Nūr Quṭb ʿĀlam ( ar, , bn, নূর কুতুব আলম) was a 14th-century
Bengali
Bengali or Bengalee, or Bengalese may refer to:
*something of, from, or related to Bengal, a large region in South Asia
* Bengalis, an ethnic and linguistic group of the region
* Bengali language, the language they speak
** Bengali alphabet, the w ...
Islamic scholar
In Islam, the ''ulama'' (; ar, علماء ', singular ', "scholar", literally "the learned ones", also spelled ''ulema''; feminine: ''alimah'' ingularand ''aalimath'' lural are the guardians, transmitters, and interpreters of religious ...
, author and poet. Based in the erstwhile Bengali capital
Hazrat Pandua
Pandua ( bn, পাণ্ডুয়া), also historically known as Hazrat Pandua ( bn, হজরত পাণ্ডুয়া) and later Firuzabad ( bn, ফিরোজাবাদ), is a ruined city in the Malda district of the Indian sta ...
, he was the son and successor of
Alaul Haq, a senior scholar of the
Bengal Sultanate. He is noted for his efforts in preserving the Muslim rule of Bengal against
Raja Ganesha
Raja Ganesha ( bn, রাজা গণেশ) was a Hindu Brahmin zamindar ruler of Bengal, who took advantage of the weakness of the first Ilyas Shahi dynasty and seized power in Bengal. Contemporary historians of the medieval period consider ...
and pioneering the
Dobhashi
Dobhashi ( bn, দোভাষী, Dobhāṣī, bilingual) is a neologism used to refer to a historical Register (sociolinguistics), register of the Bengali language which borrowed extensively, in all aspects, from Arabic and Persian. It became ...
tradition of
Bengali literature.
Early life and family
Nur Qutb Alam was born in the city of
Hazrat Pandua
Pandua ( bn, পাণ্ডুয়া), also historically known as Hazrat Pandua ( bn, হজরত পাণ্ডুয়া) and later Firuzabad ( bn, ফিরোজাবাদ), is a ruined city in the Malda district of the Indian sta ...
to a
Bengali Muslim
Bengali Muslims ( bn, বাঙালি মুসলমান; ) are adherents of Islam who ethnically, linguistically and genealogically identify as Bengalis. Comprising about two-thirds of the global Bengali population, they are the sec ...
family descended from
Khalid ibn al-Walid, an
Arab
The Arabs (singular: Arab; singular ar, عَرَبِيٌّ, DIN 31635: , , plural ar, عَرَب, DIN 31635: , Arabic pronunciation: ), also known as the Arab people, are an ethnic group mainly inhabiting the Arab world in Western Asia, ...
commander and companion of the
Islamic prophet Muhammad
Muhammad ( ar, مُحَمَّد; 570 – 8 June 632 CE) was an Arab religious, social, and political leader and the founder of Islam. According to Islamic doctrine, he was a prophet divinely inspired to preach and confirm the mo ...
, who belonged to the
Banu Makhzum
The Banu Makhzum () was one of the wealthy clans of the Quraysh. They are regarded as being among the three most powerful and influential clans in Mecca before the advent of Islam, the other two being the Banu Hashim (the tribe of the Islamic proph ...
clan of
Quraysh. Alam's cousins, uncles and grandfathers were all employed by the
Sultanate of Bengal
The Sultanate of Bengal ( Middle Bengali: শাহী বাঙ্গালা ''Shahī Baṅgala'', Classical Persian: ''Saltanat-e-Bangālah'') was an empire based in Bengal for much of the 14th, 15th and 16th centuries. It was the domina ...
, with his brother, Azam Khan, serving as the
Wazir (Prime Minister). His father,
Alaul Haq, was the court scholar of Bengal and entrusted with its treasury during the reign of
Sikandar Shah
Abul Mujāhid Sikandar Shāh ( bn, আবুল মুজাহিদ সিকান্দর শাহ, fa, ), commonly known as Sikandar Shah; was the second Sultan of Bengal and the Ilyas Shahi dynasty. He was the son of Shamsuddin Ilyas S ...
. His grandfather, Shaykh Asʿad Khālidī, migrated to Bengal from
Lahore
Lahore ( ; pnb, ; ur, ) is the second most populous city in Pakistan after Karachi and 26th most populous city in the world, with a population of over 13 million. It is the capital of the province of Punjab where it is the largest city ...
and served as the Sultanate's Finance Minister. Alam was a classmate of
Ghiyasuddin Azam Shah
Ghiyasuddin A'zam Shah ( bn, গিয়াসউদ্দীন আজম শাহ, fa, ) was the third Sultan of Bengal and the Ilyas Shahi dynasty. He was one of the most prominent medieval Bengali sultans. He established diplomatic relatio ...
,
studying under Qadi Hamiduddin
Nagauri in
Rajnagar, Birbhum
Rajnagar is a census town in Rajnagar CD block in Suri Sadar subdivision of Birbhum district in the Indian state of West Bengal. It was formerly the capital of Royal Kingdoms in the area. With the fading away of the kingdoms, the town lost ...
.
Career
Nur Qutb Alam used to do all kinds of manual labour. He personally served his father and the
faqir Faqir may refer to:
People
* Fakir, Sufi Muslim ascetics
* Faqir (given name), Arabic masculine name
* Faqir (clan), Muslim ethnic group in South Asia
Places
* Faqir Mosque
Faqir Mosque ( bn, ফকির মসজিদ, ar, ) is an obl ...
s who came to the
khanqah by washing their clothes, carrying water and fuel, keeping water constantly warm for
wudu
Wuḍūʾ ( ar, الوضوء ' ) is the Islamic procedure for cleansing parts of the body, a type of ritual purification, or ablution. The 4 Fardh (Mandatory) acts of ''Wudu'' consists of washing the face, arms, then wiping the head and the fe ...
and cleaning the toilets. Other than his children, Shaykh Rafaq ad-Din (father of
Shaykh Zahid) and Shaykh Anwar, Alam was also the teacher of
Hussam ad-Din Manikpuri and Shah Kaku.
Alam preferred busying himself with spirituality, which is evident from his rejection to his brother Wazir Azam Khan's request to be employed by the government. He performed
Hajj (pilgrimage to
Mecca
Mecca (; officially Makkah al-Mukarramah, commonly shortened to Makkah ()) is a city and administrative center of the Mecca Province of Saudi Arabia, and the holiest city in Islam. It is inland from Jeddah on the Red Sea, in a narrow ...
) several times.
With the persecution of
Bengali Muslims
Bengali Muslims ( bn, বাঙালি মুসলমান; ) are adherents of Islam who ethnically, linguistically and genealogically identify as Bengalis. Comprising about two-thirds of the global Bengali population, they are the sec ...
following
Raja Ganesha
Raja Ganesha ( bn, রাজা গণেশ) was a Hindu Brahmin zamindar ruler of Bengal, who took advantage of the weakness of the first Ilyas Shahi dynasty and seized power in Bengal. Contemporary historians of the medieval period consider ...
's
coup d'état
A coup d'état (; French for 'stroke of state'), also known as a coup or overthrow, is a seizure and removal of a government and its powers. Typically, it is an illegal seizure of power by a political faction, politician, cult, rebel group, m ...
, Nur Qutb Alam wrote a letter to
Sultan Ibrahim Sharqi of
Jaunpur to liberate Bengal. He also sent a letter to his father's disciple
Ashraf Jahangir Semnani
Sultan Makhdoom Ashraf Jahangir Semnani ( ur, ; (1285–1386) was an Iranian Sufi saint from Semnan, Iran. He was the founder of the Ashrafi Sufi order. He is India's third most influential Sufi Saint after Khwaja Moinuddin Chishti of Ajmer ...
, who was in Jaunpur, to also request Sharqi to do so. Responding to the request, Ibrahim Sharqi proceeded towards Bengal, which threatened Ganesha's rule. Ganesha pleaded to Alam to stop the invasion, but Alam's condition was for him to accept
Islam. However, Ganesha's wife forbade his husband to convert and instead they offered his son,
Jadu, to the Shaykh. With Alam's guidance, Jadu became a
Muslim with the name Muhammad, and ascended the throne as
Jalaluddin Muhammad Shah
Jalaluddin Muhammad Shah ( bn, জালালউদ্দীন মুহম্মদ শাহ; born as Yadu or Jadu) was a 15th-century Sultan of Bengal and an important figure in medieval Bengali history. Born a Hindu to his aristocratic fat ...
.
Alam then requested Sharqi to return to Bengal, though he refused, thus continuing the
Bengal–Jaunpur confrontation.
Works
Nur Qutb Alam has written over 121 books, which were all compiled by his
murid
In Sufism, a ''murīd'' (Arabic مُرِيد 'one who seeks') is a novice committed to spiritual enlightenment by ''sulūk'' (traversing a path) under a spiritual guide, who may take the title murshid, '' pir'' or ''shaykh''. A ''sālik'' or Su ...
Hussam ad-Din Manikpuri. His two
magnum opi are ''Mughīth al-Fuqarā'' and ''Anis al-Ghurabā''. A manuscript of the former is preserved in a private library at Khalifabagh,
Bhagalpur
Bhagalpur is a city in the Indian state of Bihar, situated on the southern banks of the river Ganges. It is the 2nd largest city of Bihar by population and also the headquarters of Bhagalpur district and Bhagalpur division. Known as the Si ...
,
Bihar
Bihar (; ) is a state in eastern India. It is the 2nd largest state by population in 2019, 12th largest by area of , and 14th largest by GDP in 2021. Bihar borders Uttar Pradesh to its west, Nepal to the north, the northern part of West ...
. Another incomplete copy is preserved in the library of the
Asiatic Society of Bengal in
Calcutta
Kolkata (, or , ; also known as Calcutta , List of renamed places in India#West Bengal, the official name until 2001) is the Capital city, capital of the Indian States and union territories of India, state of West Bengal, on the eastern ba ...
(Collection No. 466) alongside two copies of the latter book (Collection No. 1212 and 1213).
Alam also wrote several letters to various important personalities. Thirteen of these were compiled by
'Abd al-Haqq al-Dehlawi
Abd al-Haqq al-Dehlawi ( fa, شیخ عبدالحق محدث دهلوی) was an Islamic scholar.
Biography
He was born in 1551 (958 AH) in Delhi, hence the suffix '' Dehlavi'' to his name. In 1587 (996 AH), he made the pilgrimage to Mecca, wh ...
under the title ''Maktūbāt-e-Nūr Qutb ʿĀlam'' (Writings of Nur Qutb Alam) and are preserved at the
National Archives of India in
Delhi
Delhi, officially the National Capital Territory (NCT) of Delhi, is a city and a union territory of India containing New Delhi, the capital of India. Straddling the Yamuna river, primarily its western or right bank, Delhi shares borders ...
. He has also written poetry in Persian and Bengali using only the Persian alphabet.
Death and legacy
It is generally accepted that Alam died in 818 AH (1415-16 AD), with the
chronogram
A chronogram is a sentence or inscription in which specific letters, interpreted as numerals (such as Roman numerals), stand for a particular date when rearranged. The word, meaning "time writing", derives from the Greek words ''chronos'' (χ ...
of this date being Nur banur-shud (light went into light). This is further evident from date cited by the book in possession of the guardians of his shrine as well as the 17th-century book Mirat al Asrar.
His death was followed by Ganesha's second attempt in taking control of Bengal although Ganesha died a few years later.
He was buried near his father at the Shash Hazari Dargah, one of the major
dargah
A dargah ( fa, درگاه ''dargâh'' or ''dargah'', Turkish: ''dergâh'', Hindustani: ''dargah'' दरगाह درگاہ, bn, দরগাহ ''dorgah'') is a shrine or tomb built over the grave of a revered religious figure, often ...
s of Bengal; located in
Hazrat Pandua
Pandua ( bn, পাণ্ডুয়া), also historically known as Hazrat Pandua ( bn, হজরত পাণ্ডুয়া) and later Firuzabad ( bn, ফিরোজাবাদ), is a ruined city in the Malda district of the Indian sta ...
and adjacent to the other contemporary scholars of Bengal such as
Jalaluddin Tabrizi
Abū al-Qāsim Jalāl ad-Dīn Tabrīzī ( fa, ) was a celebrated Sufi saint of South Asia. He arrived in Bengal shortly after the start of its Muslim rule, where he propagated Islam to the local populace and spent the rest of his life. The Jalili ...
. Later sultans such as
Alauddin Husain Shah
Ala-ud-din Husain Shah ( bn, আলাউদ্দিন হোসেন শাহ (1494–1519)Majumdar, R.C. (ed.) (2006). ''The Delhi Sultanate'', Mumbai: Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan, pp.215-20 was an independent late medieval Sultan of Bengal, who ...
(r. 1494–1519) used to make yearly visits to the shrine and is noted for granting a number of villages for maintaining the alms-house and
madrasah attached to the Shash Hazari Dargah.
Also, one of his descendants constructed the nearby Qutb Shahi Mosque in his honour.
During the reign of emperor
Jahangir, the guardian of his shrine was his descendant and successor Mian Shaykh Masud, also known as Shah Muqam. Mughal general Mirza Nathan, author of the
Baharistan-i-Ghaibi
The ''Baharistan-i-Ghaibi'' ( fa, ), written by Mirza Nathan, is a 17th-century chronicle on the history of Bengal, Cooch Behar, Assam and Bihar under the reign of Mughal emperor Jahangir (1605-1627). Unlike other history books of the Mughal Empi ...
, paid his respects to the former and spent several days overnight at the shrine.
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Alam, Nur Qutb
Bengali Sufi saints
Chishtis
People from Malda district
15th-century Bengalis
1415 deaths
Sufi writers
Sufi mystics
Sufi teachers
Bengal Sultanate officers
15th-century Muslim scholars of Islam
Banu Makhzum
Sunni Muslim scholars
Bengali Muslim scholars of Islam