Risala from Sheikh Mustafa Gaibija

Abstract

Sheik Mustafa Gaibi belongs to the group of Muslim writers who wrote in Oriental languages and whose works were not a subject to the thorough research. He was born at Kliški Sandžak (Dalmatia) in the second half of the 16 th century. He died (was killed) at Stara Gradiška (near Sava) where his turbeh (burial chamber), was later built. The collection of 7 essays called 'the Risallah' was kept in this turbeh. In some of the essays (letters) he uses an odd language. Words are intelligible but they are allegorical and have a mysterious meaning. In general this is very unsensible way of writing. Different from 'the Risallah' the Brochure on Dervish Sects (Tarikatnama), and the Advices to the Son are written very clearly and concisely and that shows that their author is an expert for the problems of Islamic mysticism (tesavvuf) and dervish sects (tarikat). In the Advices he referes to his sheik Mahmud Hudaji effendi Uskudari, the remarkable character of dervish literature in Ottoman Empire. In his Letters Gaibi criticizes the rule of his time. Among common people in Bosnia Gaibi still "lives" as "the saint".