Ancient Arabs regard for Hindustan

Another indifference to the expansion of Islam into India may well have been the approval of Indian faith by the Prophet himself, who is reported to have once said: "I get cool breezes from the side of Hind."

In Sahih Muslim, Abu Horaira says that the Prophet mentioned certain rivers as belonging to heaven and one of them was the river of India. Two Indians, Sarmanak and Ratan, who collected the Prophet's sayings, Al Rataniyab, are reported to have visited Arabia during his time. Many Islamic traditions support the high standing of Indian culture with the Arabs: Ibni Ali Hatim relates on Ali's authority that the Valley of Hind where Adam descended from Heaven, and the Valley of Mecca, which had the tradition of Abraham, were the best valleys in the world."

(source: Hindu Muslim Cultural Accord - By Syed Mahmud p. 18).

Certain words occurring in the Koran, such as tooba, sundas, and ablai, are of Sanskrit origin. A common legend suggests that after the Deluge some of Noah's sons settled in India. A son of Adam, Shees (Seth in the biblical form), was born in India and is now said to be buried in Ayodhya. The fourth Caliph is reported to have said: "The land where books were first written and from where wisdom and knowledge sprang is India."

Caliph Umar was opposed to attacking India, even when he was told that "Indian rivers are pearls, her mountains rubies, her trees perfumes," for he regarded India as a country of complete freedom of thought and belief where Muslims and others were free to practice their faith." Indeed, he rebuked Usman Sakifi for dispatching a military expedition.

(source: India and World Civilization - By D. P. Singhal p. 161-162).