The Role of Muslim Merchants in Shaping Indian Ocean Civilization through Trade Routes and Cultural Exchanges

Abstract

This article examines the role of Muslim merchants in shaping Indian Ocean civilization through trade routes and cultural exchanges. Drawing on a historical-qualitative approach, it argues that these merchants were not merely economic actors but also agents of cultural transmission, legal innovation, and social transformation. They facilitated the growth of maritime trade networks, introduced systems of trust and credit grounded in Islamic commercial law, and contributed to the spread of Islam through daily interactions, intermarriage, and the prestige of merchant elites. At the same time, their activities fostered hybrid societies, such as the Swahili coast and Malay world, where local traditions and Islamic practices blended in complex ways. However, this influence was neither uniform nor uncontested: trade often reinforced hierarchies, Islamization was negotiated and selective, and hybrid cultures emerged out of both cooperation and tension. The merchants’ networks also adapted to shifting geopolitical landscapes, from the patronage of Islamic polities to the disruptions of European expansion. By situating Muslim merchants within these broader dynamics, the study highlights their role as connectors and cultural brokers who helped make the Indian Ocean a cosmopolitan arena, while underscoring the uneven, contested nature of this process.