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Muhammad Birgivi

Muhammad Birgivi
Personal
BornMarch 1523
Died1573
ReligionIslam
DenominationSunni
JurisprudenceHanafi[1][2] (with Hanbali influences)[1]
CreedMaturidi[1][2]
TariqaBayrami[2][3][4]
Muslim leader

Muhammad Birgivi (1523–1573), full name Taqī al-Dīn Muhammad ibn Pīr ʿAlī al-Birgivi and known simply as Imam Birgivi, was a Hanafi Muslim jurist and scholar who lived during the rule of the Ottoman Empire in Anatolia.

Life

Imam Birgivi was born in 1523 at Balıkesir, but learned and studied his religion in Istanbul.[7] He also became a member of the Bayrami order of Sufism.[3][2][4]

Imam Birgivi and his disciples were vocal critics of degeneracy within the Ottoman Empire and without, particularly decrying the twisting of Islamic teachings for the benefit of the rich. At one point Birgivi traveled to the capital of the Empire and personally took the prime minister to task. This reprimand was taken well by the minister, who consulted him on how to cure the degeneracy affecting the Islamic virtues.[8] One of his biggest supporters in the Ottoman court was Sokollu Mehmed Pasha.[9]

He stayed in İzmir, working there as a religious teacher, until his death in 1573.[7] He was buried in the private cemetery named after him, the İmam-î Birgivi Hazretleri Kabri, which is adjacent to a religious school complex named after him.[10]

Views

Imam Birgivi was a Maturidi in creed, and a Hanafi in his jurisprudence and doctrine.[1][2] However, Birgivi was against the usage of Kalam and found it unnecessary.[1][11][12] Birgivi's views of Sufism were influenced by Ibn Taymiyyah,[5] and his writings also influenced the Kadizadeli movement which opposed Sufism.[5]

Birgivi was a critic of Ibn Arabi and refuted him on theological standpoints, including the faith of the Pharaoh of the exodus.[13]

Works

Birgivi is famous for his eṭ-Ṭarîḳatü' l-Muḥammediyye, a book which explains his views on Sufism, innovations, Islamic sects and Prophetic traditions, through the viewpoints of the Hanafi school and the Maturidi creed. Some of his views in the book were inspired by Ibn Taymiyyah.[5]

In addition to eṭ-Ṭarîḳatü' l-Muḥammediyye, Birgivi also wrote books on language, grammar, and the etiquette when visiting graves.[5]

See also

References

  1. ^ a b c d e f g Demir, Abdullah. "Was Imam Birgivī follower of Salafī Understanding or Māturīdī sect?". Balıkesirli Bir İslam Âlimi İmam Birgivî Uluslararası Sempozyumu.
  2. ^ a b c d e f "BİRGİVÎ". TDV İslâm Ansiklopedisi (in Turkish). Retrieved 2024-04-20.
  3. ^ a b BALCI, Ahmet Ali (2023-03-11). "BİRGİVİ EFENDİ ve ZAMAN TANZİMİ". Reyhan Dergisi (in Turkish). Retrieved 2024-04-20.
  4. ^ a b "İmam Birgivi Kimdir?". İslam ve İhsan (in Turkish). 2019-03-26. Retrieved 2024-04-20.
  5. ^ a b c d e "عثمانيون وسلفيون". 2018-06-23. Archived from the original on 2018-06-23. Retrieved 2024-04-20.
  6. ^ Rashid Rida (1350). Al-Manar's Magazine (in Arabic). Egypt. pp. (32/2).
  7. ^ a b Dawood Kuri, Muhammad (2017). The call of the reformist Kadizade group in the Ottoman Empire, before the emergence of the call of Imam Muhammad bin Abdulwahhab and the rise of the Saudi State. Beirut, Lebanon: Dar al-Lu'lu. pp. 14–15. ISBN 9781513619507.
  8. ^ Birgivi, Imam. Path of Muhammad (World Wisdom, 2005) page 350 ISBN 978-0-941532-68-6
  9. ^ KARAGÖZ, Memet, 'Kadızâdeliler in Ottoman Intellectual Life', Türkler, Volume 11, Ankara 2002, p. 147
  10. ^ "İmam-î Birgivi Hazretleri Kabri (Ansiklopedi Erol ŞAŞMAZ)". www.erolsasmaz.com. Retrieved 2024-04-20.
  11. ^ UNAN, Fahri, Liquidation in Religion or Sunni Opposition to Ottoman Sunnism: Birgivî Mehmet Effendi, Türk Yurdu, Issue 36, Ankara, August 1990, p. 33-42.
  12. ^ "Imam Birgivi's Creed and Jurisprudence (in Turkish)". avesis.network. Retrieved 2024-04-20.
  13. ^ "Prof. Dr. Fahri UNAN". 2016-03-05. Archived from the original on 2016-03-05. Retrieved 2024-04-20.