significance of muslim rule in bengal

Significance of Muslim Rule In Bengal

LBA-101

Faculty: Dr Iftekhar IqbalSection:6

Mehedi Siddique

ID:132 0504 042

Kawsar Ahmed Shaon

ID:132 0696 043

Significance of Muslim Rule In Bengal 1

Introduction:

The Muslim rule in Bengal, however, changed the entire course of history. Where, once the

Hindu and Buddhist culture were most influential, gradually evolved the Islamic culture. The

importance of the Brahmins along with their Sanskrit language gradually obscured, and

Persian as the Muslim court language, appeared to be the most influential language. The

Muslim victory and its sway over Bengal created a permanent Muslim community here. The

conquerors and the nobles who followed them evolved an aristocratic class. Unlike the Hindu

Brahmins they were liberal in their outlook. The absence of class-priority based on caste

system and the strict adherence to the doctrine of equality practised by the Muslim

progressively brought a social revolution. The Muslim rulers patronised education and

encouraged the masses to it, whereas, earlier it was reserved only for the Brahmins and upper

classes.

The Middle age in Bengal coincided with the Muslim rule. Out of about 550 years of Muslim

rule, Bengal was effectively ruled by Delhi-based all India empires for only about 200 years.

For about 350 years Bengal remained virtually independent. There were two major

achievements of Muslim rule in the region. First—prior to Muslim rule in this area, Bengal

was an ever-shifting mosaic of principalities. The natural limits of Bengal were not clearly

perceived till its political unification by the Ilyas Shahi rulers in the fourteenth century. The

political unification of Bengal was thus a gift of the Muslim rulers.

Secondly, the political unity fashioned by the Muslim rulers also promoted linguistic

homogeneity. Unlike their predecessors, the Muslim rulers were ardent patrons of Bangla

language and literature. Prior to Muslim rule, the Bengali vernacular was despised for its

impurities and vulgarities by Hindu elites who were the beneficiaries and champions of

Sanskrit education. The spread of Islam challenged the spiritual leadership of upper caste

Hindus.

Significance of Muslim Rule In Bengal 2

Background:

There are three phases in the expansion of Muslim rule in the Sub-continent.

The first phase is the conquest of Sind and Multan by Muhammad ibn Qasim, a Lieutenant of

Hijjaj ibn Yusuf, which resulted in a lasting cultural contact between the Arab Muslims and

the Western part of India.

The second phase saw the repeated invasions of the Sub-continent by Amir Sabuktagin and

his son Sultan Mahmud. The latter penetrated deep into the sub-continent conquering, as far

East as Kanauj and as far South as Somnath in Gujiat, but he consolidated his position only in

the north-western area centring round Lahore.

Significance of Muslim Rule In Bengal 3

The third phase began with the Battle of Tarain, when Prithviraj Chauhan was defeated by

Sultan Muizz-ud-Din Muhamnad ibn Sam, better known in Indian history as Muhammad

Ghori. He established his Indian Kingdom with Delhi as capital, where Qutbu'd-Din Aibak

was appointed his viceroy. The conquest of Bengal is a continuation of this third phase of

Muslim penetration into the Sub-continent and the leader of this conquest was Malik

khtyarud-Din-Muhammad ibn Bakhtyar Khalji.

This muslim rulers had a great influence in Bengali history, economy, architecture, politics,

construction, literature, agriculture, society, religion, tradition. If we want to talk about

significance of the muslim rule in bengal we must look back to the ancient history. . In this

part we will try to give a brief description of that.

The timeline of muslim rule in Bengal:

After the conquest of Muhammad Bakhtiyar Khalji, Bengal remained under the Muslim rule

for five hundred and fifty four years unto 1757 when it was crushed and ended in the tragic

field of Plassey. The Muslim rule in Bengal may be divided into a few divisions

Significance of Muslim Rule In Bengal 4

The Significance of Muslim Rule in Bengal:

This muslim rulers had a great influence in Bengali history, economy, architecture, politics,

construction, literature, agriculture, society, religion, tradition. We can briefly describe the

influence below:

Spreading Islam in the Bengal region:

The Muslim rule in Bengal also witnessed the gradual expansion of Islam in this region.

Contrary to popular beliefs, the Muslim rulers in Bengal were not in the least idealists and

proselytizers: they were primarily adventurers whose sole aim was to perpetuate their rule.

Significance of Muslim Rule In Bengal 5

The preponderance of the Muslims in Bangladesh region stands out in striking contrast to

signal failure of the Muslims in converting local people in other parts of north and south

India. The distribution of Muslims in different regions of south Asia clearly contradicts the

hypothesis that the patronage of the temporal authority was the most crucial variable in the

spread of Islam. If this hypothesis was correct there would have been Muslim preponderance

in areas around the seats of Muslim rule in north India. The fact that the Muslims remained

an insignificant minority in the Delhi region where they ruled for more than 600 years clearly

suggests that Islam in south Asia was not imposed from above. In Bengal also, the share of

Muslims in the total population was higher in areas remote from the seats of Muslim rule.

Islam was propagated in the Bangladesh region by a large number of Muslim saints who were

mostly active from the fourteenth to sixteenth centuries. Among these missionaries Hazart

Shah Jalal, Rasti Shah, Khan Jahan Au, Shaikh Sharafuddin Abu Tawamah, Shah Makhdoom

Ruposh, Shaikh Baba Adam Shahid, Shah Sultan Mahisawar, Shaikh Alauddin Alaul Huq,

Shah Au Bagdadi, etc. deserve special mention. While similar Muslim missionary activities

failed in other regions of south Asia, Islam ultimately succeeded in penetrating deeply into

Bengal because the social environment of this region was congenial to the diffusion of a new

religion.

Sufis were Muslim saints who were considered to possess the blessing of God and spiritual

power. Sufis derive their inspiration from Hazrat Muhammad, who forms the source of

spiritual knowledge and teachings in danger, the Sufi leader (Pir) and his disciples (Murids)

took up arms as well. Most Sultans of Bengal tried to keep good relations with the Sufis. In

Bengal, the Sufis were numerous and they played a prominent role in delivering the Islamic

message of equality and social justice and thus drew people of different religions towards

Islam. Sufis arrived in Bengal form the Middle East or Central Asia as early as the time of the

arrival of Bakhtiyar Khalji. One of the earliest and most revered Sufis of Bengal was Shah

Jalal (died 1346), who arrived and settled in Sylhet with his 313 disciples. It is said that his

simple life, Love of ordinary people of different religions and castes and his Keramati (power

of making miracles) attracted the people of Sylhet to Islam.

Significance of Muslim Rule In Bengal 6

Political development in the Bengal region:

After the establishment of Muslim power in Bengal, the political frontier was extended as the

new rulers and their successors overpowered or won over centers of entrenched agrarian

interests. The geographic expansion of Muslim power in premodern Bengal is easy enough to

reconstruct. In any given area of the delta, as in the premodern Muslim world generally, the

erection of mosques, shrines, colleges, or other buildings, civil or military, usually

presupposed control by a Muslim state. Epigraphic data testifying to the construction of such

buildings thus form one kind of evidence for political expansion. The same is true ofcoinage.

Since reigning kings jealously claimed the right to strike coins as a token of their sovereignty,

the growth of mint towns also reflects the expanding territorial reach of Muslim states.

Economical development during the muslim rule:

The Political Economy of the Sultanate The advent of Indo-Turkish rule fundamentally

altered Bengal’s physical and social landscape. In the mid fourteenth century, for example,

the visiting Chinese merchant Wang Ta-yüan noted that the agrarian frontier had pushed far

into the delta’s hinterland, transforming formerly forested areas into fields of rice paddy. It

was under Muslim rule, too, that Bengal’s economy first became thoroughly monetized. Now

it is true that kings of the Chandra dynasty (ca. 825–1035) had minted silver coins, and that

from the ninth or tenth century at least the delta’s southeastern corner had been integrated

into a wider Indian Ocean economy. But in Pala or Sena times, the major part of the delta is

not known to have used metal coinage at all. By contrast, from the thirteenth century to the

seventeenth, the Muslim rulers’ silver coin, the tanka, circulated uninterrupted throughout the

region. In fact, the sequence of local conquests and bulges in the money supply suggests that

Indo-Turkish rulers were driven into Bengal’s hinterland, at least in part, by their thirst for

uncoined silver. Each new conquest on Bengal’s southern, eastern, or northern frontiers was

followed by an expansion in the volume of silver coinage in circulation, the victors minting

tankas from the accumulated silver stocks of defeated Hindu kingdoms. Sultan Rukn al-Din

Significance of Muslim Rule In Bengal 7

Kaikaus’s conquest of Southeastern Bengal in 1291 was followed by a substantial inflow of

bullion, for example, which was quickly converted to coinage. The conquest of the

Sonargaon region in eastern Bengal by Sultan Fakhr al-Din Mubarak Shah (r. 1338–49) was

also followed by increases in the silver supply. The same was true of Sultan Sikandar’s 1358

conquests in Kamrup, or northern Bengal. The supply of coined silver leveled off during the

late fourteenth century, but in 1420, when Sultan Jalal al-Din Muhammad reconquered much

of eastern Bengal after an unsuccessful rebellion there, stocks of silver coinage again soared.

So did they in 1494 when Sultan ‘Ala al-Din Husain Shah reconquered Kamrup in northern

Bengal.

Agricultural development during the muslim rule :

Of a very different nature was Bengal’s agrarian frontier, which divided the delta’s cultivated

terrain from the wild forests or marshlands that were as yet unpenetrated, or only lightly

penetrated, by plow agriculture and agrarian society. Whereas the political frontier was man-

made and subject to rapid movement, the agrarian frontier was more stable, slower-moving,

and shaped by natural as well as human forces. Prominent among these natural forces was the

historic movement of Bengal’s rivers, which in the long run caused the northwestern and

western delta to decay as their channels shifted increasingly eastward. As new river systems

gave access to new tracts of land and deposited on them the silt necessary to fertilize their

soil, areas formerly covered by dense forest were transformed into rice fields, providing the

basis for new agrarian communities. Yet, although driven by natural forces, the movement of

Bengal’s agrarian frontier was also a human phenomenon, since it necessarily involved the

arduous work of colonizing and settling new lands.

Development of Bengali literature:

After the establishment of Muslim rule in the region, a large number of local people

embraced Islam. They were in need of some knowledge about their new religion such as the

lives of Prophets, principles of Islam, history of Islam, new culture, especially, romantic

traditions and so on. Accordingly, the Muslim writer and intelligentsia got initiated to

Significance of Muslim Rule In Bengal 8

translate some Persian texts into Bengali under the patronisation of Muslim rulers and at the

same time they wrote lots of books based on Persian themes, which resulted in the

introduction of numerous Persian words and theme into the Bengali literature. Shek

Subhodaya, a Sanskrit hagiology on Shaykh Dialal al-Din Tabrizi (d.1225 AD), and

Niranjaner Rushma, a Bengali ballad by Ramai Pandit, contain sufficient materials indicative

of the growing Islamic atmosphere in Bengal (The Encyclopaedia of Islam, p. 1168.). On the

other hand, Muslim Sultans especially, Sultans of Hussain Shahi Bengal, had given more

impetus to develop Bengali literature frequented by both Hindu and Muslim. As

Encyclopaedia of Islam points out: 48 Billah, Abu Musa Mohammad Arif Vol.1 No.2 pp 44-

54 The Sultans of Pandua and Gaud identified themselves with the people and extended their

patronage liberally to Bengali literature irrespective of caste and creed. The Bhaguvata,

Ramayana and Mahabharata were translated into Bengali under their direct patronage; the

great poets Vidyapati and Candidas flourished; and Muslims, participating with their Hindu

neighbours, opened up new avenues of literary themes primarily derived from Perso-Arabic

culture (Ibid.).

The poems written by Muslims during the Middle Ages can be divided into 6 groups:

narrative poems (based on Muslim and Indian stories), religious poems, poems on cultural

links, dirges, poems on astrology and poems on musicology. The greatest contribution of the

Muslims to Bangla literature during this period was, however, the introduction of narrative

and romantic poems, many of them being free translations or adaptations of Arabic or Persian

romances. Shah Muhammad Sagir (c 1400) was one of the earliest of the Bengali Muslim

poets. Though his romance Yusuf-Zulekha contains no signature piece identifying him, he is

generally regarded as being from East Bengal as copies of his poems have been found in the

Chittagong-Comilla-Tripura region. Other epic poets include Jainuddin, Muzammil, Sheikh

Faizullah, Daulat Uzir Bahram Khan. Jainuddin became famous with Rasulbijay, his only

epic. Muzammil became famous mainly for his three poetic works: Nitishastravarta,

Sayatnama and Khanjancharita. Donagazi's Saifulmuluk Badiuzzamal (mid-16th century) is

written in simple language and reveals the influence of Prakrit. Sheikh Faizullah occupies an

important place among the Muslim poets of the medieval period with Goraksavijay,

Gazivijay, Satyapir (1575), Zainaber Chautisha and Ragnama. Goraksavijay, which is based

on Kavindra's poem, is in two parts. Part one describes how Gorakhnath rescued his guru,

Minanath, while part two describes the ascetic life of King Gopichandra. Zainaber Chautisa

Significance of Muslim Rule In Bengal 9

narrates the sad story of Karbala in the form of Zainab's lament. Daulat Uzir Bahram Khan's

only extant work, Laily-Majnu, evidently composed between 1560 and 1575, is a thematic

translation of the Persian poet Zami's Laily-Majnu. Several Muslim poets were influenced by

Vaisnavism, among them Chand Kazi (15th century), and Afzal Ali (17th century). Chand

Kazi was the Kazi of Nabadwip under Sultan Hussein Shah (1493-1519) when Vaishnavism

spread to Nabadwip. Afzal Ali's Nasihatnama is composed in the Vaishnava style. Other

medieval Muslim poets include Syed Sultan (c 1550-1648, Nabi Bangsha, Shab-i-Miraj,

Rasulbijay, Ofat-i-Rasul, Jaykum Rajar Ladai, Iblisnama, Jnanachautisha, Jnanapradip,

marfati gan, padavali), Sheikh Paran (c 1550-1615, Nurnama, Nasihatnama), Haji

Muhammad (c 1550-1620, Nur Jamal, Suratnama), Nasrullah Khan (c 1560-1625,

Janganama, Musar Sawwal, Shariatnama, Hidayitul Islam), Muhammad Khan (c 1580-1650,

Satya-Kali-Vivad-Sangbad, Hanifar Ladai, Maktul Husein), Syed Martuza (c 1590-1662,

Yog-Kalandar, padavali), Sheikh Muttalib (c 1595-1660, Kifayitul-Musallin), Mir

Muhammad Shafi (c 1559-1630, Nurnama, Nurkandil, Sayatnama), Abdul Hakim (c 1620-

1690, Lalmati-Sayfulmulk, Nurnama). Poets who composed between 1600 and 1757 include

Nawajis Khan, Qamar Ali, Mangal (Chand), Abdul Nabi, Muhammad Fasih, Fakir

Garibullah, Muhammad Yakub, Sheikh Mansur, Muhammad Uzir Ali, Sheikh Sadi and

Heyat Mamud. Syed Sultan's Nabibamsa, Muhammad Khan's Maktul Husein and Sheikh

Chand's Rasulbijay are known as Islamic Puranas.No doubt, from the very beginning of the

development of Bengali language, the Muslims replaced the invocations to sraraswati gods

and goddesses by Hamd and Nat. This was a consistent practice of all Muslim writers of

epics and long narratives like Firdawsi, Sadi, Attar of Iran. Even when Alaol was writing

Padmavati, the story of a Hindu princess or when Daulat Qazi was writing the story of Sati

Mayna, another Hindu princess, they started by hymning the praises of Allah and His

Prophet. Muslim Writers got rid of the possibility of such incongruities and made the form

more appropriate for the romances of human life. Lexicographic view of Dobhasi literature,

which is not less important than thematic traditions. Even today the practice of using Arabic

and Persian words to describe typically Muslim context is a very common thing. Muslim

writers were being habituated with this practice from early days to develop Bengali

nomenclatures. For instance: ‘Kitab`, ‘aliman Muslims of this period.In the field of religion it

must be remembered that the Middle age was the period of Muslim cultural expansion.

Sayyid Sultan’s Navibangsha, Shab-iMiraj, Ofat-i-Rasul and Muhammad Khan’s Maqtul

Hussain and Kiyamatnama describe the Muslim concept of the origin, evolution, and

Significance of Muslim Rule In Bengal 10

destruction of the Earth and of the final judgement of good and wicked souls. It was an

attempt, to enlighten the ignorant local people who did not know Arabic and Persian and to

purify their souls. The other important works of this tradition are: Neeti-Shahstravasta of

Muzammil (1430 AD).

Architectural development during muslim period:

The architecture of the early Muslim period was most characterized b mosques and tombs.

The conquerors built mosques to arrange for praying and to gain popularity. The Sufis or the

preachers of Islam also built mosques wherever they went to preach. During the Hussain

Shahi dynasty Bengali architecture developed a style of its own, distinct from the various

regional styles of India. Though Bengali architecture was influenced by the architecture of

the Middle East in the beginning, by the middle of the fifteenth century, it showed

independence from external influence and more close to local forms.

The mosques built during the Sultanate period were divided into several categories, such as

square single, multi-domed, or rectangular multi-domed. Some of the vaults were in the form

of typical Bengali huts with quadrilateral sloping roofs. Some of the single or multi-domed

structures had verandahs in the front. The roofs were almost always curved, with the four

corner towers rising only up to roof level. There were examples of Arabic calligraphy

inserted in wall facing the west called the Qibla wall, which faces the direction of the holy

Kaaba. Hanging chandeliers were distinct features found in the mosques. The monuments

Significance of Muslim Rule In Bengal 11

were ornamented with intricate designs and terra cotta plaques.

The Muslim architecture differed from the Hindu architecture. Generally speaking, Muslim

architecture implies mosques, Idgahs, forts, mausoleums, monumenst etc. The design and

beauty of the architecture of the Mughal Age differed from that of the other ages. The

Mughal rulers did not like the architecture of the Sultani period in Bengal. The domes of the

mosques of the Mughal period were matched. The surface of the domes were decorated with

mosaic. The sides of the arches were decorated with floral designs. The pinnacles of the

domes were long and pointed. The walls of the mosques were ornamented with floral designs.

The size and shape of the buildings in Mughal period were big and massive. Some big

'darawjas' (doors) were built in Bengal during the Mughal Age. Also some buildings called

'katra' were built in the Mughal Age. These were guest houses. A 'katra', a tall minaret and a

mosque were built in old Maldah during the time of Emperor Akbar. Many important

buildings in the Mughal age were built in Dhaka. Subadar Islam Khan established the capital

in Dhaka during the period of Emperor Jahangir. Mughal architecture started to develop in

Dhaka from that time. Subadar Shahjada Azam built some buildings in Dhaka. He built a

huge 'katra' on the bank of the river Buriganga. The 'Shahi Masjid' in Lalbagh was built in his

time. He started constructing the Lalbagh Fort. Subadar Shayesta Khan took steps to

complete it. But he could not be complete it. As a result, the construction of the Lalbagh Fort

remained incomplete. This fort is the greatest example of Mughal architecture in Bengal. The

mausoleum of the daughter of Shayesta Khan, Paribibi, is inside the fort. It is an attractive

specimen of the Mughal architecture. The grave lies in the centre of the mausoleum and was

made of marble stone. The floral designs are found on this grave. Apart from this, another

structure called 'Choto Katra' was built in the time of Shayesta Khan. The name of Shayesta

Significance of Muslim Rule In Bengal 12

Khan is associated with the mosque of Chowkbazaar, the mosque on the bank of the River

Buriganga and the 'Saat Gombuz Mosque'.

Some of the famous and architecturally significant mosques include Adina Mosque at Hazrat

Pandua (1375), Khalifatabad Mosque (mod-15th century), Gunmant Mosque), Tantipara

Mosque (c 1480), Darabari Mosque (1479), Chhota Sona Mosque (1493-1519) and Bara

Sona Mosque (1526) at Gaur-Lakhnauti, Bagha (1522) and Kushumba Mosque (1558) in

Rajshahi, and the recently excavated Jami’s at Satghachhia and Monohar Dighi (late

15th/early 16th century) in Bara Bazar (Jessore). In Bengal, the architecture under the

Mughals was mostly the work of the subahdars under Shahjahanb and Aurangzeb. During the

rule of Shaista Khan, many monuments were built in the region, particularly around Dhaka.

Monuments were built as small-scale imitations of the Mughal imperial monuments in

northern India. The material used in the construction was plastered brick, and plaster paneling

was used of ornamentation of the mosque. Some of the famous mosques, tombs, temples

Significance of Muslim Rule In Bengal 13

and secular buildings built during the Mughal period are

Tombs of the nawabs of Murshidabad during the eighteenth century reflect their

predilections. The humble burial place of Murshid Quli Khan beneath the entrance portal of

his Katra Mosque (Murshidabad) consists of a small cell with a grave covered with clay,

fulfilling his last wish that "the dust of the worshippers' feet might fall upon his breast".

Alivardi Khan wished to be buried in his much-loved garden, Khushbagh. Mir Jafar lies

buried at Jafarganj graveyard amidst a thousand open-air graves.

Significance of Muslim Rule In Bengal 14

Conclusion:

This is no less true of Islam and the Bengal frontier. In the “success stories” of world

religions, and the story of Islam in Bengal is among these, the norms of religion and the

realities of local sociocultural systems ultimately accommodate one another. Although

theorists, theologians, or reformers may resist this point, it seems nonetheless to be intuitively

grasped by common folk.

Viewed historically, religious systems are created, cultural artifacts, and not timeless

structures lying beyond human societies. As such they are continuously reinterpreted and

readapted to particular sociocultural environments. Yet even while this happens, religious

traditions transform those environments in creative ways. What made Islam in Bengal not

only historically successful but a continuing vital social reality has been its capacity to adapt

to the land and the culture of its people, even while transforming both.

Finally we can say that, the significance and influence of muslim rule in Bengal was

memorable. It was the base of the history of Bengal.

Reference

1. http://blogs.edgehill.ac.uk/sacs/files/2012/07/Document-6-Billah-A.-M.-M.-A-The-

Development-of-Bengali-Literature-during-Muslim-Rule

2. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_rulers_of_Bengal

3. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bengal_Sultanate

4. http://tanmoy.tripod.com/bengal/muslimconquest.html

5. http://forum.daffodilvarsity.edu.bd/index.php?topic=9359.0

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docId=ft067n99v9&chunk.id=d0e6918

7. http://www.bangladesh.com/forums/history/12852-muslim-rule-bengal-1204-1757-

a.html

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9. http://www.iranicaonline.org/articles/bengal

Significance of Muslim Rule In Bengal 15

10. Ali, Muhammad Mohar. History of the Muslims in Bengal. Vol. 1A-B. Riyadh: Imam Muhammad Ibn Sa‘ud.Islamic University, 1985

11. “New Light on Rajah Ganesh and Sultan Ibrahim Sharqi of Jaunpur from ContemporaryCorrespondence of Two Muslim Saints” . Bengal Past and Present 57 (1948)

12. Bhattacharyya, Asutosh. “The Early Bengali Saiva Poetry” . Dacca University Studies

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