During era after era when Islam was being spread around the globe, Muslim rulers patronised Islamic and non-Islamic learning and education for all. There is an example of this fact even in our mother tongue, Bengali.
Bengali is a language of the Indo-Aryan branch of the Indo-European family of languages which originated in the seventh century. The earliest forms of Bengali language can be traced in the Buddhist mystic songs known as Buddha Gan o Doha (Buddhist songs and verses).
During the Buddhist Pala Dynasty (750-1120), the good times of Bengali language came to the light. Bengali language which was in its infancy, enjoyed royal patronage and made a fine kick-off.
During the Hindu Sena Dynasty (1125-1206) Bengali language had difficult times for flourishing due to introduction of the caste system in the society and Sanskrit having been made the state language of the country by Senas.
In 1203, Bengal was conquered by Ikhtiyar Uddin Muhammad bin Bakhtiyar Khilji and he began Muslim rule in Bengal. It was a great time in the caste-ridden society for flourishment of Bengali language and literature in Bengal for six hundred years as books from Arabic, Persian and Sanskrit origins were translated into Bengali with royal patronage. It was possible because Muslim rulers did not discriminate between Islamic and non-Islamic books. Dr Dinesh Chandra Sen (1866-1939), the Bengali writer, educationist, researcher of Bengali folklore said, "Just as diamond remaining within the coalmine awaits a lapidary, as pearl remaining hidden in the oyster longs for the coming of a diver, Bengali language had been in wait for an august hour, an opportune moment. Muslim conquest brought for the Bengali language that august time, an opportune moment."
It is not the only one glorious example of Muslims. Let us go back to the far distant era of Renaissance.
The European Renaissance came about partly as a result of Arab cultural contributions to European civilisation. The word 'Renaissance' meaning rebirth is derived from the Latin word 'Rinascere.' Europe's Renaissance in 1453 ended the darkness and ignorance that gripped Europe for 1100 years from the 4th to the 15th century.
The Arab-Islamic culture was at its peak during the same Middle Ages. Greek, Roman and Arab-Islamic cultures shaped and influenced European Renaissance. Otherwise, the history of Europe would have been different.
So many Arab writers of the 1300s produced works of reference that a scholar of the time called his age "the period of encyclopaedias."
The Arab-Islamic cultures influenced the Western world. The translations of Arab-Islamic books of knowledge pulled Europe out of its darkness of the Middle Ages. That is why Indian thinker M N Roy said: "Europe and the modern world is the child of Renaissance whose father the Muslims decidedly were."
The Europeans, inspired by its Renaissance, never looked back. But disunity weakened the Muslims. The Europeans began to intervene in Muslim states. Western invasions and colonialism further weakened Muslim states. Besides, the crusades of 12th and 13th centuries and the Mongol invasions of 13th century did enormous harm to Muslims. Recently, the terror militants rose up which are becoming another reason of crisis. It is time for Muslims to return to the path of learning, knowledge and education in order to establish peaceful and meaningful Islam which had enlightened and empowered them in the Medieval Period.
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