ALIM OF KRAJINA ŠERIF-EF. BAJRIĆ

In Krajina, well-educated people have always been looked upon with great admiration due to unfavorable historical circumstances which had a negative effect on education and maturing of many alims and scholars. It is particularly true of the period from the mid-19th century to the 1970s, before many people from Krajina began to enroll in Gazi Husrev-bey madrasa and Faculty of Islamic Studies in Sarajevo. Actually, after the penitentiary expedition of Omer-pasha Latas in the 19th century, when a large number of renowned, wealthy and influential people were killed, Krajina lost the upper layer of population several times in the period of Austro-Hungary, as well as between the two wars, when masses of population migrated to Turkey in several waves. After each of these processes, Krajina was left without economically and politically most exemplary layer of population, and therefore the social life remained on the shoulders of impoverished people who were involved in menial work and mere survival.

Closing of the madrasa in Cazin in 1921, then the destruction of the building and closing of the madrasa of Bihać during the Second World War, and communist repression resulting in the uprising in Cazin in 1950 were an additional burden for the development of Islamic thought in Krajina. Thus, until half a century ago, religious and educational life in many towns was often reduced to interpretations by superficially trained village imams, which resulted in slower acceptance of modernization by public at large, a stronger resistance to educating female children and, generally, in poorer understanding of socio-political developments in some periods of history.

Despite the existence of madrasas in Cazin (1867–1921) and Bihać, in such socio-political and economic circumstances it was almost impossible to produce a significant number of ulama and intensively enlighten broader layers of population. The few individuals who managed to acquire a higher degree of education were those who had enough courage to seek knowledge in bigger cities, from Sarajevo to Istanbul, such as Husein Pozderac from Cazin, Džemaludin Čaušević from Bosanska Krupa, hafiz Jusuf Hušidić from Velika Kladuša, hafiz Ahmed Alijagić and Arif Begić from Bužim, as well as Sulejman Topić and others whose life and work left a significant stamp on the spiritual life of Krajina, and some of them even broader. One of the people whose education and social engagement particularly contributed to Krajina was Šerif-effendi Bajrić, a reputable alim, imam, khatib and religious instructor from Cazin.

To Istanbul for knowledge, to homeland for service

Šerif Bajrić was born at Stijena near Cazin in 1855, and he draws origin from a renowned family of alims of Krajina. He acquired the beginner's religious knowledge from his father Mumin-effendi, then in the madrasa in Cazin for five years and then, eager for further education, he went to Istanbul on foot, with several friends, where he attended several madrasas, including the Krk-česma madrasa. After the madrasa, he completed Darul-muallimin, where he worked as a teacher for a while. It is confirmed by his textbook of mathematics which he wrote for this school.

During his education in Istanbul he used the official name Mehmed Šerif. After several years of education and service in Istanbul, he returned home to Cazinska Krajina. In one of his notes he wrote that he „was returning from Istanbul because of love for the native Krajina soil”. He spoke Arabic, Turkish and Persian, and based on abundant literature in German one can assume that he could also use German.

Recognition by the Ottoman supervisor of education in Istanbul of 27 June 1877 allowed unimpeded recognition of qualifications by Ulama-majlis in Sarajevo. Upon returning from Istanbul, he was several times invited by Muhamed‑bey Kapetanović Ljubušak to come to Sarajevo and work as a religious instructor, but he still agreed with his father Mumin, who wrote him a letter saying that he should come to Krajina and serve to Islam, and that „he had better watch Krajina sides than Sarajevo shops ”.

He began his first service in Bužim in 1889. Having observed a lack of religious servants, he continued classes with better pupils of maktab-ibtidaiyya for four more years. People named this form of schooling 'Bužim madrasa' and, according to known data, it was completed by twenty-six imams and muallims. Later on, most of them taught children in surrounding maktabs, led teravijas (night prayers during Ramadan) and other prayers except for the Friday prayer. As was recorded by Šerif's grandson Asim, Šerif had problems with Austro-Hungarian authorities, who resented his quality lectures and excessive patriotism. Before returning to Stijena, his efforts in Bužim and its surroundings resulted in the construction of almost ten mosques. In 1901 his father Mumin died, and it was the cause for him to move to native Stijena after years-long service in Bužim and inherit the jamaat where his father had served. In 1928 he moved to the newly formed jamaat, where e worked until retirement. In the same year, having passed the exam for imam-registrar, he accepted administration of the headquarters at Stijena.

A modest life, calm nature and cheerfulness, together with great learning, raised the authority of Šerif-effendi among both old and young generations during his life. He was a good preacher, and folk stories say that in jamaats where he was imam not a single pub was opened. On the occasion of tenth anniversary of his death, his younger colleague and friend Abdurahman-effendi Alešević wrote the following about Šerif-effendi: “His classmates from Sarajevo and other cities used their positions of muftis, kadis and mudarrises, which were offered to him as well, but he believed that it was a greater honor both for God and for people to serve to one's people at a lower rank, on the front line, directly next to the people. He particularly like tasks of preaching and teaching, where he was successful. He always strove to confirm what he told “others” with his deeds. He therefore gained great reputation and admiration by people in whole Krajina. Whenever a new mosque was built in Krajina, he was invited to lay the cornerstone. Although he was an alim of old generation, he was shrewd and farsighted. He equally advocated news of this and the future world. He educated youth for the times they will live in and he therefore enjoyed reputation and recognition by our higher intelligentsia as well. People still recount parts of his sermons, which were always understandable.”

Šerif-effendi's hospitality and talkativeness, as well as his Islamic life and learning was also once praised by academician Hamdija Kreševljaković, who spent several days with Šerif-effendi at Stijena during his field research in Cazinska Krajina.

Protection of the Orthodox in the Second World War

Šerif-effendi is also highly credited with dissuading people from moving to Turkey. Alešević wrote the following about his role in campaigning against moving: “While living in Turkey for eighteen years, he became familiar with many weaknesses and shortcomings of the Ottoman Empire of the time, and whenever some people in Krajina desired to move to Turkey he would stand up against it with the living word, and saved his countrymen from refugee and colonizing destiny in swamps and rocks of Anatolia.”

He has also remained remembered by the heroic act of saving war orphans. Thus, in the First World War, he protected brothers Ibrahim and Smail Saličević, and in the Second World War, two Orthodox children, Dragan and Mićo Ćulibrk, whom he supported and educated together with his grandchildren, without making any differences among them.

The following narration by Šerif's grandson Halid Bajrić has been recorded: “Grandpa Šerif experienced several serious threats by ustashas because he protected Serbian civilians. Once they told him that they would take him by the beard and throw from the minaret. The two Serbian children who were saved from death by grandpa lived with us even after Šerif's death, all until 1952, when they were taken to an 'orphanage'. While they lived in our house, we shared everything with them.”

Šerif-effendi Bajrić had seven children with two wives, Hasnija from Pećigrad and Devleta from Bužim, sons Mumin, Mustafa, Ibrahima, Arif and Haso, and daughters Hasiba and Ćatiba. He died at Stijena on 7 October 1947, at the age of ninety-two, and was buried by the old mosque in the fortress of Stijena. Following his and his father's example, two of Šerif's sons were religious servants. Arif-effendi was a muallim and a religious instructor, while Mumin-effendi was also a jamaat imam. It is regrettable that no mosque, street, school or another facility of general interest in Krajina has been named after him.

Šerif Bajrić

Potpisi:

• Šerif Bajrić with pupils of mektebi-ibtidaiyya at Stijena in 1930

• Madrasa in Bužim

• With colleagues - imams and pupils in the maktab at Stijena

• The mosque at Stijena where Šerif-effendi served

• Tombstone of Šerif-ef. Bajrić in the town of Stijena