Banglapedia Entry

Author: Razia Sultana

Abdul Hakim (1620-1690) medieval Bengali poet, born in Sandwip off the coast of Noakhali. Besides Bangla, Abdul Hakim knew Arabic, Persian and Sanskrit. Thus he had access to Persian texts as well as Sanskrit classics like Ramayana, Mahabharata, etc. 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 (1483 AD). Nurnama and Durre Majlish, a book of moral instructions, are also translations from Persian.

Abdul Hakim’s original writings in Bangla include Lalmoti Saifulmulk and Hanifar Larai. Lalmoti Saifulmulk, a romance, was published towards the end of the nineteenth century and immediately gained wide popularity. The manuscript of Hanifar Larai is, unfortunately, incomplete.

Abdul Hakim had a profound love for Bangla and criticized those Bengalis who looked down upon their own language, saying that such people had no identity. His social thought was that every person must look after other people’s welfare just to ensure his own welfare. He instructed people to read books and make themselves enlightened for building a better society. [We have done some editing for ensuring clarity – BoR Editor]