Muslims' Encounter with Buddhism in the Era of Conquests and the First Centuries of Islam

One of the most important issues studied in the era of conquests and the first centuries of Islam in Iran was the situation of religious minorities and the type of confrontation of Muslims with them. By emphasizing the concept of "People of the Book", the Qurchr('39')an had specified the task of how Muslims deal with Jews, Christians, Saebis, and through the interpretation of this concept with Zoroastrians. But when Muslim conquerors reached the easternmost parts of Iran during the conquests, they encountered Buddhism. A religion that was less known to them and therefore it was not clear to them how and on what basis of jurisprudential rulings they should deal with Buddhists. Therefore, in the present study, an attempt is made to answer the main question of how and on what basis Muslims were able to regulate their relations with Buddhists. According to the research findings, the first Muslims considered Buddhism to be a pagan religion. Based on this view, they had violent and intolerant treatment with Buddhists. But then, the necessities of the emerging Muslim government in these areas changed their attitude towards Buddhism. Here, the same deal was done with the Buddhists as with the People of the Book.