The current relevance of Islam is due to the fact that it is one of the most discussed religions in the world. It is also one of the largest religions in the world. Islam has followers in all areas of the globe. (Zissis, 2007) Islam first began to spread in 610 AD and has not stopped. Today, India's population includes approximately 150 million Muslims, and Islam has contributed greatly to the development of the area and its people. (Kennedy, 2007) The spread of Islam is vast and instead of focusing on the entire scope of Islam, I will place emphasis on the Mughal dynasty and its impact on the spread of Islam. The religion of Islam sees Muhammad as the last prophet. He proclaimed revelations that he believed to be from God. Muhammad believed that Gabriel was sent by God to provide these revelations. His companions recorded those revelations and they are known as the Quran. After receiving the revelations, Muhammad shared the Quran with the people of Mecca. Muhammad tried to persuade people to abandon their polytheistic religions. (Hussain) Polytheism is a religion in which multiple Gods are worshipped. The local powers in Mecca did not appreciate this, and Muhammad and his early followers were persecuted. (Mazhar-ul)Although Muhammad succeeded in converting people to Islam, they were often people of the lowest class or slaves. After more than a decade of persecution and harassment by the Meccans, many Muslims migrated to Medina. It is here that Muhammad established political and religious authority over his old and new followers. A Constitution of Medina was devised which brought all the groups together into one large society. The declaration formulated provided for security, some freedoms, the sanctity of Medina, a tax system and a judicial system. In 629, Muh… middle of paper… The Mughal Empire did not require people to convert to Islam. Therefore he could not have used the sword to force people to convert. The Quran specifically states that insincere conversion means nothing: “Let there be no compulsion in religion” (Quran 2:256). This would make the spread of Islam by the sword useless. Akbar also revoked a tax imposed specifically on non-believers. Several Mughal leaders also married Hindu women, which shows their tolerance towards religions. The Mughal Empire was more tolerant than any other Islamic state of the time. Their position on religion, except under Aurangzeb, was that all are equal and all are allowed. It was when Aurangzeb took power that only Islam was accepted. The Mughals used the sword to spread their empire but in no way forced their beliefs on other people. The Mughal Empire was simply a vehicle for Islam.