Mohammad Barkatullah (writer)

Mohammad Barkatullah
President of Bangla Academy
In office
1962–1963
Preceded byMohammad Akram Khan
Succeeded byMuhammad Qudrat-i-Khuda
Personal details
Born(1898-03-02)2 March 1898
Died2 November 1974(1974-11-02) (aged 76)
Dhaka, Bangladesh
NationalityBangladeshi
OccupationWriter
Awardsfull list

Mohammad Barkatullah (2 March 1898 – 2 November 1974) was a Bangladeshi writer.[1]

Biography

Barkatullah was born on 2 March 1898 in the village of Ghorsal under Shahjadpur thana, which was part of Pabna district at the time. His father, Ali Azam, was a physician; his mother was Tosiron Bibi.[2]

He matriculated from Shahjadpur High School in 1914 and completed an Intermediate of Arts at Rajshahi College in 1916.[2] He earned a BA (Honours) in philosophy in 1918, an MA in philosophy in 1920, and a Bar-at-Law in 1922.[3] Starting in 1916 and continuing through his student days, articles he wrote began to be published in various magazines and literary journals, including The Moslem Bharat.[2]

In 1920, he married Jubeda Khatoon. They would have four sons and six daughters together.[3]

He entered the Bengal Civil Service in 1923 and served in various capacities around Bengal while continuing to write.[2]

His eldest daughter, Noor Jahan Begum, married Bengali astronomer Mohammad Abdul Jabbar on 8 June 1939.[4]

Barkatullah was a deputy secretary of the education department of East Pakistan, later Bangladesh.[2]

Writing career

In Parasya Pratibha (The Talents of Persia), he praised the thinking of the Mutazilites in the eighth century, and described the literary, philosophical, and scientific advancements made possible over the succeeding four centuries by their independent spirit.[5] Barkatullah's literary works were included in the curriculum of school level, secondary, higher secondary and graduation level Bengali Literature in Bangladesh.

Books

  • Parasya Pratibha (The Talents of Persia) (1924 and 1932)
  • Manuser Dharma (1934)
  • Karbala O Imam Bangser Itihas (1957)
  • Nabigrha Sangbad, Makka Khanda (1960)
  • Naya Jatir Srasta Hazrat Muhammad (1963)
  • Hazrat Osman (1968)
  • Bangla Sahitye Muslim Dhara (1969)[6]

Awards

References

  1. ^ Badiuzzaman (2012). "Barkatullah, Mohammad". In Islam, Sirajul; Miah, Sajahan; Khanam, Mahfuza; Ahmed, Sabbir (eds.). Banglapedia: the National Encyclopedia of Bangladesh (Online ed.). Dhaka, Bangladesh: Banglapedia Trust, Asiatic Society of Bangladesh. ISBN 984-32-0576-6. OCLC 52727562. OL 30677644M. Retrieved 24 December 2025.
  2. ^ a b c d e Chowdhury, Nurul Amin (4 March 2016). "Mohammad Barkatullah enriched our literature". The New Nation. Archived from the original on 2023-10-18. Retrieved 2021-09-10.
  3. ^ a b Khan, Khan Tahawar Ali, ed. (1972). "Mohammad Barkatullah". Biographical Encyclopedia of Pakistan (1971-72 ed.). Lahore: Biographical Research Institute, Pakistan. p. 816. OCLC 01774840.
  4. ^ "The Life and Works of Professor Mohammad Abdul Jabbar, Chapter Three". Sebastian Haque.
  5. ^ Banu, U. A. B. Razia Akter (1992). Islam in Bangladesh. E. J. Brill. p. 48. ISBN 978-90-04-09497-0.
  6. ^ Islam, Sirajul (2012). "Bangla Academy". In Islam, Sirajul; Helal, Bashir Al (eds.). Banglapedia: National Encyclopedia of Bangladesh (Second ed.). Asiatic Society of Bangladesh.
  • Golpo Songroho (Collected Stories), the national textbook of B.A. (pass and subsidiary) course of Bangladesh, published by University of Dhaka in 1979 (reprint in 1986).
  • Bangla Sahitya (Bengali Literature), the national textbook of intermediate (college) level of Bangladesh published in 1996 by all educational boards.