Dr. Mohar Ali’s article discusses archaeological and linguistic evidence indicating that Arab Muslims settled in parts of Bengal, particularly Chattogram and Noakhali, long before the Muslim political conquest of the region. The study highlights the heavy Arabic influence in the local dialects, where nearly half of the Chattogram vocabulary is derived from Arabic. This linguistic and cultural integration, according to historians, points to long-term Arab presence rather than brief trade interactions.

The article references historical records showing that by the 16th century, Chattogram was a prosperous port city inhabited by wealthy Arab, Persian, and Abyssinian Muslim merchants. It also cites early Islamic preachers and Sufi saints believed to have arrived in Bengal before the 15th century, some possibly by sea. Historical texts such as Minhajuddin Siraj’s “Tabaqat-i-Nasiri” further suggest that Muslim traders and missionaries were familiar figures in Bengal before Bakhtiyar Khilji’s conquest.

These findings collectively indicate that Arab Muslim traders and preachers established early settlements in coastal Bengal, leaving lasting linguistic and cultural imprints that predated formal Muslim rule.