Through which primary early means did Islam initially reach the Malabar Coast of present-day India?

Explanation

– Islam initially reached the Malabar Coast of present-day India primarily through Arab merchants engaged in the extensive maritime spice trade, establishing early trading communities along this significant coastal region.
– This early trade-based introduction predates the later, more extensive spread of Islam across northern India through subsequent political and military developments in later centuries.
– For exams, remember that this pattern of early peaceful introduction through trade reflects a similar historical process to that observed in East Africa and parts of Southeast Asia.