Many of us do not know the fact that the language movement of 1952 was inspired by a poet who was born about 500 years before the language movement. He is Abdul Hakim. Despite his antiquity, Abdul Hakim surprisingly shows a modern spirit in his poetic work. An irony of history is that in the mediaeval period, Bengali Muslim poets considered Bengali to be the language of lower-caste people. It is considered that educated people should not use this language in their literary work. They were snobbish about their knowledge and understanding of Arabic and Persian.
Before the introduction of the English language there was a heavy influence of Persian and Arabic in official and literary work. In that time, the people of Pen had to know Arabic and Persian because these languages have deep relations with religion and administration. Muslims always adored Arabic as a divine language in which the Quran is written. On the other hand, Persian was used as a court and administrative language. Therefore the use of Bengali in literature was neglected. The medium of education was Arabic, Persian, and Sanskrit. Both Hindu and Muslim poets had a reluctance to use Bengali for literature and official works. The neglect of the Bengali language hurt Abdul Hakim. A genuine compassion for his mother tongue, Bangla has been reflected in his poetry. There is no example of such affection for the Bangla language in any poet’s poetry before.
Abdus Hakim truly found that the people had become misguided by wrong religious interpretations of thinking Arabic-Persian was language of the God. Because of this wrong idea people at that time could not accept the Bengali language wholeheartedly. The muslim tried to dismiss it as the language of the Hindus. They were so ignorant and naive that they did not know the Creator has no likes or dislikes for any particular language. Abdul Hakim’s poem shows that other poets insulted and humiliated this language in possible ways. As a true well-wisher Abdul Hakim of the Bengali language uphold the Bengali language and literature through his immortal lines
“Whoever hates the verses of the Bangla being born in the soil of the land
It is unknown to determine the essence of their birth
He, who is not satisfied with his own language and learning”
Abdul Hakim, “Bangabani”
Abdul Hakim -At a Glance
Real Name: Abdul Hakim
Date of Birth: Around 1620 CE (Exact date not available)
Place of Birth: Sudharam village, Noakhali
Father’s Name: Shah Abdul Razzak
Profession: Poet
Education: Proficient in Arabic, Persian, Sanskrit, and Hindu epics (Ramayana, Mahabharata)
Religion: Islam
Native Language: Bengali
Career Highlights: Crafting romantic narratives from Persian and Arabic stories in Bengali.
Early Life
The exact dates of Abdul Hakim’s birth and death are not available. Many scholars assume that he was born about 1620 CE and died about 1690 CE. His ancestral home was in Sudharam village of Noakhali. His father Shah Abdul Razzak was also a famous Sufi saint. In his writings, he often introduced himself as Abdul Hakim son of Shah Razzak. He was a religious and pious person who had deep knowledge of the Hadith, Quran, Fiqh, and other Islamic texts, even the Ramayana, Mahabharata, and Puranas. As per the tradition of that period, Abdul Hakim attained proficiency in Arabic, Persian, and Sanskrit. He composed most of his literary works in Bengali, though he was well-versed in other languages. He successfully combined local Bengali themes with Persian-Arabic influences in his poetry.
Career
Abdul Hakim was one of the most influential mediaeval poets in Bengal. He reused age-old Persian and Arabic stories in romantic narratives in Bengali. It was a common trend in the 16th and 17th centuries, and many Muslim poets followed this translation. But the place where Abdul Hakim is unique is that he wrote in Bengali. At that time, romantic and mystical love stories in Bengali were very rare. Single-handedly, Abdul Hakim worked for the enrichment of Bengali literature in that sector. Bengali literature in the pre-Muslim era revolved around Buddhist and Hindu religious tales.
The glories of gods and goddesses were the subject of the poem, not human affairs. But Muslim poets like Abdul Hakim engaged in writing human stories in literature. Muslim rulers also patronised them generously. He authored many books. His writings include Yusuf-Zulekha, Nurnama, Durre Majlish, Lalmoti Saifulmulk, and Hanifar Larai. Yusuf Zulekha is a translation of the Persian romance Yusuf Wa Zulekha. Nurnama and Durre Majlish are about moral instructions; these are also translations from Persian. His most notable work was Nur Nama (Story of Light), a depiction of the life of Muhammad. In Nurnama, Sufi influences are prominent, but the indigenous Bengali flavour is also undeniable.
Legacy
Abdul Hakim’s poem ‘Bangabani’ plays a huge role in the language movement of the 1952 century and the independence war of 1971, as the poem inspired the common people to feel free and confident in expressing their thinking in their mother tongue. In this era of the struggle for independence almost every important meeting, seminar, processions, symposiums, and speeches begin with this immortal poem.
References
https://bangladeshonrecord.com/collection/poet-abdul-hakim/https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Abdul_Hakim_(poet)
https://en.banglapedia.org/index.php?title=Hakim,_Abdulhttps://alchetron.com/Abdul-Hakim-(poet)
https://bn.banglapedia.org/index.php/%E0%A6%86%E0%A6%AC%E0%A6%A6%E0%A7%81%E0%A6%B2_%E0%A6%B9%E0%A6%BE%E0%A6%95%E0%A6%BF%E0%A6%AE