Molla Arab

Molla Arab, whose full name was Muhammed bin Ömer bin Hamza, was born in Antakya; his date of birth is unknown. His grandfather, who was from Transoxiana (Mâverâünnehir), was a student of the famous scholar Teftâzânî. Receiving his first education from his family, he learned fiqh from his father, and the principles of fiqh (usûl-i fiqh) and the Arabic sciences from his uncles. To advance his studies, he went to Tabriz and took lessons from Mevlânâ Mürîd; afterward he visited Aleppo, Jerusalem, and Mecca. In Egypt he attended the lessons of Imam Süyûtî and received his certification (icâzah) in the science of hadith. He served as preacher and mufti in the presence of the Circassian sultan Kayıtbay, to whom he presented his work on fiqh titled "Nihâyet-ül-Fürû." Upon the invitation of Sultan Bayezid II, he went to Istanbul and presented the works "Tehzîb-üş-Şemâil" and "Hidâyet-ül-İbâd"; he took part in the conquest of Modon, encouraging the soldiers. In Aleppo he occupied himself with preaching and Quranic exegesis (tafsir) for three years. During the reign of Yavuz Sultan Selim, he wrote a work titled "Es-Sedâd fî Fedâil-il-Cihâd" and participated in the Chaldiran campaign. In 1526 he was present at the Hungarian (Engürüs) campaign of Kanûnî Sultan Süleymân (Suleiman the Magnificent). He later settled in Bursa, where he authored various works and earned his livelihood through trade; it is related that with his powerful memory he was without peer, especially in the books of hadith. He passed away in the Hijri year 938 (1532 CE) in Bursa and was buried on the qibla side of the city, in the quarter named after him, the Molla Arab quarter. The great mosque he had begun was not yet completed at the time of his death; his grave is visited by those who love him.