There are a lot of preachers of
Islam who came to Bangladesh
and spread Islamic education here. They are termed as saints. One of them is
Khan Jahan Ali of Bagerhat. He had different names such as Khan Jahan Khan,
Khan Jahan Ali, Khan Jahan Ali Khan and Khaja Khan. He was zealous worker,
staunch warrior and devoted preacher. Not only that he was a powerful ruler and
a spiritual leader. He is also regarded as a great saint. He is most famous for
his piety and philanthropic activities. Nothing is clearly known about his early
life. From history, we know that he had served for several years in the court
of Delhi during the Tughlaq period. From there he came to Bangladesh to
preach Islam. He halted at Bagerhat and settled there.
Bagerhat was then a backward
area. Khan Jahan Ali found Bagerhat beset with various problems. First of all,
he made some roads connecting Khulna
and Jessore. He also made mosques, public buildings, bridges and dug tanks. Two
of the tanks are still known to the people as Ghoradighi and Dargadighi. He
built the Shat Gambuj Mosque. It was built in 1440. The mosque is one of the
most magnificent ones. It is regarded as one of the best architectural beauties
of the Bangladesh.
Khan Jahan Ali was a powerful leader
of the people. He could build luxurious palaces and amass vast riches for his
own pleasure, but he did not do so. He bought the love of Allah by giving up
these worldly pleasures. On the other hand, he made roads, dug tanks and built
mosques to lead the people of this part of Bangladesh to the path of
well-being and prosperity both here and hereafter. It is said that each of his
soldiers had a spade and not gun. They were always busy with development work.
It was his sincere love for the people and Allah fearing attitude. Due to his
continuous and selfless effort Bagerhat and nearby areas became developed. He
turned and overpopulated jungle region of Bagerhat into a beautiful habitable
land. Khan Jahan Ali was not a monarch but his deeds were no less glorious than
those of a noble monarch. He was a monarch without a crown.
No comments:
Post a Comment