Biography:Muhammad Birgivi
Imam Birgivi (27 March 1522 – 15 March 1573) was a Hanafi scholar and moralist who lived during the height of the Ottoman Empire and whose texts are used to this day as manuals of spiritual practice throughout the Muslim world. His full name, in Arabic, is Taqī al-Dīn Muḥammad ibn Pīr ʿAlī al-Birgawī.
Life
Born Muḥammad ibn Pīr ʿAlī, in Balikesir, Ottoman Empire, in 1522, Muḥammad was sent to the capital Istanbul to study theology as a young man. Later, he studied law under the chief military judge (kazasker) of the Ottoman Empire.
After working as a judge for a short period in Edirne, Birgivi became an ascetic, resigning from his government post and returning his salary. However, he was instructed by ʿAṭāʾ Allāh Efendi to become a teacher of religion and morals instead. Through the gift of a patron, a medrese was founded in the town of Birgi near Izmir and Muḥammad was appointed as its head teacher (müderris). Now known as Imam Birgivi, his fame quickly spread as a result of his teaching and his books.
Birgivi and his disciples were vocal critics of corruption within the 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 degeneration of the Islamic virtues.[1]
Imam Birgivi lived in Birgi until his death from the plague at the age of fifty-one.
Works
Imam Birgivi is known to be the author of twenty-seven works,[2] dealing with theology, the art of reciting the Qurʾān, dogmatics and various legal issues. He is most famous for his catechism in Turkish entitled Risale-i Birgivi, also known as the Vasiyetname, available in many printed editions, and translated into several European languages. He also wrote Dhukhr al-Muta'ahhilin wa Nisa' fi ta'rif al-Athar wa al-Dima, an authoritative work on: menstruation, lochia, and related issues in the Hanafi school of fiqh (jurisprudence), which the majority of Muslims follow. Ibn Abidin wrote a commentary on it and attached great importance to it.
a book of sermon, at-tariqah al-muhammadiyyah, is by muhammad ibn pir ali who is better known as birgivi [d.981 AH]
there are three chapters in it. the first has three sections: - on holding fast unto the book of Allah and the sunnah of RasulAllah sallAllahu alayhi wa sallam - on bid'ah - on moderation the second chapter has also three sections: - on the rectification of belief - on knowledge that is meant for something else [which is of three kinds] - on piety [taqwa - and this is of three kinds; and the third kind has 9 types]
-the third chapter on things imagined to be piety but actually which are not; this has also three sections: - on excessive fastidiousness in the matters of purity and cleanliness [taharah] - on abstaining from partaking food presented by people who earn salaries and grants [from sultans and governments] - on actions that are innovations and heresy.
there are many exegesis on this; a turkish translation was made by his grandson [the original is in arabic].
from kashf az-zunun.
shaykh muhammad al-khadimi has written a sharh titled al-bariqah.
imam abdu'l ghani an-nablusi, the great hanafi jurist has written an exegesis titled al-hadiqah an-nadiyyah sharh at-tariqah al-muhammadiyyah. in the preface he says: [he also says birkili instead of birkivi or birgivi] this is an exotic book in which he has combined the articles of fiqh/jurisprudence with the stations of ascetism; points of faith with esoteric points of academia...
imam birgivi [birkivi in arabic] was one of the notable hanafi imams at the threshold of the first (islamic) millenium [921-981 AH]. he has many works and one of the very important ones is dhukhr al-muta-ahhilin wa'n nisa'a fi ta'rifi al-at'hari wa'd dima'a [a treasure for married men and women describing the days of purity and blood - a treatise on the hanafi positions on issues related to menstruation and puerperium].
imam ibn abidin has written a fine gloss on this book titled: manhal al-waridin min bihari faydi dhukhr al-muta'ahhilin.
References
- ↑ Birgivi, Imam. Path of Muhammad (World Wisdom, 2005) page 350 ISBN:978-0-941532-68-6
- ↑ A list of his works is in C. Brockelmann, Geschichte der arabischen Litteratur (Leiden: Brill, 1937–1949), G II 583, S II 654.
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