Shah Jalal Dakhini (Bengali: শাহ জালাল দাখিনী, Arabic: شاه جلال داخني) was a 15th-century Sufi Muslim figure of Dhaka, eastern Bengal (now Bangladesh).[1] Dakhini was one among the many Sufis who spread Islam in eastern India.[2] Saint received an honorifics as a Dakhini as he was the resident of Deccan.[1]

Jalal Dakhini
Personal
Born
Died1476 CE
Resting placeBangabhaban, Dilkusha, Motijheel Thana, Dhaka, Bangladesh
ReligionIslam
DenominationSunni
Muslim leader
Period in office15th century

Biography

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It is debated whether Dakhini was originally from the Deccan Plateau in South India (as his name suggests) or that he was from Gujarat in Western India. According to 'Abd al-Haqq al-Dehlawi's Akhbar-ul-Akhyar, Dakhini studied under Shaykh Piyara in North India. Piyara was a Bengali Muslim scholar of the Chishti Order.[3][4]

One day, he set off with a few companions from Gujarat to eastern Bengal, during the reign of the Sultan of Bengal Shamsuddin Yusuf Shah. He established a khanqah in present-day Motijheel, Dhaka in order to propagate Islamic teachings to the local people.[1] He gained a large following in Dhaka, so much so that it was seemingly proportionate to the power of a king. It is said he also started to have a very pompous attitude.[3] According to legend, the Sultan was angered by this, viewing Dakhini as a threat, and so had Dakhini and his comrades executed in 1475.[5] Dakhini is assumed to be buried in the eastern tomb of a single-domed mazar (mausoleum) northeast of the Bangabhaban gateway.[6]

Legacy

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Bangabhaban at night.

Tradition holds that his tomb is within the Bangabhaban compound.[1][7]

References

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  1. ^ a b c d Bhuiyan, Mosharraf Hussain (2012). "Shah Jalal Dakhini (R)". In Sirajul Islam; Miah, Sajahan; Khanam, Mahfuza; Ahmed, Sabbir (eds.). Banglapedia: the National Encyclopedia of Bangladesh (Online ed.). Dhaka, Bangladesh: Banglapedia Trust, Asiatic Society of Bangladesh. ISBN 984-32-0576-6. OCLC 52727562. OL 30677644M. Retrieved 19 November 2024.
  2. ^ Islam, Md Nazrul; Islam, Md Saidul (2020). Islam and Democracy in South Asia: The Case of Bangladesh. Springer Nature. p. 130. ISBN 978-3-030-42909-6.
  3. ^ a b Abdul Mannan Talib (1980). Bangladeshe Islam. Adhunika Prakasani.
  4. ^ 'Abd al-Haqq al-Dehlawi (1500s). Akhbar-ul-Akhyar.
  5. ^ "Revisiting Dhaka's Treasures". The Daily Star. 2016-03-05. Retrieved 2020-06-23.
  6. ^ Hundred Years of Bangabhaban, 1905-2005. Press Wing Bangabhaban. 2006. pp. 156, 171. ISBN 978-984-32-1583-3.
  7. ^ Dani, Ahmad Hasan (1962) [First published 1956]. Dacca: A Record of Its Changing Fortunes (2nd ed.). Mrs. Safiya S. Dani. p. 22. OCLC 987755973.