THE FAMILIES OF SCHOLARS (ALIM) THE MUZAFERIJA-SABRIHAFIZOVICS

Abstract

One of the most important families of scholars in Sarajevo and in the whole of Bosnia-Herzegovina is certainly the Muzaferija-Sabrihafizovic family. The first known local lecturer (Muderris) of the Gazi Husrev-beg School (Madrassah) in Sarajevo was Hajji Husein-efendi, son of Muzafer, the founder of the family, who taught for more than 40 years in this highest place of Bosniac learning in the Ottoman period. He was an astronomer and writer and he wrote an interesting Hronika (The Chronicle), preserved only in fragments by Mr. Muhamed Enver Kadic. He had a rich collection of oriental manuscripts, inherited and further enriched by his offspring, who later made it into a public endowment (Vakf). His son, Abdullah was broadly educated and a very capable man, an inventor of the mobile bridge used in efforts to defend Bosnia against numerous and repeated attacks by the Austro- Hungarians. Husein’s grandson, Ibrahim, was Sufi and a renowned astronomer. Starting with Muhamed Sabri Muzaferija, the family branches into two; his sons take on the last name of Sabrihafizovic, while his brothers’ sons keep the last name of Muzaferija. Husein and his offspring served as lecturer of the Gazi Husrev-beg School or prayer-leaders (Imam) in the Gazi Husrev-beg’s mosque for 288 years, from 1681 to 1969. Among the scholars (Ulama) in this family, there were people who left important endowments (Vakif) and excellent calligraphers. This article is about them and other scholars of this family.