Inscription as an Important Means for Understanding the History of the Islamic East: Observations on some Newly Discovered Epigraphs of Muslim Bengal1

摘要

Islamic culture considers the written word a powerful means to convey visual, cultural, and spiritual messages. This is particularly manifested in Islamic inscriptions that can be found in abundance in almost all regions of the world. In the early era, a few Muslim scholars, such as al-Shībī in Makka (779–837/1378–1433), made a special study of Islamic inscriptions. Development of the science of Islamic epigraphy is discussed at the beginning of this article, which then elaborates on the importance of the Islamic inscriptions of Bengal as a case study. Islamic inscriptions help us understand regional history of Islam in many ways. These inscriptions are rendered in various styles such as Kūfī, thuluth, naskh, ruqʿa, rayḥānī, muḥaqqaq, ṭughrā and Bihārī.