Ibn Bidkin al-Turkmani

Ibn Bidkin al-Turkmani (fl. 8th century AH / 14th century CE) was a Hanafi jurist and writer active in Egypt and the Levant, known for his treatise on religious and social innovations, Kitab al-Luma fi al-Hawadith wa al-Bida al-Luma fi al-Hawadith wa…+1.

Identity and Life

His full name was Idris ibn Bidkin ibn Abd Allah al-Turkmani al-Hanafi al-Luma fi al-Hawadith wa…. Classical biographical dictionaries almost entirely omitted him, with only brief notices appearing in later works such as Kashf al-Zunun by Katip Celebi, who recorded his name via marginal notes by Ibn al-Shihnah al-Luma fi al-Hawadith wa…. Later bibliographer Ismail Pasha al-Baghdadi erroneously conflated him with a later scholar, Sadr al-Din Idris ibn Abd Allah al-Mardini al-Luma fi al-Hawadith wa….

In his youth, al-Turkmani studied in Damascus under an unnamed scholar from Aleppo of Turkmen origin, witnessing the scholar's death there al-Luma fi al-Hawadith wa…+1. He traveled through Palestine, meeting the Qur'anic scholar Burhan al-Din Ibrahim ibn Umar al-Ja'bari in Hebron after 690 AH al-Luma fi al-Hawadith wa…. He subsequently journeyed to Mecca for the pilgrimage, where he resided for several years and heard from its preacher Taqi al-Din Abd Allah ibn Ahmad al-Tabari al-Luma fi al-Hawadith wa…+1.

Al-Turkmani spent the most active period of his life in Cairo, engaging in scholarly circles, debates with jurists, and public efforts to command right and forbid wrong al-Luma fi al-Hawadith wa…+1. In Cairo, he studied with and was influenced by the Shadhili Sufi master Taj al-Din Ibn Ata Allah al-Iskandari al-Luma fi al-Hawadith wa…+1. He also became associated with Ibn Taymiyyah, and manuscript title pages identify him as one of Ibn Taymiyyah's students al-Luma fi al-Hawadith wa…+1.

Scholarly Activity and Standing

Al-Turkmani composed Kitab al-Luma fi al-Hawadith wa al-Bida in rhymed prose (saj), explaining in his introduction that he adopted rhyming meter out of concern for grammatical error (khawfan min al-lahn) al-Luma fi al-Hawadith wa…. The work critiques practical innovations, contemporary social habits, and folk festivals, including local celebrations around Cairo such as the Coptic Martyr's Feast (Id al-Shahid) al-Luma fi al-Hawadith wa….

To gain institutional backing for his public censure of popular customs, al-Turkmani extracted a section on chivalric guilds from his larger work to form a separate treatise, Risalat al-Futuwwa, and sought written endorsements (taqriz) from leading jurists of the four Sunni schools in Cairo al-Luma fi al-Hawadith wa…. It received endorsements from Ibn Taymiyyah (Hanbali), al-Sinbati (Shafi'i), Ibn al-Turkmani al-Mardini (Hanafi), and al-Ikhna'i (Maliki) al-Luma fi al-Hawadith wa…. He is also credited with the treatise al-Hujjah wa al-Burhan ala Fityan Hadha al-Zaman, concerning the prohibition of musical listening sessions (sama) Khizanat al-Turath - Fihr….