Nur Qutb Alam

Source: Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.
Shaykh
Nūr Qut̤b ʿĀlam Pāndavī
Personal
Born
Akhi Siraj (grandfather)
Azam Khan Khalidi (brother)
Organization
OrderChishti Order
Muslim leader
TeacherAlaul Haq
Hamiduddin Nagauri
Students
Part of a series on the
Bengal Sultanate
Ruling dynasties
Subdivisions
Architecture
Culture
Economy
History of the taka
Warfare

Nūr Qut̤b ʿĀlam (

Hazrat Pandua, 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 and pioneering the Dobhashi tradition of Bengali literature.[1]

Early life and family

Nur Qutb Alam was born in the city of

Sultanate of Bengal, 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. His grandfather, Shaykh Asʿad Khālidī, migrated to Bengal from Lahore and served as the Sultanate's Finance Minister. Alam was a classmate of Ghiyasuddin Azam Shah,[3] studying under Qadi Hamiduddin Nagauri in Rajnagar, Birbhum.[4]

Career

Nur Qutb Alam used to do all kinds of manual labour. He personally served his father and the

Hussam ad-Din Manikpuri and Shah Kaku.[3][6]

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.[7] He performed Hajj (pilgrimage to Mecca) several times.[8]

With the persecution of

Muslim with the name Muhammad, and ascended the throne as Jalaluddin Muhammad Shah.[3] Alam then requested Sharqi to return to Bengal, though he refused, thus continuing the Bengal–Jaunpur confrontation.[6]

Works

Nur Qutb Alam had written over 121 books, which were all compiled by his

Calcutta (Collection No. 466) alongside two copies of the latter book (Collection No. 1212 and 1213).[9]

Alam also wrote several letters to various important personalities. Thirteen of these were compiled by

'Abd al-Haqq al-Dehlawi under the title Maktūbāt-e-Nūr Qutb ʿĀlam (Writings of Nur Qutb Alam) and are preserved at the National Archives of India in Delhi. He has also written poetry in Persian and Bengali using only the Persian script.[10]

Death and legacy

It is generally accepted that Alam died in 818 AH (1415-16 AD), with the chronogram of this date being Nur Banur-shud (light went into light).[11] 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.[6] His death was followed by Ganesha's second attempt in taking control of Bengal although Ganesha died a few years later.[3]

He was buried near his father at the Shash Hazari Dargah,

madrasah attached to the Shash Hazari Dargah.[3] Also, one of his descendants constructed the nearby Qutb Shahi Mosque in his honour.[13] 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, paid his respects to the former and spent several days overnight at the shrine.[14]

References

  1. ^ "The development of Bengali literature during Muslim rule" (PDF). Blogs.edgehill.ac.uk. Archived from the original (PDF) on 9 August 2017. Retrieved 7 November 2016.
  2. ^ Jami (1893). Nafahatul Uns: A work on the biographies of about 567 Sufi Saints. Kanpur.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link)
  3. ^
    OL 30677644M
    . Retrieved 3 June 2024.
  4. Gauhati, Assam, British Raj: Government of Assam
    . p. 809.
  5. OL 30677644M
    . Retrieved 3 June 2024.
  6. ^
    Asiatic Society of Pakistan
    . pp. 105–109.
  7. Calcutta. pp. 106–107.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link
    )
  8. OL 30677644M
    . Retrieved 3 June 2024.
  9. ^ Al-Hafiz, Musa. শতাব্দির চিঠি (in Bengali). p. 94.
  10. Dacca
    : Mawla Brothers. p. 99.
  11. 'Abd al-Haqq al-Dehlawi
    . Akhbarul Akhyar.
  12. OL 30677644M
    . Retrieved 3 June 2024.
  13. OL 30677644M
    . Retrieved 3 June 2024.
  14. Gauhati, Assam, British Raj: Government of Assam
    . pp. 42–43.
Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Nur_Qutb_Alam&oldid=1189228888"