Tahir Gjakova | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Native name | Tahir efendi Boshnjaku |
| Born | Tahir 1770 Lukare,Sanjak of Novi Pazar,Ottoman Empire (modernSerbia) |
| Died | 1850 or 1835 Gjakova,Ottoman Empire (modernKosovo) |
| Occupation | Müderris |
| Language | Albanian, Arabic, Persian, Turkish |
| Citizenship | Ottoman |
| Genre | Ottoman poetry |
| Literary movement | Bejtexhi |
| Notable works | Emni Vehbije |
| Title | Sheikh |
| Religious life | |
| Religion | Islam |
| Denomination | Sunni |
| Jurisprudence | Hanafi |
| Tariqa | Bayramiyye |
| Creed | Maturidi |
Tahir Efendi Gjakova (1770–1850[1] or 1835[2]), also known asTahir Efendi Boshnjaku orThe Great Efendi (Albanian:Efendiu i Madh), was anAlbanianreligious leader of theYakova region inKosovo, as well as one of the most known Albanianbejtexhinj.[2] He lived and served as a clergyman in Yakova.[3] The best known work from him,Emni Vehbije (The Offering) was published withArabic alphabet inIstanbul in 1835.[2] A reprint of it withLatin alphabet was done in 1907 inSofia,Bulgaria.[1]
Tahir Efendi is also referred as Tahir Efendi Boshnjaku (theBosnian) because of his birthplace, the village ofLukare nearYeni Pazar, back then part of theSanjak of Novi Pazar of theBosnia Eyalet of theOttoman Empire,Sandzak region (modernSerbia). He was a scion of the Saraçi clan, part of theKastrati tribe. He is also known as the Great Efendi because he was the firstmüderris of the SmallMadrasa of Gjakova, located in the "Mahmud Pasha" neighbourhood. He started the position right after finishing his studies inIstanbul in 1807. He also served asimam, poet, missionary, and educator.
Tahir Efendi was also asheikh of theBayramiye order ofSufism.[1]
His most known poetic workEmni Vehbije, written in NorthwesternGheg Albanian. It contains advises and reminders in the context of the Islamic moral laws.[3] It was finished and published initially in 1835 in Istanbul.[4] Seventy-two years later (1907), it was published with theLatin alphabet, adapted by müderris Ismail Haxhi Tahir Gjakova. It was publisher by the "Bashkimi" society[5] and printed in the "Mbrothësia" publishing house of the Albanian activistKristo Luarasi. Tahir Efendi wrote poetry also inTurkish,Persian, andArabic.[1]
He prefaced his verses with Arabic meters: a form ofRaml (Failatun, failatun, failat[6]), followed by thebasmala,hamdala, and the "Praise of the Prophet" (Peygamber). A lot of citations from theQuranic verses and the Prophet'shadith are invoked as well, providing various effects. A number of his works are lost, while some of the Arabic or Persian verses are discovered in the late decades.[2] One recently found work of his isHyda Rabbem (God is my Lord), written in lyrics, inOttoman language and it dates to 1832. It is kept only in three copies, two of which were copied by Bajram Jusuf Doli, whereas one by Muhamed Tahir Jaka, also from Gjakova.[7] Also of particular interest is the Gjakovar dialect of theGheg Albanian language he used.