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An Ottoman scholar, professor and author; the writer of et-Tarîkatü'l-Muhammediyye.
He was born on 27 March 1523 at Balıkesir. His given name was Takıyyüddin Mehmed; after settling at Birgi he became famous as Birgivî Mehmed Efendi.
He received his first education from his father Pîr Ali; he then went to Istanbul and studied at the Haseki Medrese. Among his teachers are counted Ahîzâde Mehmed Efendi and Abdurrahman Efendi, known as Kızıl Molla.
In the reign of Süleyman the Magnificent he served as kassâm-ı askerî (military commissioner of estates) at Edirne. He afterwards began teaching at Birgi and passed the greater part of the rest of his life there, teaching and writing.
He died in 981 (1573).
His Circle of Influence — His works maintained a high scholarly level while entering directly into the social questions of his age; this stance influenced later Ottoman reformist movements, among them the Kadızâdeliler. His books on grammar and ethics were taught in the medreses for centuries.
His Poetry and Sufi Line — What distinguishes his line is his open opposition to certain practices that had become widespread in his day: the unlawful construction of graves and tombs, cash endowments, and corruption among officials. He wrote refutations of the rulings of Şeyhülislâm Ebüssuûd Efendi permitting cash waqfs; es-Seyfü's-sârim stands first among them.
His Works — Grammar: el-Avâmil, İzhâr, Kifâyetü'l-mübtedî. Ethics and Sufism: et-Tarîkatü'l-Muhammediyye, his most famous work. Jurisprudence: Vasiyetnâme, a Turkish handbook of law and practice. Hadith: Risâle fî usûli'l-hadîs and el-Erbaûn. He also wrote es-Seyfü's-sârim and the treatises connected with it in the debate over cash endowments.
Differing Scholarly Views
The debate over cash endowments. Birgivî opposed the rulings of Şeyhülislâm Ebüssuûd Efendi permitting cash waqfs and wrote refutations of them. This was a dispute between two great Ottoman scholars bearing directly on the legal and economic life of the age; the atlas does not declare either side right but records the dispute itself (principle 3).
🔴 His objection to the building of graves and tombs — a note particular to this atlas. Birgivî opposed the unlawful construction of graves and tombs that had become widespread in his day. This atlas is a platform built upon records of tombs and graves; the reader should know that a figure we ourselves record stood on a critical line in this matter. The atlas neither hides nor softens this objection: to keep a record is not to endorse the view recorded (principle 6). Indeed, the deliberate leaving empty of the visiting etiquette field throughout this series is the fruit of the same caution — etiquette is religious guidance and belongs to the scholars (principles 1 and 4).
Sources
- TDV İslâm Ansiklopedisi (DİA) — Emrullah Yüksel · vol. 6, pp. 191-194, entry “BİRGİVΔ
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Permanent ID: EA-Z-000059 · this address reaches the same record even if its name changes; use it when citing.