Zikir, in Assamese, were composed by a Sufi Saint named Shah Miran, popularly known as Azan Fakir. In the 16th and 17th century, the Sufi Saints from Central Asia scattered all over the world for the cause of propagating and revitalizing of Islam. Among them Shah Miran from Baghdad arrived Assam during the first half of the 17th century and entered the Ahom kingdom of Swargadeo Pratap Singha. Muslim had already made their way to Assam from North India in different phases since early 13th century and permanently settled in the state. During the hundred years, they had developed a mixed cultural assimilation with the other ethnic and religious groups. Except their names, they had no religious identity. To turn them to their own religious path, Shah Miran composed a new kind of Islamic Devotional song in Assamese language called Zikir. It dealt with the basics of Islam. The musical elements were completely taken from various Assamese folk songs. Propagation and revitalization of Islam is not the only important aspect of Zikir, but the literary quality and cultural significance of the kind of devotional song is the main consideration. The paper examines the literary aspects such as meaning, references, themes, use of language style of writing etc. in Zikir. It also presents a review of the cultural significance of Zikir such as reflection of social life, religious harmony and other aspects that enrich the Assamese cultural life.
ULLAH et al. (Fri,) studied this question.