Syed Sultan (c.1550 – 1648) was a medieval Bengali Muslim poet and writer. He is best known for his magnum opus Nabibangsha (1584 AD), one of the earliest Bengali translations of the Qisas Al-Anbiya.[2][3] His works are included in the curriculum for school and higher secondary Bengali literature in Bangladesh.[citation needed]

Syed Sultan
সৈয়দ সুলতান
Born1550
Died1648 (aged 9798)
OccupationsPoet, writer

Early life

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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

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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. He showed his patriotism and love for his mother tongue Bengali language in Nabibangsha (1584 AD). He criticised the local Bengali Maulavis for their disdainful thinking towards their own mother tongue.[4]

Bibliography

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  • 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.[2]

References

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  1. Sylheter Marami Manas Syed Mustafa Kamal, publisher- Mahakavi Syed Sultan Sahitya o Gobeshona Parishad, year-2009।
  2. 1 2 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 19 June 2026.
  3. 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.
  4. Ahmed Sharif (2000). "Ahmed Sharif Rachanabali" (in Bengali). Retrieved 12 May 2025.