Abdulvehab Ilhamija Žepčevi (1773 – 1821) was a
Bosnia
Bosnia and Herzegovina ( sh, / , ), abbreviated BiH () or B&H, sometimes called Bosnia–Herzegovina and often known informally as Bosnia, is a country at the crossroads of south and southeast Europe, located in the Balkans. Bosnia and He ...
n
dervish
Dervish, Darvesh, or Darwīsh (from fa, درویش, ''Darvīsh'') in Islam can refer broadly to members of a Sufi fraternity
A fraternity (from Latin language, Latin ''wiktionary:frater, frater'': "brother (Christian), brother"; whence, ...
and prose writer.
In addition to
Bosnian, his work was written in
Turkish,
Arabic
Arabic (, ' ; , ' or ) is a Semitic languages, Semitic language spoken primarily across the Arab world.Semitic languages: an international handbook / edited by Stefan Weninger; in collaboration with Geoffrey Khan, Michael P. Streck, Janet C ...
and
Persian
Persian may refer to:
* People and things from Iran, historically called ''Persia'' in the English language
** Persians, the majority ethnic group in Iran, not to be conflated with the Iranic peoples
** Persian language, an Iranian language of the ...
.
Name
His name ''
Abd-ul-vehhab'' means "Servant of the Generous" — one of the attributes of God. ''Ilhamija,'' his
Dervish
Dervish, Darvesh, or Darwīsh (from fa, درویش, ''Darvīsh'') in Islam can refer broadly to members of a Sufi fraternity
A fraternity (from Latin language, Latin ''wiktionary:frater, frater'': "brother (Christian), brother"; whence, ...
name, means "inspired."
Early life
Ilhamija was born into a
Muslim
Muslims ( ar, المسلمون, , ) are people who adhere to Islam, a monotheistic religion belonging to the Abrahamic tradition. They consider the Quran, the foundational religious text of Islam, to be the verbatim word of the God of Abrah ...
Bosniak
The Bosniaks ( bs, Bošnjaci, Cyrillic: Бошњаци, ; , ) are a South Slavic ethnic group native to the Southeast European historical region of Bosnia, which is today part of Bosnia and Herzegovina, who share a common Bosnian ancestry, cu ...
family in
Žepče
Žepče ( sr-cyrl, Жепче) is a town and municipality located in Zenica-Doboj Canton of the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina, an entity of Bosnia and Herzegovina. It is situated in central Bosnia and Herzegovina, between Doboj and Zenica. ...
,
Sanjak of Bosnia
Sanjak of Bosnia ( tr, Bosna Sancağı, sh, Bosanski sandžak / Босански санџак) was one of the sanjaks of the Ottoman Empire established in 1463 when the lands conquered from the Bosnian Kingdom were transformed into a sanjak and ...
,
Ottoman Empire
The Ottoman Empire, * ; is an archaic version. The definite article forms and were synonymous * and el, Оθωμανική Αυτοκρατορία, Othōmanikē Avtokratoria, label=none * info page on book at Martin Luther University) ...
(today's
Bosnia and Herzegovina
Bosnia and Herzegovina ( sh, / , ), abbreviated BiH () or B&H, sometimes called Bosnia–Herzegovina and often known informally as Bosnia, is a country at the crossroads of south and southeast Europe, located in the Balkans. Bosnia and H ...
). His father's name was Abdulvehab. Both his parents died during his youth. A quote from one of his poems is ''"A mother I do not have, and my father I do not remember."''
Ilhamija was educated in his birth town and in
Tešanj
Tešanj ( sr-cyrl, Тешањ) is a town and municipality located in the Zenica-Doboj Canton of the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina, an entity of Bosnia and Herzegovina. As of 2013, it has a population of 43,063 inhabitants, while the town ...
and
Fojnica
Fojnica ( sr-cyrl, Фојница) is a town and municipality located in Central Bosnia Canton of the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina, an entity of Bosnia and Herzegovina. It is located west of the capital Sarajevo, in the valley of the Fojn ...
. He also attended the Ferhadija Mosque in Tešanj.
His final work, the ''Bosnian Book of the Science of Conduct'', is a work that lists 54 religious duties that each follower of
Islam
Islam (; ar, ۘالِإسلَام, , ) is an Abrahamic religions, Abrahamic Monotheism#Islam, monotheistic religion centred primarily around the Quran, a religious text considered by Muslims to be the direct word of God in Islam, God (or ...
must know about, believe in, and fulfill, followed by advice on what a religious person should and should not do. It was published posthumously in 1831, a decade after his death. The book is printed in
Arebica
Arebica () is a variant of the Arabic script used to write the Serbo-Croatian language. It was used mainly between the 15th and 19th centuries and is frequently categorized as part of Aljamiado literature. Before World War I there were unsuccess ...
, the variant of
Perso-Arabic script
The Persian alphabet ( fa, الفبای فارسی, Alefbâye Fârsi) is a writing system that is a version of the Arabic script used for the Persian language spoken in Iran ( Western Persian) and Afghanistan (Dari Persian) since the 7th cent ...
used to write
Bosnian language
Bosnian (; / , ) is the standardized variety of the Serbo-Croatian pluricentric language mainly used by ethnic Bosniaks. Bosnian is one of three such varieties considered official languages of Bosnia and Herzegovina, along with Croatian and ...
, mainly between the 15th and 19th centuries, after the
conquest of Bosnia by the Ottoman Empire.
Execution
In the year 1820, a man named Dželaludin-paša became the
Ottoman pasha of Bosnia, a title he would hold until his brutal death in 1821. At first, Abdulvehab Ilhamija supported Dželaludin, believing him to be a fair and just ruler. But over a short period of time the illusion faded and Abdulvehab Ilhamija openly criticized Dželaludin's harsh rule over the Bosnian population in his poetry and writings.
In 1821, Dželaludin became aware of Ilhamija's criticisms and invited him to his home in
Travnik
Travnik is a town and a municipality in Bosnia and Herzegovina. It is the administrative center of Central Bosnia Canton of the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina. It is situated in central Bosnia and Herzegovina, west of Sarajevo. As of 201 ...
. Ilhamija traveled without a horse, on foot from Žepče to Travnik. Before he left, he bid a final farewell to his family and friends, anticipating a grim ending to his meeting with the pasha.
To this day, what happened in Travnik remains in the sphere of assumption. There is a legend that says that Dželaludin-paša asked of Ilhamija to renounce his critical writings, when Ilhamija refused to do so, he was either strangled to death or decapitated in the
Travnik Castle
Travnik Castle, locally known as ''Stari Grad Castle'' (old town castle), is a medieval town-fortress complex in the town of Travnik, Central Bosnia Canton, Bosnia and Herzegovina.
Location
The fortress is located in the Plava Voda neighbourhood ...
.
News of his death was received with sorrow and revolt among the people. He was buried in Travnik in mausoleum near a former railway station and former hospital, where he remained buried for 138 years until 1959, when his bones and headstone were moved to a different grave.
Partial list of works
The publication years for his works remains unknown.
*''Boga traži i plači'' (''Seek God and Cry'')
*''Čudan zeman nastade'' (''There Was a Strange
Zeman'')
*''Dervišluk je čudan rahat'' (''Being a
Dervish
Dervish, Darvesh, or Darwīsh (from fa, درویش, ''Darvīsh'') in Islam can refer broadly to members of a Sufi fraternity
A fraternity (from Latin language, Latin ''wiktionary:frater, frater'': "brother (Christian), brother"; whence, ...
is a Strange Comfort'')
*''Dobro ti ders nadgledaj!'' (''Look at Your Lessons Well!'')
*''Dženet saraj'' (''Heavenly Palace'')
*''Hajat dok je...'' (''While Life Is...'')
*''Hajde sinak te uči'' (''Come and Learn, Son'')
*''Ja upitah svog Jasina'' (''I Asked My Soul'')
*''Ne rastaj se od sufara''
*''Potlje Boga...''
*''Uči, sinak, i piši!'' (''Learn, Son, and Write!'')
*''Ustrajte u sticanju znanja!'' (''Persevere in Gaining Knowledge!'')
*''Bosnian Book of the Science of Conduct'' (1831); published posthumously
In popular culture
Fellow Bosniak writer
Muhamed Hadžijamaković
Muhamed Hadžijamaković (1814 or 1815 – 25 August 1878) was one of the Bosnian Muslim leaders striving for the Bosnia Vilayet autonomy within the Ottoman Empire in the 1860s and 1870s.
Early life and family
Hadžijamaković was born in Saraje ...
wrote a biography of Abdulvehab Ilhamija entitled ''Ilhamija: Život i djelo'' (''Ilhamija: Life and Work'').
Rešad Kadić (1912–1988) wrote a book about Abdulvehab Ilhamija's death entitled ''Ilhamijin put u smrt'' (''Ilhamija's Journey to Death''), originally published in 1976.
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Ilhamija, Abdulvehhab
1773 births
1821 deaths
People from Žepče
People from the Ottoman Empire of Bosnian descent
Bosniaks of Bosnia and Herzegovina
Bosnia and Herzegovina Muslims
Bosnia and Herzegovina writers
Bosniak writers
Bosniak poets
18th-century poets from the Ottoman Empire
19th-century poets from the Ottoman Empire
18th-century writers from the Ottoman Empire
19th-century writers from the Ottoman Empire
Executed people from the Ottoman Empire
19th-century executions by the Ottoman Empire
People from Zenica-Doboj Canton
Executed Bosnia and Herzegovina people