# Islam Reaches China

Islam arrived in China through trade and diplomacy during the caliphate of Uthman ibn Affan (may Allah be pleased with him), making it one of the earliest penetrations of the faith beyond the Arabian heartland. According to traditional accounts, a delegation sent by Uthman arrived at the Tang Dynasty court in Chang'an (present-day Xi'an) around 29 AH (651 CE), initiating formal contacts between the Islamic world and China that would shape Chinese civilization for centuries.

The First Muslim Delegation

Chinese historical records (the Jiu Tangshu and Xin Tangshu) record the arrival of an Arab embassy during the reign of Emperor Gaozong of the Tang Dynasty in 651 CE. The Arab ambassador — described as representing the ruler of a powerful western state — presented tribute and is recorded as explaining the practices of his new faith to the Emperor.

This contact came just nineteen years after the death of the Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him). The Islamic caliphate was at this point still in its first generation, and its messengers were already reaching the greatest empire in East Asia.

Trade Route Connections

The more sustained transmission of Islam to China was through trade. The Silk Road — the network of overland trade routes connecting China with Central Asia, Persia, and the Mediterranean — had long brought diverse peoples to Chinese cities. Arab and Persian Muslim merchants began using these routes in significant numbers from the mid-seventh century CE onward, establishing communities in the major trading cities of western and central China.

Maritime trade routes were equally important. Arab Muslim merchants sailed to the ports of southern China — particularly Guangzhou (Canton), Quanzhou, and Hangzhou — bringing silk, porcelain, and spices in both directions. Muslim merchant communities settled in these port cities, built mosques, and over time intermarried with local populations.

The Mosque of Guangzhou

The Huaisheng Mosque (Mosque of Remembrance of the Sage) in Guangzhou, also known as the Lighthouse Mosque (Guangta Mosque), is traditionally dated to the early Islamic period. According to local tradition, it was established by an uncle of the Prophet named Abu Waqqas, who brought Islam to China. The historical basis for this specific claim is uncertain, but the mosque has been continuously in use since at least the Tang Dynasty period and may be one of the oldest mosques in the world.

Establishment of Muslim Communities

By the Tang and Song Dynasty periods (7th-13th centuries CE), Muslim communities were well established in China's major trading cities. The Chinese term for Muslims — Huihui or Hui — appears in documents from this period. These early Muslim communities were primarily composed of Arab, Persian, and Central Asian merchants and their descendants.

The situation changed dramatically with the Mongol conquests of the thirteenth century CE. The Mongols transplanted large numbers of Central Asian and Middle Eastern Muslims to China to serve as administrators, soldiers, and specialists, vastly increasing the Muslim population and establishing Muslim communities in regions that had previously had little Muslim presence.

The Hui Muslims

The Hui people, who today number over 10 million in China, are the descendants of these early Muslim communities. Unlike the Uyghur Muslims of Xinjiang, who maintain a distinct Turkic language and culture, the Hui have been largely assimilated into Chinese language and culture while maintaining their Islamic practice. They live across China, with concentrations in Gansu, Ningxia, Qinghai, and Yunnan.

The Hui Muslim community produced Zheng He (Ma He), the great Ming Dynasty admiral and explorer, whose voyages (815-837 AH / 1405-1433 CE) represent the high point of Chinese Islamic civilization's integration with Chinese imperial power.

Legacy

The arrival of Islam in China is one of the most significant facts about Islamic global reach. Within a generation of the Prophet's death, Islam had established contacts from the Atlantic coast of Spain (through Byzantine territory) to the Pacific coast of China. The Chinese Muslim community, now several tens of millions strong, represents one of the oldest and most distinctive communities in the global Islamic world.

Sources

Jiu Tangshu (Old Book of Tang, 10th century Chinese chronicle)
Xin Tangshu (New Book of Tang)
Bai Shouyi, Huihui Minzu de Xingcheng (Formation of the Hui Muslim People)
Marshall Broomhall, Islam in China: A Neglected Problem
Jonathan Lipman, Familiar Strangers: A History of Muslims in Northwest China