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Islamic Studies 36:2, 3 (1 997) 157
of sound juridical expert opinions (Fatawa-'i Ahmadiyyah) became famous
throughout the Balkans, was truly creative in his writings.
In the field of Arabic philology, valuable contributions were made by
Muhammad ibn MiisCi al-Sariyi (d. 1635), Mahmiid ibn Khalil al-Mostai
(d. 1688), Ayyiibi-ZCide, Muhammad ibn Celebi (17 1 1 -69), Baysdi-Ziide and
'Ah Fahrni DiabiC (d. 191 8). M&mud ibn Khalil and Fahmi DiabiC, both from
Mostar, were distinguished stylists, and their works are of permanent literary
value. An important work on Arabic metrics was written by Mehmed 'Ariidi
(d. 1673).
The Bosniaks were not greatly interested in the natural sciences, and
their contribution was limited to translating a number of scientific works from
Arabic into Turkish. In this way, Akowali-Zade, for his translation of the
work, al-Luma' ft 'Ilm al-Hisab and Darwish Hus- Boshn&, for his
translation of the Lum 'at al-Fawa 'id, were reputed mathematicians. Muhammad
Boshn* (dates unknown) translated the famous work on zoology, Hayat al-
Hayawan by al-Damiri from Arabic into Turkish and Muhammad Rashid
(HafizoviC) (d. 1865) translated a treatise on hygiene. Al-Suyiip (1445-1505),
whose gifts shone in many disciplines, was made familiar to the Turks by two
Bosniaks, Nasuh al-Mip@ (d. 1547) and 'Ali-Dede al-Bosnawi.
In history, Mir Muhammad (Mehmed) 'Afwi (d. 1732) and Musfafa al-
Khurami (also of the eighteenth century) were distinguished translators from
Arabic into Turkish. Al-Al@isari wrote a political treatise, Usul al-Hikam ft
Nizam al-'Alum, in which he was one of the first to recognize and point out, at
the zenith of its power, the causes of the ultimate decline of the Ottoman
Empire. This treatise became world famous.
Muhammad ibn Miis2 al-Bosnawi al-Sarsyi (d. 1635) and Ayyiipi-Z2de
were masters of logic, and also wrote literary works on Arabic rhetoric. In
belles-lettres Bosniaks produced al-Risalah al-Qalamiyyah, an essay on the
power of the written word, and al-Risalah al-Sayfiyyah, an essay on heroism,
both written in rhymed prose by wmad Shams al-Din (d. 1575). After him,
the best Arabic poet of Bosnian origin is Hasan ibn Mustafa Boshn* (al-
Bosnawi), who lived in the later half of the eighteenth century.
Writers in Persian
In regard to both Persian culture and the language itself the Bosniaks considered
themselves superior to their Turkish coreligionists. Perhaps they learned the
language easily because of its Indo-European character. In any case, the best
commentator on and interpreter of Persian classics in the Ottoman Empire was
a Bosniak, Ahmad Siidi al-Bosnawi, who died in 1591 or 1592, and whose
extensive and thorough works are still appreciated by scholars. The Turks seem
to have been aware of this feeling of superiority of the Bosniaks; thus 'Umar
Mu'allimNCiji (1880-1916), in the course of observations in which he (wrongly)
accuses Siidi of having committed an error, says in his work Soyle, boyle that
the Bosniaks fancy that theirs is the priority in the mastery of the Persian
language.55