Iran and the Indian Subcontinent have had strong political, social, economic and cultural relations since ancient times. In the Islamic period also various Asian Muslim nations such the Arabs, the Turks, and the Iranian made contacts with the Subcontinent leaving a great impact on Indian civilization. Stressing a number of differences between the Muslims and the Hindus at the present and in the past, some orientalists believe that the nature of the present Muslim community of India is incompatible with the overall aspirations of the country weakening their role in formulating tradition and bringing about change at the regional level. One deep-rooted reflection of such a minimal role can be witnessed in mutual relations between Iran and India and in the difference in worldviews held by the two countries in the contemporary era. Through a reinvestigation of this hypothesis in their studies, researches in Iran and the Indian Subcontinent have come up with new issues vis-à-vis bilateral relations in view of the historical role played by Islam in the formation of such relations as well. Paying special attention to particular aspects of this issue, this article studies the theoretical foundations of political, social, and cultural relations between Iran and India with an emphasis on the influence of Islam on historical developments in the two countries.
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