Rahim, MA

MA Rahim Rahim, MA (1921-1981) historian. MA Rahim was born on 1 March 1921 in Mohanpur village of matlab uttar upazila in chandpur district. He began his early education in local school and passed the Matriculation Examination in 1936 from Chengarchar High English School and IA from Dhaka Intermediate College in 1938. He then obtained BA Hons (1941) and MA (1942) in History from the University of Dhaka. During 1943 and 1946 he served as a lecturer in History in Maldah College and then at the Jamalpur AM College from 1946 to 1949. On 11 January 1950 he joined the History Department of Dhaka University as a Lecturer.

Rahim went to America for higher studies in 1952 on a Fullbright Scholarship and returned to the Department after one year. In 1953 he went to England for higher studies again and got PhD in History from the University of London for his study on 'The History of the Afghans in India, 1545-1631.'; He then left the University of Dhaka and joined as a Lecturer in the History Department of Karachi University in November 1954. He was promoted to the rank of Reader next year and to that of a Professor in 1966. After the emergence of Bangladesh as an independent state in 1971 Rahim returned to Bangladesh and joined the Department of History, University of Dhaka as a professor in December 1973. He had been the chairman of the department during 1976 to 1979 academic sessions. After his retirement on 30 June 1981, his service was further extended in the department but unfortunately he died suddenly on 30 July 1981.

Professor Rahim established himself as a teacher and a successful researcher. He was associated with the bangladesh itihas samiti and the asiatic society of bangladesh and engaged himself in researches on mediaeval and modern history of South Asia. His two volumes entitled Social and cultural History of Bengal published in 1963 and 1967 earned for him the reputation of a painstaking researcher. Subsequently he published a number of books - the most important of them are (i) History of the Musalmans of Bengal (1974), (ii) Muslim Society and politics in Bengal (1978) and the History of the Dhaka University (1981). Earlier he also published a good number of textbooks on history for school, college and University students. [KM Mohsin]