(i) Later in the medieval times, Islam made inroads into Indian culture. Bengal, Lucknow and Hyderabad, besides many other places, provide testimony of integration of Islamic cultures and traditions into Indian culture.
(ii) Islam does not believe in idol worship. It is a monotheistic and non-hierarchical religion. The impact of Islam on Hindu traditions has been analysed in three stages:
(a) During the Muslim rule.
(b) During British rule up to 1930. and
(c) Between 1930-1947. In the first phase the Muslim rulers destroyed the Hindu temples and tried to spread Islam and converted the Hindus. This was a period marked by conflict and tension as well as some type of cultural adaptation. For e.g. Sufism influenced the Hindus. Akbar's Din-e-Ilahi was a mixture of many religions, which promoted national integration.
(iii) During British rule several reforms are found which largely influenced the Hindus. Islam lost its liberal tendencies and gradually the Islamic tradition was highly politicised.
(iv) Ultimately in the third phase, i.e. during the fag end of freedom movement, sharp divisions were drawn between the two religions, which gave rise to the birth of a separate Islamic nation i.e. Pakistan.