Jainuddin

Jainuddin (15th century) writer of Rasulbijay, one of the great poets of medieval bangla literature. His father';s name was Moinuddin. The family claimed descent from Caliph Abu Bakar Siddiqui. Jainuddin was a follower of sufism and the disciple of Shah Mohammad Khan. Yusuf Khan, the king of Gauda, was his patron.

Rasulbijay is a narrative poem about a war between hazrat muhammad (Sm) and Jaikum, the emperor of Iraq. The poem, which ends with the victorious Muslims, also includes the Prophet';s sayings. The source of the poem is believed to be persian.

While Jainuddin was composing his poem about the victories of islam, maladhar basu composed srikrishnavijay, about the victories of hinduism. Both these poems provide valuable glimpses of contemporary Hindu and Muslim communities in Bengal during the 15th century as well as the struggle for power between the native Hindu kings and the migrant Muslim forces. [Wakil Ahmed] [Ahmed, Wakil former Vice Chancellor, National University]