ABSTRACT
The extra-ordinary titles in this epigraphic text are deeply imbued in spiritual connotation indicating a profound attachment and respect that the common Bengali masses of rural Bengal always expressed for Nūr Quṭb al-‘Ālam, one of the most celebrated sufi-saints of Bengal. The inscription is simple and spontaneous, yet rhythmic artistic expression in it, is fascinating. The calligraphy is rendered in Bihārī style on a plain background. It is devoid of any overwhelming decoration or any superficial embellishment. The elongated vertical shafts, arrayed in a symmetrical order, start at the bottom with a thin line that grows thicker as it ascends. The unusual elevation of the verticals upward and their arrangement in a row can be interpreted as representing departed souls on their journey upward or descending angels with blessings for the participants in the funerary prayers, as well as for the deceased soul. The clustered letters at the bottom may be interpreted as symbols of a congregation lined up for the funeral prayer. An eight-lobed flower in the middle of the upper part of the first line symbolizes the eight heavens, an appropriate motif in this setting, since it coincides with the position of the deceased in the arrangement for prayer when the body is placed in front of the funeral congregation. The spiritual dimension finds an expression in various spheres of life in Islamic culture. It is not surprising then to discover the influence of nature and mysticism in the artistic manifestation displayed in architectural calligraphy in Bengal. The sufi message of simple living, profoundly attached to the nature and deeply infused in the spiritual quest for human salvation, harmonized well with the agrarian lifestyle in the vast rural areas of Bengal. Defined by the Prophet Muḥammad as dīn al-fiṭra or the religion of nature, Islam spread in the region forming a close relation between the human spiritual realm and nature. From an Islamic point of view, the whole environment – the universe – is a living organism in its own way, every element of which is deeply engaged in worshipping the Creator.1 There exists a strong relationship between the Creator and the creation, which achieves perfection only when developed properly in harmony. The Creator is manifested everywhere through His creation, a concept popular among
the sufis of Bengal, often known in Islamic mystical literature as waḥdat al-shuhūd (lit. universal evidence of Divine Unity). A true believer, then, constantly finds testimony of divine presence everywhere in the universe. For a believer, every element of time and space recalls the greatness of Allah, evoking a tremendous sense of awe and excitement deep within the heart leading the believer to a peak spiritual experience and to communion with the Creator. At that point, the believer spontaneously exclaims with great wonder and surprise the glory of God, a message found abundantly in the Qur’ānic verses as well as sayings of the Prophet in the inscriptions of Bengal. The basic sufi message in Bengal focuses on the unity of Allah who is the ultimate universe (existence), being the All-Encompassing (in the Qur’ān, al-Muḥīṭ) in a deeper sense.2 He surrounds everything and is present everywhere (in the Qur’ān, al-Mawjūd, meaning ever-present, a divine attribute). The ultimate reality (al-ḥaqq,3 another divine attribute) of existence (al-wujūd) lies in the essence of divine unity, or tawḥīd (lit. the oneness of God) – the pivotal message of Islam – best explained in the sufi concept of waḥdat al-wujūd (lit. the unity of existence). Thus, in sufi teaching, all is unity, and al-dīn (lit. the religion), in essence, is the return to primordial unity, a message, symbolically expressed in the funerary inscription of Nūr Quṭb al-‘Ālam. The role of natural phenomena in the Qur’ān and their place in Qur’ānic spiritual message is very prominent, although this has seldom been explored as a topic in its own right.4 According to the Qur’ānic view, all the elements of the universe follow natural laws which are divine and henceforth Islamic. According to the Qur’ān, everything that exists glorifies Allah (17:44). Qur’ānic verses referring to nature can be found in a number of inscriptions in Bengal.5 Pious acts and worship (‘ibāda) help human beings come closer to nature and nurture a human understanding of the delicate ecological balance and their intimate relationship with it. The Earth thus has a sacred aspect in the Islamic mystical idea. The Prophet declared the whole of the Earth as sacred and as clean as a mosque.6 Therefore, the whole universe is uniquely created as a place of worship; and Muslims, wherever they may happen to be, in the jungle, on a mountain, in the desert or at sea, are bound by their religious duty to remember their Creator at least five times daily in the form of ṣalāt (prayer). While mosques play an important role in different spheres of life in Islam, they have never been the only place of worship or prayer, nor does the mosque constitute a liturgical centre in a true sense.7 Indeed, this simple approach to religious practice suited the Bengali rural peasant folk, making their religious practice easier and more natural. Like sufis elsewhere, in Bengal too they emphasized the need for sharī‘a (the Islamic code of life) in Islamic societies. To them, it ensures felicity for both the individual and the community in a healthy environment and natural setting in this world, and a spiritual reward in the hereafter in the form of an eternal peak experience of happiness, symbolically expressed as janna (lit. garden), that is full of life, plants, flowers, rivers and waters in a most harmonious setting. Beauty is a cherished quality in Islamic mystical teaching because of its relationship with truth. The concept ‘beauty is truth and truth is beauty’8 thus finds
an important place in the Islamic tradition. Perceiving the splendour of nature is considered an essential quality for a mu’mīn (believer) in order to understand divine beauty. The Prophet Muḥammad’s saying, ‘Allah, being beautiful Himself, loves beauty’,9 signifies the importance that Islam attaches to aesthetic perception. The origin of beauty thus has its reality in the existence of Allah, which is so magnificent that a naked human eye cannot bear it. When manifested in a simpler form in divine creation, this beauty can be perceived by those who are pious, who have deep spiritual vision. Exploring this divine beauty in the universe is an integral part of religious piety, which finally leads a believer to form a close relationship with nature. The Islamic spiritual message is wonderfully expressed in Islamic art in Bengal, which draws its motivation from the endless beauty in the divine creation scattered in nature. Imagining the process of creation, the rhythmic yet contrasting patterns in nature, and the uniqueness of elements in the cosmic system is an essential duty for a believer. Lack of interest in the splendour of existence is compared to mental blindness (Qur’ān 22:46). According to the Qur’ān, it is the foremost duty of every human being to contemplate the uniqueness of the cosmic order (Qur’ān 3:190). In Islamic culture, an artist’s perception is considered a divine gift. It enables a person to look minutely at nature and to see its beauty in a more comprehensive way.10 During the course of his artistic efforts, he expands his vision of truth and soon realizes the limitations of his imaginative power and creativeness. In this process, he discovers that the origin of every form has its reference in the creation of Allah. Every creation in its original form carries the essence of pure beauty (Qur’ān 32:7), which loses its original character when being copied. As the artist’s perception grows, he realizes that the origins of every colour, motif, form and design have their realities only in the divine creation.11 Therefore, no matter the degree of perfection the artist achieves in his art, he cannot create anything new, or of his own in a true sense. Thus, a true work of art helps a believer come closer to the cosmic truth. In the course of his artistic endeavour, he perceives his Creator with greater intimacy. While a Muslim enjoys considerable freedom in his creative work, his Islamic perspective means he has a positive and useful goal in his creativeness, so that it serves humanity. Islamic art ideally should express truth, supreme beauty, true human values and virtuous life. In a way, it means the rejection of anything that does not lead towards positive creativity. Henceforth, Islamic life cannot be divided into profane and sacred domains. As a Muslim artist strives to reach his Islamic goal, his work of art turns into an act of devotion (expressed as ‘ibāda in the Qur’ān). In his pursuit of artistic creativity, a Muslim is not supposed to cross the boundaries of natural law (dīn al-fiṭra). Furthermore, he is not allowed to cause any disturbance (fasād)12 to the divine setting of nature (al-fiṭra) through excessive or unwise exploitation of natural resources or by harming the delicate natural balance. Deeply imbued with these spiritual messages, Islam reached the riverine deltaic region of Bengal – the gateway to rice culture – at the beginning of the thirteenth century. This was a time when Bengal was still sparsely populated, with natural forests and wilderness covering a large part of its fertile soil.13
