities adapt and thrive amid social upheaval, Bombay Islam offers profound insights into the resilience of faith traditions and the creative ways people maintain spiritual connection during periods of dramatic change.
Who Is This For?
📖 Reading Level: Medium (200-400 pages) (~9 hours)
📄 Length: 327 pages
What You'll Discover
- ✓ Explore India, commerce
- ✓ Explore Comparative
- ✓ Explore Migration, internal
- ✓ Explore Mumbai (india)
- ✓ Explore Internal migrants
- ✓ Explore Muslims
- ✓ Explore History
- ✓ Explore Muslims, india