Rahimunnessa

Rahimunnessa (1763–1800) was an 18th-century female Bengali Muslim poet.^[1][2] She wrote poetry in medieval Bengali, notable works of her include Bengali translation of the Persian Laily Majnu and the poem Payar Chhanda.^[3][4]

Biography[]

Rahimunnessa was born in Shulukbahar, Chittagong, Bengal and had three siblings; Abdul Jabbar, Abdus Sattar and Abdul Ghaffar. She was born into a Bengali Muslim family descended from Arab tribe of Quraysh. Her forefathers accompanied Husayn ibn Ali to Karbala and fought alongside him. Following the defeat, they moved to place near Baghdad before migrating to Munger in Bihar where they played important military roles. Jangli Shah, her grandfather, fled to take refuge in Chittagong after revolting against the British in Bihar.^[5] Her father, Abdul Qadir Shah, died when she was very young and she was cared for by her mother, Alimunnesa, who ensured that she received a good education. She was home taught by her mother, as well as her brother Abdul Ghaffar who was an alim, or she may have attended the local maktab. She would have learnt Islamic theology from studying the Qur'an and become proficient in Bengali, Persian and Arabic. She was at one time taught by Abul Husayn of Patiya, and later wrote a tribute to him in one of her poems.

Her mother arranged her marriage to Ahmad Ali Choudhury, a local dignitary and eldest son of Zamindar Jan Ali Choudhury of Mekhal, Hathazari, where Rahimunnessa found much happiness. They had two daughters; Sameyan Khatun and Durdana Khatun, as well as one son; Siddiq Ahmad Choudhury.

Legacy[]

Rahimunnessa's works were lost until being rediscovered by Enamul Haq in the 20th century, and further research by Muhammad Shahidullah.^[3]

References[]