Ibrahim Zikrija from Užice, writer of commentary on Sulayman Čelebija’s work »Vesiletu’n-nedžat (Wasilat an-nagat)

Abstract

This paper aims at throwing some more light upon the personality of Ibrahim Zikrija from Užice as a poet and scholar (He was born in Užice in 1795, died in 1854 or 1867.) This should be a new contribution to a better understanding of the figure that has not been enough studied yet.

Namely, in the Oriental Institute of Sarajevo there are three manuscript copies of Ibrahim Zikrija's commentary of Sulayman Čele- bija’s work »Vesiletu’n-nedžat (Wasilat an-nagat), known with us under the title »Mevlud«. It was composed at the beginning of the 15th century (1409). As far as we know, up to now this poem has been commented only by Ibrahim Zikrija Užičanin, which gives the special value both to the commentary and the commentator, Ibrahim Zikrija.

In fact, in addition to what we have known about him as the poet, this commentary enables us to recognize him as a very learned man, well acquainted with ali the branches of Islamic Science (Qur’an, Traditions, Fikh, Islamic misticism etc.). The fact that he was the first, and most probably the only commentator of Sulayman Čelebija’s poem is well worth of our attention.