Syed Sultan

Syed Sultan
সৈয়দ সুলতান
Born1550
Died1648 (aged 97–98)
OccupationsPoet, writer

Syed Sultan (c. 1550 – 1648) was a medieval Bengali Muslim poet and writer. He is best known for his magnum opus Nabibangsha, one of the earliest Bengali translations of the Qisas Al-Anbiya.[1][2] His works are included in the curriculum for school and higher secondary Bengali literature in Bangladesh.

Early life

Syed Sultan was born in Habiganj, in the Bengal Sultanate (now Bangladesh). He hailed from the Taraf region of Greater Sylhet and was a descendant of Syed Habibullah of the Taraf Kingdom. He lived in the Sultanshi household in Habigonj.

Career and contributions

Sultan was a prolific poet who primarily focused on Islamic religious themes. His Nabibangsha recounts the lives of prophets in Bengali verse, and he helped establish a Bengali Muslim literary tradition during the medieval period.

Bibliography

  • Nabibangsha (Family of the Prophet), a big epic about more than 20 prophets from Adam to Musa and Isa.)
  • Rasulcharita
  • Jaikum Rajar Lorai (King Jaikum's Battle)
  • Iblis Nama (Book of Iblis)
  • Gyan Pradeep (Lamp of Knowledge)
  • Gyan Chautisha(Chautisha of Knowledge; abridged version of the above)
  • Marfati Gan
  • Padabali

Sultan's complete work including Rasulcharita was published in a book form by the Bangla Academy in 1978.[1]

References

  1. ^ a b Khandker Muzammil Haq (2012). "Syed Sultan". 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 25 March 2026.
  2. ^ Irani, Ayesha A. (2021). The Muhammad Avatāra: Salvation History, Translation, and the Making of Bengali Islam. Oxford University Press. pp. 2–4. ISBN 978-0-19-008922-1.

Syed Sultan’s Son Habibullah of Sultanshi, Habiganj, https://thehistoryofbangladesh.blogspot.com/2015/01/habiganj.html 14th Chief Justice Syed J.R Mudassir Taraf and Sultanshi Lineage https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/J._R._Mudassir_Husain#References