Islam reached Bengal somewhere in the 13th century. Mongol raids forced migration of Sufi Pirs, also known as Ghazi, from Iran via Delhi. They spread their faith, in regions that were far away from mainstream, where Hindu as well as Sultanate influence was sparse. These were lands recently exposed and populated, following the shifting of the Padma river. The holy men brought not just faith but also technology such as the water wheel and legal expertise, which enabled communities to be built around them. Hagiographies of these saints reveal much about their influence on local people.

Dhaka’s International Airport is named after one such pir, Hazrat Shah Jalal. The Muslim king of Lakhnauti, Firuz Shah, was in conflict with the Hindu king, Gour Govinda who knew magic. So Firuz Shah sought the help of Shah Jalal, who lived at that time in Mecca. Firuz Shah begged Shah Jalal to shift from the higher spiritual jihad he was pursuing to the lower, material jihad and overpower the infidels of India. Shah Jalal agreed and began his journey to India with his followers (313 of them, same number that enabled Muhammad to win wars and return from Medina to Mecca). On his way, Gour Govind caused a rock to roll on his path. But, Shah Jalal said “shila hat” or “rock move”, and it moved away from their path. This is how the town named Sylhet came into being. When he reached a river, there were no boats. So, he and his followers sat on their prayer mats, which turned into flying carpets and carried them across. That he flew into what is now Bangladesh, is why the airport is named after him.