Shaykh Nūr Qut̤b ʿĀlam Pāndavī | |
|---|---|
| Personal life | |
| Born | |
| Died | 1415-1416 AD |
| Resting place | Shash Hazari Dargah,Malda district |
| Flourished | Late 14th to early 15th century |
| Children | Rafaq ad-Din Shaykh Anwar |
| Parent |
|
| Relatives | Akhi Siraj (grandfather) Azam Khan Khalidi (brother) |
| Religious life | |
| Religion | Islam |
| Denomination | Sunni |
| Order | Chishti Order |
| Jurisprudence | Hanafi |
| Muslim leader | |
| Teacher | Alaul Haq Hamiduddin Nagauri |
Nūr Qut̤b ʿĀlam (Arabic:نور قطب عالم,Bengali:নূর কুতুব আলম) was a 14th-centuryBengaliIslamic scholar, author and poet. Based in the erstwhile Bengali capitalHazrat Pandua, he was the son and successor ofAlaul Haq, a senior scholar of theBengal Sultanate. He is noted for his efforts in preserving the Muslim rule of Bengal againstRaja Ganesha and pioneering theDobhashi tradition ofBengali literature.[1]
Nur Qutb Alam was born in the city ofHazrat Pandua to aBengali Muslim family.[2] Alam's cousins, uncles and grandfathers were all employed by theSultanate of Bengal, with his brother, Azam Khan, serving as theWazir (Prime Minister). His father,Alaul Haq, was the court scholar of Bengal and entrusted with its treasury during the reign ofSikandar Shah. His grandfather, Shaykh Asʿad Khālidī, migrated to Bengal fromLahore and served as the Sultanate's Finance Minister. Alam was a classmate ofGhiyasuddin Azam Shah,[3] studying under Qadi HamiduddinNagauri inRajnagar, Birbhum.[4]
Nur Qutb Alam used to do all kinds of manual labour. He personally served his father and thefaqirs who came to thekhanqah by washing their clothes, carrying water and fuel, keeping water constantly warm forwudu and cleaning the toilets. Other than his children, Shaykh Rafaq ad-Din (father ofShaykh Zahid) and Shaykh Anwar,[5] Alam was also the teacher ofHussam 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 performedHajj (pilgrimage toMecca) several times.[8]
With the persecution ofBengali Muslims followingRaja Ganesha'scoup d'état, Nur Qutb Alam wrote a letter toSultan Ibrahim Sharqi ofJaunpur to liberate Bengal. He also sent a letter to his father's discipleAshraf Jahangir Semnani, 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 acceptIslam. However, Ganesha's wife forbade her husband to convert and instead they offered his son,Jadu, to the Shaykh. With Alam's guidance and mentorship, Jadu became aMuslim with the name Muhammad, and ascended the throne asJalaluddin Muhammad Shah.[3] Alam then requested Sharqi to return to Bengal, though he refused, thus continuing theBengal–Jaunpur confrontation.[6]
Nur Qutb Alam had written over 121 books, which were all compiled by hisMuridHussam ad-Din Manikpuri. His twomagnum opi areMughīth al-Fuqarā andAnis al-Ghurabā. A manuscript of the former is preserved in a private library at Khalifabagh,Bhagalpur,Bihar. Another incomplete copy is preserved in the library of theAsiatic Society of Bengal inCalcutta (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 titleMaktūbāt-e-Nūr Qutb ʿĀlam (Writings of Nur Qutb Alam) and are preserved at theNational Archives of India inDelhi. He has also written poetry in Persian and Bengali using only the Persian script.[10]
It is generally accepted that Alam died in 818 AH (1415-16 AD), with thechronogram 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,[12] one of the majordargahs of Bengal; located inHazrat Pandua and adjacent to the other contemporary scholars of Bengal such asJalaluddin Tabrizi. Later sultans such asAlauddin Husain Shah (r. 1494–1519) used to make yearly visits to the shrine and was noted for granting a number of villages for maintaining the alms-house andmadrasah 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 EmperorJahangir, the guardian of his shrine was his descendant and successor Mian Shaykh Masud, also known as Shah Muqam. Mughal general Mirza Nathan, author of theBaharistan-i-Ghaibi, paid his respects to the former and spent several days overnight at the shrine.[14]
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