RESEARCH CENTRE FOR ISLAM lC HISTORY, ART AND CULTURE Proceedings of the International Symposium on Islamic Civilisation in South Asia Dhaka, ı6-ı8 November 2008 İstanbul 2013 1_ IRCICA oıc ı Organi;>ation of Islamic Cooperation IRCICA ı Research Gentre for Islamic History, Art and Culture Yıldız Sarayı, Seyir Köşkü, Barbaros Bulvan Beşiktaş 34349 İstanbul, Türkiye PHONE ı +90 212 259 17 42 FAX ı +90 212 258 4365 ircica. org ircica@ircica. org PROCEEDINGS OF THE INTERNATIONAL SYMPOSIUM ON ISLAM lC CIVILISATION IN SOUTH ASlA: DHAKA, 16-18 NOVEMBER 2008 SOURCES AND STUDIES ON THE HISTORY OF ISLAMI C CIVILISATION SERIES ı 29 ©COPYRIGHT ı IRCICA 2013 ISBN 978-92-9063-260-3 CATALOGUING IN PUBLICATION DATA International Symposium on Islami c civilisation in South Asia (2008: Dhaka, Bangladesh) Proceedings of the International Symposium on Islamic civilisation in South Asia: Dhaka, 16-18 November 2008 /edited by Halil Eren.- Istanbul: Research Centre for Islamic History, Art and Culture, 2013. 227 p.: co!. ili., plans; 24 cm.- (Sources and studies on the history of Islamic civilisation; no. 29) !ncludes bibliographical references. ISBN 978-92-9063-260-3 1. South Asia--History--Congresses. 2. Civilisation, !slamic-- South Asia--Congresses. I. Eren, Halil, 1953- II. Title. lll. Series. 954--dc22 Orthography, punctuation, methods of emphasis of texts and references were kept as adopted by each auteur. EDITOR ı Dr. Halit Eren PREPARED FOR PUBLICATION BY ı Zeynep Durukal, Cengiz Tomar BOOK DESIGN ı Muhammed Nur Anbarlı muhammednur@grnail. com PRINTING AND BIN D ING ı BiRMAT MATBAACILIK LTD. ŞTI. lOOYIL MATBAACILAR SiTESi 1 CAD NO 131 BAGCILAR 1 ISTANBUL TEL: +90 212 629 05 59-60 The Role of the Sufis in the Preaching of Islam in Bangladesh Ataur Rahman Miazi* Introduction Islam, as a complete code of life, introduced an uncompromısıng monotheism and universal brotherhood of man, and harmonized spiritualism with materialism in the religious order. The Sufis played an important role in this respect. The Sufis preached Islam in Bangladesh long before the advent of Muslim conquerors and the establishment of a Muslim administration. By their religious fervor, missionary zeal, exemplary character and humanitarian activities, they greatly influenced the minds of the masses and attracted them to the faith oflslam. The Khanqahs of the Sufis, which were established in every corner of Bangladesh, were the great centers of spiritual, humanitarian and intellectual activities, and these played a significant role in the development of Muslim society. Hundreds of Sufis, such as Adam Shahid and Shah Sultan Rumi, Shah Sultan Mahisawar, Makhdum Shah Dawlah, Shaikh jalaluddin Tabriz, Hazrai Shah Jalal, Shaikh Sharfuddin Abu Tawwamah, Yahya Mancri, Shaikh Akhi Siraj and Nur Qutbul Alam cam e to Bangladesh at different times from Western and Central Asia as well as from Northern India and the older Muslim countries. Sufism spread throughout Bangladesh, even to the remotest villages, and prospered to such an extent that several new mystic orders developed on the basis of the teaching of some distinguished Sufis. Most of the Sufis were noted for their sp iritual attainment as well as their vast learning. They also played a significant role in the expansion of Muslim territory and the consolidation of Muslim rule in Bangladesh. Islam brought in a social order based on the equality of all, man and woman, master and slave. 1 The founder of Islam declared that all human beings * Professor, Department of lslamic History and Culture, Dhaka University, Bagladesh. 1 M. A. Ra him. "The Advent of Islam in 'Bangladesh'; Islam in Bangladesh Through the Ages, Dr. A. K. M. Ayub Ali and Ot hers (cd.), Dha ka, lslamic Foundation Bangladesh, July 1995, p. ı. 43 44 1 PROCEEDINGS OF THE INTERNATIONAL SYMPOSIUM ON ISLAMI C CIVILISATION IN SOUTH ASlA are equal and the highest rank is to be the most obedient to Allah and most useful to mankind.2 Indeed, the prophet of Islam is the first humanitarian who came out with a comprehensive program of emancipating suffering humanity, of liberating slaves from their bondage and elevating women to a position of dignity and respect. Within a few years of the death of the Prophet (SAW) the extraordinary religious, social and cultural force of Islam spread beyond the boundary of the Arabian Peninsula and its impact was felt in Syria, Palestine, Iraq, Iran, Egypt, Northern Africa and Central Asia. 3 It produced an unprecedented intellectual awakening. The great religious and socio-cultural force of Islam made its way into Europe and other pans of the world and als o effected a revolution in the religious and socio-cultural life of the peoples of those countries including India, Pakistan and Bangladesh. The advent of Islam as the complete code of life in this subcontinent was a blessing for the people and the greatest revolution in the lives of the down­ trodden, suppressed and oppressed masses. This is also true in the case of the people of undivided Bengal, a part of w hi ch now constitutes the present map of independent Bangladesh.4 1he great preachers of Islam were spiritual personalities or merchants of missionary spirit and noble character. Islam freed the people from all chains of human slavery and encouraged them to bow down their heads only to the Creator of the world and the world hereafter; the ideal of Tawhid. There were mainly three ways by which the religion of Islam found its way into Bangladesh. Firstly, Islam entered this land with the Arab trade in the East in the eighth and ninth centuries of the Christian era. The Arabs were the foremost sea-faring and maritim e people of the world and the Arab merchants sailed across all seas to the distant countries of the East. 5 It is historically proved that the Arab traders us ed to call at Chittagong Port in the course of their maritime commercial journeys to the coastal areas of India, Ceylon, the Malayan peninsula and China at the end of the ız 1 hcentury. 6 It is known from the accounts of the Arab travelers and geographers of the 91h, ı atlı, ııth and 121h centuries that Arabia had extensive trade relations with the region now known as Bangladesh and some Arab merchants even settled in certain parts of the country, where they preached Islam and built mosques long 2 Bukhari and Muslim, The Se rm on of the Ho Iy Prophet in his la st pilgrimage in Arafah. 3 M. A. Ra him, /oc. cit., p. 1. 4 Daud-uz-Zatnan Chowdhury, Director General, !s!amic Foundation Bangladesh, Dhaka 1995, p. V. (Foreword). 5 lbid. 6 A. K. M. Ayub Ali and Others (ed.), op. cit., p. Xl (lntroduct'ıon). THE ROLE OF THE SUFIS IN THE PREACHING OF ISLAM IN BANGLADESH 1 45 before the establishment of Muslim rule in BengaF The second way by which Islam penetrated Bangladesh (the then Bengal) was the Muslim conquest of this land by Ikhtiyaruddin Muhammad Ibn Bakhtiyar Khalji at the very beginning of the thirteenth century. Tabaqal-i-N as iri of Minhaj-us-Siraj gives us a detailed description of the process.8 On the other hand, coins of Khalifa Harun-ur-Rashid show that Arab Muslims used to come to Bangladesh either as traders or preachers from the gth century onwards.9 Thirdly, Islam was preached in Bangladesh by the Sufis long before the advent of the Muslim conquerors and the establishment of a Muslim administration. Gradually, the majority of the people came to embrace Islam for its contribution to their well-being in this world and the world hereafter. 10 Islam played a revolutionary role in the eastern zone of the Indian subcontinent in breaking the chains of human slavery, economic exploitation and fanaticism in the name of religion. It opened an era enlightened by the far-reaching impact of civilization and culture. 11 The accounts of the Arab travelers and geographers of the 9tlı, ı atlıand 12th centuries indicate that Muslim saints, savants and devout missionaries from Arabia. Persia, Afghanistan and n orthem India built mosques and spread the tight of Islam in Chillaklıana and Khanqahs, this land of the infidels, during the 9th to the ı2th centuries. As for eviden ce T. W. Arnold says that "The existence in Bengal of definite missionary efforts is said to he attested by certain legends of the zeal of private individuals on behalf of their religion, and the graves of so me of these missionaries are stili h on o red, and are annually visited by hundreds of pilgrims:'12 Bangladesh is noted as a fertile breeding-ground for Islam. The Muslims here are generally religious minded and devoutly observe the rites and rituals ofislam. The Sufis played an important role in this regard. 13 Dr. Muin-ud-Din Alırnacl Khan says that "The history' of Islam in Bengal is the history of the growth and development of the Muslim community in this country beginning with the continuous inflow of Sufis from the seventh century onwards followed 7 lbid. 8 For details, please see: Tabaqai+Nasiri of Minhaj-us-Siraj. 9 The coin of Khalifa Harun-ur-Rashid, dated 172H/788 C. E., fo und at Paharpur in the Rajshah·ı district; al so the co in of one of his successors d iscovered at Mainamati in the Comilla district. 10 Muhammad Mufazzal Hussain Khan, Director of the Department of Research, lslamic Foundation Bangladesh, Dhaka 1995, VII (Publishers Note). 11 lbid. 12 T. W Arn old, The Preaching of Islam, Lah o re 1956, p. 230. 13 Afsar Uddin, "Muslirn Society in Bangladesh'; Islam in Bangladesh Through the Ages, pp.