Shāh Sulṭān Qamar ad-Dīn Rumī ( bn, শাহ সুলতান কমর উদ্দিন রুমী, ar, ), was an 11th-century Sufi Muslim figure who in scholarly tradition, is believed to have been the first Sufi who visited and settled in Bengal. His name is associated with the

spread of Islam The spread of Islam spans about 1,400 years. Muslim conquests following Muhammad's death led to the creation of the caliphates, occupying a vast geographical area; conversion to Islam was boosted by Arab Muslim forces conquering vast territorie ...

into

Netrokona Netrokona ( bn, নেত্রকোনা) is a major town and District headquarter in Netrokona District in the division of Mymensingh. It is the largest town and urban centre of Netrokona District Netrokona ( bn, নেত্রকোণ� ...

, part of a long history of travel between the

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and

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Biography

Sha Sultan jhame masque, majar sha sultan

Earlier documents reveal that Rumi arrived in Bengal in 1053 CE (445 Hijri) with his teacher Syed Shah Surkhul Antia and ten disciples. This was a century before the arrival of Muslim general

Bakhtiyar Khalji Ikhtiyār al-Dīn Muḥammad Bakhtiyār Khaljī, (Pashto :اختيار الدين محمد بختيار غلزۍ, fa, اختیارالدین محمد بختیار خلجی, bn, ইখতিয়ারউদ্দীন মুহম্মদ � ...

and 250 years before

Shah Jalal Jalāl Mujarrad Kunyāʾī (), popularly known as Shah Jalal, was a celebrated Sufi figure of Bengal. His name is often associated with the Conquest of Sylhet and the spread of Islam into the region, part of a long history of interactions betw ...

Conquest of Sylhet The Conquest of Sylhet ( bn, শ্রীহট্টের বিজয়, Srīhôtter Bijôy, Conquest of Srihatta) predominantly refers to an Islamic conquest of Srihatta (present-day Sylhet, Bangladesh) led by Sikandar Khan Ghazi, the mili ...

in 1303 CE. Thus, Rumi arrived in Bengal even before the conquests. Rumi and his comrades settled in modern-day Netrokona, an area with no Muslim population and ruled by a Koch king called Ganesh. The message of Islam reached the local residents, many of whom accepted Islam. When news of conversions reached the king, Rumi was summoned to the royal court. It is said that Rumi claimed that God granted him the spiritual power, and so he was faced with an ordeal. Poison was offered to him and, as is believed, he was safe and sound even after drinking the poison. All present at the scene accepted Islam and the king granted him the village of Madanpur as well as some neighbouring villages, and made it a rent-free area.

Death and legacy

It is assumed that Shah Sultan Rumi died in 1075 CE (475 Hijri). A shrine was built in the village of Madanpur which continues to be visited. A mosque was built adjacent to the shrine complex. During the colonial period of Bengal, the

British East India Company The East India Company (EIC) was an English, and later British, joint-stock company founded in 1600 and dissolved in 1874. It was formed to trade in the Indian Ocean region, initially with the East Indies (the Indian subcontinent and Southea ...

tried to takeover the shrine estate in 1829. This was contested by the guardians of the shrine who provided an old

Persian Persian may refer to: * People and things from Iran, historically called ''Persia'' in the English language ** Persians, the majority ethnic group in Iran, not to be conflated with the Iranic peoples ** Persian language, an Iranian language of the ...

document from 1082 CE. In response, the government abandoned the plan and granted the estate to the document holder; Syed Jalaluddin. There are number of things named after Rumi: * Shah Sultan Jame Mosque, Madanpur * Shah Sultan Degree College * Shah Sultan High School, Madanpur * Shah Sultan Digital Institute * Shah Sultan Diagnostic Center

References

{{authority control 1075 deaths Muslim missionaries 11th-century Muslims Bengali Sufi saints People from Netrokona District

Biography

Death and legacy

See also

References