Islam was introduced in Bangladesh during the time of the Prophet (peace be upon him)

The consensus of historians is that Islam came to this country through Arab merchants. However, there is a lot of talk about the exact time of the arrival of the preachers of Islam, but the pure opinion is that the message of Islam reached this country while the Prophet (peace be upon him) was alive.

The arrival in China of the Companion Hazrat Abu Waqqas Malik bin Wahaib (ra) in the seventh year of the Prophethood (617 AD) bears strong evidence for this.

The Companions Hazrat Qasim bin Huzaifa (R), Urwa bin Asasa (R), Abu Qays bin Haris (R) also accompanied him on this journey.

On their way to China, they anchored in the ports of Bangladesh, especially Chittagong and Sylhet, and a number of people from this country converted to Islam. From here the journey of Bangladesh Islam.

During the pre-Islamic period, Arab merchants expanded their trade activities by sea to Abyssinia and China. They also had several bases in Arab-China.

Their first base on this route was Malabar. They used to come to China regularly via Malabar via Chittagong, Sylhet and Kamrup. Thus Chittagong and Sylhet were used as their travel bases.

Many other Companions have been working to spread Islam in the vast coastal areas of South Asia. The tomb of Hazrat Abu Waqqas (ra) on the shores of the Canton of China bears that testimony to this day.

He is also historically credited with building the Kwanta Mosque on the seashore.

However, the shocking information about the advent of Islam in Bangladesh, which has recently been published challenging all the opinions of historians and researchers, has opened up new horizons of history by ending all doubts and suspicions.

A mosque built in 69 AH (approximately 692 AD) has been found at Ramdas Mouza, Mastarpar in Barbari of Panchagram Union in Lalmonirhat district.

This Mastarpara area has long been covered by several high mounds and jungles. Whose local name is 'Majder Aara'.

In 1966, the landowner, thinking of making it cultivable, came out to clear the forest with bricks made of antiquity, which were painted with flowers. The foundations of a mosque, surprisingly full of armaments and bricks removed, are found.

An inscription is found in it, which clearly states in Arabic, "La-ilaha illallah Muhammadur Rasulullah, 69 AH."

After the excavation, the arch of the mosque and the Eidgah ground adjacent to the mosque and the pulpit of the sermon were also discovered. The people of the area have named this mosque 'Haranomasjid'.

So it is safe to say that Muslims from Arabia or local Muslims who lived in the area in 69 AH also built mosques for their own religious needs. The work of propagating Islam in Bangladesh started from then or even earlier.

According to ‘National Professor’ Dewan Muhammad Azraf, during the reign of Hazrat Omar (ra) Mamun and Muhaimen (ra) came to Bangladesh.

This trend of propagating Islam became even stronger during the Abbasid caliphate. Two Arabic coins were found during the excavation of a Buddhist monastery at Paharpur in Rajshahi. These two coins were minted in 6 AD, during the reign of the Abbasid Caliph Harunur Rashid.

According to historian Dr. Enamul Haque, no preacher of Islam carried these coins. After coming to Paharpur, he was martyred by the Buddhists.

Two more Abbasid-era gold coins were found during excavations at Mainamati in Comilla district.

These coins prove that in the 8th-9th century AD, the practice and propagation of Islam was started in this country through the Arab Muslims.

Author: Director, Al Quran Institute, Dhaka