My question to ChatGPT, Mongol Tar Tars had attacked the Turkie, Egypt and Middle east up to Palestine and had massacred millions of men, and had taken the Muslim women as wives. These wives converted some Tartars into Islam. Tar Tars also ruled China and India. Can you give the details of those Tar Tar Muslims’ role in spreading Islam in the whole Asia?”
ChatGPT Answered:
Yes, the Mongol (Tartar) conquests had a significant impact on the spread of Islam across Asia. Initially, the Mongols were feared for their brutality, especially in the Muslim world. However, many Mongols eventually converted to Islam, and their rule played a crucial role in the expansion of the faith throughout Central Asia, China, India, and the Middle East.
1. Mongols’ Initial Relations with Islam
The Mongols, under Genghis Khan (d. 1227), were originally shamanists and animists.
They viewed Islam with suspicion, as its dietary and legal restrictions clashed with Mongol traditions.
When Mongols conquered Central Asia, Persia, and parts of the Middle East, they killed millions of Muslims, including the infamous destruction of Baghdad (1258) by Hulagu Khan, which ended the Abbasid Caliphate.
2. Mongol Conversion to Islam
Over time, many Mongols converted to Islam due to intermarriage with local Muslim women, the influence of Muslim advisors, and political necessity.
A. The Ilkhanate (Persia, Iraq, Anatolia)
Ghazan Khan (1295–1304), ruler of the Mongol Ilkhanate in Persia, converted to Islam and made it the official state religion.
His conversion led to the gradual Islamization of Mongol elites in Persia and Iraq.
Later Ilkhan rulers like Abu Sa’id (1316–1335) continued supporting Islamic scholars and institutions.
B. The Golden Horde (Russia & Central Asia)
The Golden Horde, a Mongol khanate in Russia and Central Asia, initially followed Tengriism but later adopted Islam.
Berke Khan (1257–1266) was the first Mongol ruler to embrace Islam and opposed his cousin Hulagu Khan’s attack on Baghdad.
Later, Uzbek Khan (1313–1341) made Islam the official religion of the Golden Horde, promoting its spread among the Turkic and Mongol tribes.
C. The Chagatai Khanate (Central Asia)
Tarmashirin (1331–1334) was the first Mongol ruler of the Chagatai Khanate to convert to Islam.
Islamization of the region accelerated under Timur (Tamerlane, 1370–1405), who, although of Mongol descent, was a devout Muslim and a strong patron of Islamic scholarship.
3. Mongols in China & the Yuan Dynasty (1271–1368)
The Yuan Dynasty, founded by Kublai Khan, ruled China but remained mostly Buddhist and shamanist.
However, many Mongol officials and soldiers in China converted to Islam.
Sayyid Ajjal Shams al-Din, a Muslim governor under Kublai Khan, promoted Islam in Yunnan, leading to the emergence of Hui Muslims in China.
4. Mongols in India & the Delhi Sultanate
The Mongols repeatedly invaded the Delhi Sultanate but did not establish a long-term rule.
However, Babur (1483–1530), a descendant of both Timur and Genghis Khan, founded the Mughal Empire in India, which became a powerful Islamic dynasty.
The Mughals promoted Islam in the Indian subcontinent through architecture, governance, and Sufi orders.
5. The Role of Mongol-Converted Muslims in Spreading Islam
Once converted, Mongol rulers encouraged Islamic scholarship, Sufism, and mosque-building.
Sufi missionaries (dervishes) traveled with Mongol armies and spread Islam in remote areas.
Trade routes like the Silk Road facilitated the exchange of Islamic culture, leading to Islam’s growth in China, Central Asia, and Southeast Asia.
Conclusion
Although the Mongols initially devastated the Islamic world, their later conversion helped spread Islam throughout Asia. The Ilkhanate, Golden Horde, and Chagatai Khanate all contributed to Islam’s expansion. In China, Mongol rule helped establish Muslim communities, while in India, Mongol-Timurid descendants (the Mughals) played a central role in shaping the subcontinent’s Islamic identity.
