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A Turkish scholar, Sufi and translator; his principal renown rests on the Envârü'l-âşıkīn.
He was the younger brother of Yazıcıoğlu Mehmed (d. 855/1451), the author of the Muhammediyye. Their father was Yazıcı Sâlih.
He lived at Gallipoli. He received instruction from Hacı Bayrâm-ı Velî (d. 833/1430), the founder of the Bayramiyye order. He followed the Hanafî school and led a life of asceticism. It is related that the epithet Bîcan (lifeless) came from his being physically weakened by continuous fasting and spiritual discipline.
He died after 870 (1466).
His Poetry and Sufi Line — He used a flowing and intelligible prose addressed to ordinary people rather than to scholars. In his own words: "I wrote in Turkish so that everyone may benefit." He placed religious and mystical instruction above artistic refinement; thanks to this choice the Envârü'l-âşıkīn was read for centuries.
His Works — 1. Envârü'l-âşıkīn (855/1451). A free Turkish translation of his brother's Arabic Megāribü'z-zamân. 2. Acâibü'l-mahlûkāt (857/1453). A condensed translation of Qazwīnī's work of cosmography. 3. Dürr-i Meknûn. A compilation in eighteen sections treating creation, prophecy and the hereafter. 4. Müntehâ. A Turkish rendering of Ibn al-'Arabī's Fusûs al-hikam by way of Mu'ayyad Jandī's commentary. 5. Şemsiyye (870/1466). A prose adaptation of his father's astrological poem. 6. Cevâhirnâme. His only known work in verse, on the medicinal properties of precious stones.
Differing Scholarly Views
🔴 The year of death in the atlas record diverges from the source. The record shows the year 1453; the source, however, says "after 870 (1466)". There are two divergences at once: the record is earlier than the year the source gives, and it also reduces the source's lower bound to a single year. It needs to be verified (principle 6).
Sources
- Türk Edebiyatı İsimler Sözlüğü (TEİS)
- TDV İslâm Ansiklopedisi (DİA) — Âmil Çelebioğlu · vol. 2, pp. 49-51, entry “AHMED BÎCAN”
The sources for this record are listed below (Mandatory Sources).
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Permanent ID: EA-Z-000808 · this address reaches the same record even if its name changes; use it when citing.