Nur Qutb Alam

Nūr Qut̤b ʿĀlam (Arabic: نور قطب عالم, Bengali: নূর কুতুব আলম) was a 14th-century Bengali Islamic scholar, author and poet. Based in the erstwhile Bengali capital Hazrat Pandua, he was the son and successor of Alaul Haq, a senior scholar of the Bengal Sultanate. He is noted for his efforts in preserving the Muslim rule of Bengal against Raja Ganesha and pioneering the Dobhashi tradition of Bengali literature. Nur Qutb Alam was born in the city of Hazrat Pandua to a Bengali Muslim family descended from Khalid ibn al-Walid, an Arab commander and companion of the Islamic prophet Muhammad, who belonged to the Banu Makhzum clan of Quraysh. Alam's cousins, uncles and grandfathers were all employed by the Sultanate of Bengal, with his brother, Azam Khan, serving as the Wazir (Prime Minister). His father, Alaul Haq, was the court scholar of Bengal and entrusted with its treasury during the reign of Sikandar Shah. His grandfather, Shaykh Asʿad Khālidī, migrated to Bengal from Lahore and served as the Sultanate's Finance Minister. Alam was a classmate of Ghiyasuddin Azam Shah, studying under Qadi Hamiduddin Nagauri in Rajnagar, Birbhum. Nur Qutb Alam used to do all kinds of manual labour. He personally served his father and the faqirs who came to the khanqah by washing their clothes, carrying water and fuel, keeping water constantly warm for wudu and cleaning the toilets. Other than his children, Shaykh Rafaq ad-Din (father of Shaykh Zahid) and Shaykh Anwar, Alam was also the teacher of Hussam ad-Din Manikpuri and Shah Kaku. Alam preferred busying himself with spirituality, which is evident from his rejection to his brother Wazir Azam Khan's request to be employed by the government. He performed Hajj (pilgrimage to Mecca) several times.