The Muslim Heritage of Bengal

It is a sheer joy to write this review for a book so lucidly written for common readers on the biographical sketches of forty-two prominent Muslims of Bengal who contributed in various ways to Muslim causes starting from the 13th century till the end of the twentieth century. A hinterland in the old world of Islam, the early history of the spread of Islamic culture in Bengal is shrouded in mystery. Though the maritime and trade contacts between Arab world and Bengal can be traced during the early period of Islam, the religious and cultural interaction between these two far-fetched lands started growing only after the Muslim conquest of the region. After the establishment of Muslim rule in the region, the mass conversion to Islam took place over centuries in different forms and phases. The diffusion of Islamic culture in Bengal is a thus a complex academic and intellectual issue. Though geographically distant from the Arabian Peninsula, the heartland of the world of Islam, Muslim Bengal played an important role in Islamic history ever since the region was brought under Muslim rule in the early 13th century. Muslim Bengal enjoyed great prosperity under some of the independent sultans, its arts and sciences flourished, and its cross-cultural ties were broadened. Towards the end of the 16th century, Bengal was finally subdued by Emperor Akbar. Though slowly and gradually it turned into a mere remote province of the mighty Mughal empire, it was still considered one of the richest regions of South Asia. Its ports were used by many pilgrims in the East to travel to Makkah and Madinah. While Hajj provided an ideal ground for the Muslims all over the world to interact with each other, for many it was also a rare opportunity for exposure to different pan-Islamic and revolutionary movements.