Haque, Muhammad Nurul2

Haque, Muhammad Nurul2 (1907-1987) writer, social and cultural activist, was born on 19 March 1907 at village Dasghar in Bishwanath upazila of Sylhet district. Nurul Haque got his early education at his village primary school. Later on, he studied at madrasah and obtained the final degree in 1936 from Sylhet Government Madrasa.

Muhammad Nurul Haque had a love for literature since his student life. While a student of Sylhet Government Madrasah, he brought out a hand written Bangla magazine named Abhizan edited by himself. He was the founder-secretary of Sylhet Kendriya Muslim Sahitya Sangsad (1936). He edited the monthly Al-Islah (1939), an organ of the Sahitya Sangsad, for long forty-eight years.

Muhammad Nurul Haque was an ardent follower of Muslim Nationalism. As an activist of muslim league he joined the Pakistan Movement. He had active role in sylhet referendum in July 1947. Nurul Haque was an activist of the language movement in 1952. He wrote an editorial in the Al-Islah (Kartik 1354) in support of Bangla as the state language of Pakistan. Pakistan government conferred upon him the title of Tamgha-e-Khidmat on 19 August 1963. But he renounced the honour during the liberation war of 1971 and expressed his support to the liberation of Bangladesh. He was awarded 'Gold Medal' for his service to the Bangla literature by Jatiya Grantha Kendra (1384 BS). He was also awarded a fellowship by bangla academy in 1986 for his contribution to bangla literature. His published works include Visva-neta (1360 BS), Faruq Charitrer Baishistya (1360 BS), Sangbad-patra Sebai Sylheter Musalman (1969), Shesh Nabir Bani (1970), Alok Stambha (1980), Bigata yuger Adasha (1981) and Hazrat Shaykh Jalal Mujarrader Shishygan (1982). Nurul Haque died on 2 September 1987. [Rokeya Khatun Rubee]