NOVI PODACI O MUHAMMEDU-EF. PROZORCU I NJEGOVOM DJELU
A new detail about Muhammed ef. Prozarac and his work

Summary/Abstract: Muhammad ibn Muhammad ibn Muhjuddin al-Pruzuri (Prozarac), born in Prozor, in the first half of the 18 century, died after 1812. During his lifetime he was mufti, muderris, muvekkit, an author of one of the works on how to govern a country. His surname Skejo was recorded next to his name. But he himself mostly used Al-Bosnevi al Prozori as a sign. After finishing elementary school in Bosnia he went to study in Istanbul. Most probably he followed the Zekerijjah efendi Sani madresa (high school) around year the 1780, because he copied a few manuscripts from astronomy for his own use at the about the same time. This fact shows us his affinity to astronomy and his extraordinary knowledge in three oriental languages. He was an excellent calligraphy (ta’lik) whose works give us more detail about the life of this eloquent Bosnian scholar. It is hard to believe that Muhammad Prozorac did not leave any of his works behind or at least a synthesis from astronomy, since he seriously dealt with it and was an official muvekkit of Jajce kadiluk. We hope that some day his work from this field will be discovered and give more light on the Bosnian contribution to the field of astronomy as an unavoidable science of Islamic cultural heritage. He studied law, and after finishing his schooling became a kadi (judge). In the year 1782, Muhammad Prozorac was appointed as a kadi in Ejjub el-Ensary, one of the most prestigious parts in Istanbul. When he returned to Bosnia he was working as a kadi in many places and lastly in Prusac where he was a mufti and muderis. From notes in one of his transcribed works on astronomy it became known that he was a muvekkit in Jajce. These details change our perspective and knowledge about astronomy on the local level and muvekkithanama in Bosnia and Herzegovina. Namely, it became clear that in Bosnia and Herzegovina, on the level of kadiluk, muvekkithane and muvekkit existed in the 18 century not only in the big center like Sarajevo but in other smaller as well. These detail were accessible only after the publication of the 12th volume of the Catalogue of Arabic, Turkish, Persian and Bosnian manuscript in the Ghazi Husrevbey Library by the director of the Library Mustafa Jahic. This Catalogue presents manuscripts from the field of medicine, pharmacy, mathematics, astronomy and astrology. The only known work of Muhammad Prozorac was not only from the field of astronomy but also from the field of politics, precisely, from the field of governing a country: Minhadz an-nizam fi din al-Islam- A guide about organization of the country in Islam. It was written in the year 1801/02 and sent to Sultan – reformer Selim III and Sheykh-l-Islam Hulusuj.

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