Haşan Kāfi Pruščak

Haşan Kâfıb. Türhân b. Dâwüd b. Ya‘qüb az-Zıbî al-Āqhīşārī al-Bosnawī

Abstract

In the last few years of the 16th century and in early 17th century, Haşan Kâfi

b. Türhân b. Dâwüd b. Ya‘qüb az-Zîbl al-ÂqhîşârT al~BosnawX was the most prominent person in the scientifıc and literary life of Bosnian Muslims. He acquired this reputation through fruitful and versatile literary and scientifıc activity. This was contributed by his school and his endovvment İM>aqfi) in Akhisar (Prusac, Central Bosnia). Kâfi’s work Üşül al-hikam fi nizâm al ‘âlâm, which deals with the issues of State and socıai order, attıactcd the French Orientalist Garcin de Tassy (Garcin de Tassy, Principes de sagesse touchant Vart de gouverner, par Rizwan-ben abd ‘ou! Ac-hisari, Journal Asiatiqe IV, 1824, pp. 213-226, 283-290) who made him accessible to vvestern researchers. Since then, until today, though to a limited extent, Kâfi has been in the focus of interest of both eastern and vvestern researchers.

In this paper, the author tried to collect sources and literature on Haşan Kâfi and thus enrich his biography.

Haşan Kâfi was born in Prusac in late November or early December 1544 (Ramandan 951 h.). He started using the name Kâfi (mahlas) in 988/1580. Follovving primary and secondary education, he departed for İstanbul in 1566 for further education, and he stayed there until 983/1575. He then returned home and vvorked as a teacher, in addition to vvriting. His fırst vvriting was a short philological discussion on the sense and use of the word čelebi {Risala fitahqiq lafzCalabt), then a short paper on logic. The qadi of Sarajevo, Bali effendi, employed him to assist in researching the teaching of Bosnian Ham- zawis, in order to combat them. Afiter the death of Bali effendi, (1582/999) he returned to Prusac and lectured there, and in 1583/991 he was appointed qadi. At the same time, he wrote a comment on his earlier writing on logic. In order to be reappointed as qadi, in 1585/994 he wrote a paper on civil proceedings, which was to serve as his habilitation. It is also known that in 996/1588 he wrote his Hadîqat aş-şalât, and he spent some time in Istanbul again. He was later appointed qadi in Sirmium, where he served and also lectured, and where he wrote his Introduction to Jslamic Law - Samt al-wuşül ilâ dim al-uşül. He went to Mecca to perform his hajj in 1591-2/1000.

His Sayf al-qudât fı at-tadir served as his habilitation for the appointment as qadi in a small town near Prusac, and he stayed there until 1594. He returned to Prusac to lecture and continue his research and writing. In late 1596/1004, he completed a comment on Samt al-wuşül ilâ dim al-uşül, and soon afiter that he completed his Üşül al-hikam fı nizâm al ‘'âlâm (Basic Wisdom on Wor!d Order). This is a moral-political piece which deals with negative phenomena in State and society, written with the intention to act as a guide for rulers and State officials. As a reward for this particular writing, Sultan Mehmed II made certain that Kafi could stay in Prusac for the rest of his life and that he could teach younger generation.

In the following year he wrote an outline for his Ravvdât al ğannât fi üşül al-idiqâdât, and then in 1600/1008 another outline for Tamhiş al-talhiş. At the time he had completed his biographical writing titled Niznmu-l- 1 ulama’ ila hâtam al-anbiyâ, and then copy-edited his older works. He followed the Grand Vizier, Mehmed-pasha Sokolović, on his campaign on Estergon, and then copy-edited his djelo Rcnvdât al ğannât and Nür al yaqîn fi usûl ad-dîn. Following his retum, he worked in Osjek in mid-November 1605, he continued working on Rawdât al ğannât, which he finally completed in Prusac (third section of Shawwal, 19-27 February 1607. KâlT was spending quiet days in his homeland and he dedicated himself fülly to his literary works. That is the time of creation of his endowment (waqf): a mosque, a madrasa, a karavan- saray, a mekteb and a water supply system. Next to them a new quarter - Nevâbâd, later developed - its modern name is Srt.

Kâff wrote seventeen pieces, of which some are autonomous and some are comments of his earlier works. Most of them are preserved in one of several copies. Some have been printed and translated. Some we know about via his ancestors, or they wee mentioned, ‘Atâ’T, Haği Hallfa, Kâtib Čalabl, and others.

Kâfi died on August 28, 1616 (15th day of Shaban) and was buried in Prusac, close to his mosque, in a separate grave that is stili there.