Mehmed Teufik ef. Azabagić (1838 – 22 May 1918) was a Bosnian cleric who served as the Grand Mufti for Bosnia and Herzegovina from 1893 to 1909.

Biography

He was born in

Tuzla Tuzla (, , ) is the List of cities in Bosnia and Herzegovina, third-largest city of Bosnia and Herzegovina and the administrative center of Tuzla Canton of the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina. As of 2013, it has a population of 110,979 inha ...

in 1838. Primary and secondary school he completed in hometown. Then he went to study Islamic sciences in

Istanbul Istanbul is the List of largest cities and towns in Turkey, largest city in Turkey, constituting the country's economic, cultural, and historical heart. With Demographics of Istanbul, a population over , it is home to 18% of the Demographics ...

. He graduated in 1868 and returned to

Bosnia and Herzegovina Bosnia and Herzegovina, sometimes known as Bosnia-Herzegovina and informally as Bosnia, is a country in Southeast Europe. Situated on the Balkans, Balkan Peninsula, it borders Serbia to the east, Montenegro to the southeast, and Croatia to th ...

. During his working life he held the positions of

imam Imam (; , '; : , ') is an Islamic leadership position. For Sunni Islam, Sunni Muslims, Imam is most commonly used as the title of a prayer leader of a mosque. In this context, imams may lead Salah, Islamic prayers, serve as community leaders, ...

khatib In Islam, a khatib or khateeb ( ''khaṭīb'') is a person who delivers the sermon (''khuṭbah'') (literally "narration"), during the Friday prayer and Eid prayers. The ''khateeb'' is usually the prayer leader (''imam''), but the two roles can ...

and wa'iz. Also, Azapagić held important positions in the Islamic Community in Bosnia and Herzegovina. He was the principal of school of ruždija in

Sarajevo Sarajevo ( ), ; ''see Names of European cities in different languages (Q–T)#S, names in other languages'' is the Capital city, capital and List of cities in Bosnia and Herzegovina, largest city of Bosnia and Herzegovina, with a population of 2 ...

, and then he was transferred to the same position in Tuzla, where he also held the position of

qadi A qadi (; ) is the magistrate or judge of a Sharia court, who also exercises extrajudicial functions such as mediation, guardianship over orphans and minors, and supervision and auditing of public works. History The term '' was in use from ...

. After the

occupation of Bosnia and Herzegovina The campaign to establish Austro-Hungarian rule in Bosnia and Herzegovina lasted from 29 July to 20 October 1878 against the local resistance fighters, Muslims and orthodox Serbs, supported unofficially by troops of the Ottoman Empire. The Austro ...

Austria-Hungary Austria-Hungary, also referred to as the Austro-Hungarian Empire, the Dual Monarchy or the Habsburg Monarchy, was a multi-national constitutional monarchy in Central Europe#Before World War I, Central Europe between 1867 and 1918. A military ...

in 1878, he was appointed

mufti A mufti (; , ) is an Islamic jurist qualified to issue a nonbinding opinion ('' fatwa'') on a point of Islamic law (''sharia''). The act of issuing fatwas is called ''iftāʾ''. Muftis and their ''fatāwa'' have played an important role thro ...

of Tuzla. After the establishment and opening of the Sharia School of Judges in 1887, he was transferred to Sarajevo and appointed as the first pricipal of this important religious and educational institution for Bosnian Muslims. He remained as principal and lecturer until 1893. Mehmed Teufik ef. Azabagić held the position of Grand Mufti from 1893 to 1909. He was appointed on 25 October 1893, and the ceremonial handover of the menshura and enthronement took place on 20 November of the same year, at the Konak residence, after prayers in the Emperor's Mosque in Sarajevo. It was a period of struggle for a better and fairer status of

Bosnian Muslims The Bosniaks (, Cyrillic: Бошњаци, ; , ) are a South Slavic ethnic group native to the Southeast European historical region of Bosnia, today part of Bosnia and Herzegovina, and who share a common ancestry, culture, history and the ...

. For their religious and religious-educational autonomy, which was led by Ali Fehmi ef. Džabić. By obtaining religious and religious-educational autonomy, the Bosnian Muslims prepared to adopt a new Statute and to elect a Grand Mufti according to it. Mehmed Teufik ef. Azabagić estimated that it would be best for him to retire, which he did in 1909. He lived the rest of his life in Tuzla. He died at the age of 80 on May 22, 1918. He was buried in the cemetery of the Jalska Mosque in Tuzla.

Works

While serving as the Mufti of Tuzla, he wrote the work ''Risala on

Hijra Hijra, Hijrah, Hegira, Hejira, Hijrat or Hijri may refer to: Islam * Hijrah (also ''Hejira'' or ''Hegira''), the migration of Muhammad from Mecca to Medina in 622 CE * Migration to Abyssinia or First Hegira, of Muhammad's followers in 615 CE * L ...

''. It was printed in the Vatan printing house in 1886. It was originally written in

Arabic Arabic (, , or , ) is a Central Semitic languages, Central Semitic language of the Afroasiatic languages, Afroasiatic language family spoken primarily in the Arab world. The International Organization for Standardization (ISO) assigns lang ...

, but was later published in an abridged version in Turkish. It is an appeal to

Bosniaks The Bosniaks (, Cyrillic script, Cyrillic: Бошњаци, ; , ) are a South Slavs, South Slavic ethnic group native to the Southeast European historical region of Bosnia (region), Bosnia, today part of Bosnia and Herzegovina, and who sha ...

not to emigrate in

Turkey Turkey, officially the Republic of Türkiye, is a country mainly located in Anatolia in West Asia, with a relatively small part called East Thrace in Southeast Europe. It borders the Black Sea to the north; Georgia (country), Georgia, Armen ...

from Bosnia and Herzegovina because of the

Christian A Christian () is a person who follows or adheres to Christianity, a Monotheism, monotheistic Abrahamic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus in Christianity, Jesus Christ. Christians form the largest religious community in the wo ...

Austro-Hungarian authorities. This Azabagić's work was well received, highly regarded and recommended by the most prominent scholars of the time. In 2018, it was translated into English.

References

External links

Mehmed ef. Azabagić – drugi reis-ulema u Bosni i Hercegovini
, - {{DEFAULTSORT:Mehmed Teufik Azabagic 1838 births 1918 deaths People from Tuzla Bosniaks of Bosnia and Herzegovina Bosnia and Herzegovina Sunni Muslims Grand Muftis of Bosnia and Herzegovina