RUSH IS A WORK OF DEVIL
Author: Ekrem Tucaković, PhD, Riyasat of the Islamic Community in Bosnia and Herzegovina • Illustration: Tomb of Rizah Muderizović in the courtyard of the Atik Mosque in Fojnica
Fojnica resident Rizah Muderizović was born in 1868, and died in 1943. He worked as a curator of the National Museum in Sarajevo. He left behind many academic and translation works.
The preserved anecdotes portray him as a great joker and a man of (ćejif (pleasure) and merak (enjoyment). According to Fojnica-based portal www.mahalla.ba (a text posted on 11. 05. 2017), in 1936 Rizah was supposed to go to Istanbul by a ship which departed from Rijeka, Croatia. He set out with his assistant. When they arrived in Rijeka, he ordered coffee and at that moment the ship horn announced the beginning of boarding. The assistant told him that it was time to go, but Rizah-bey said, take it easy, let us wait for the coffee. When they brought the coffee, the ship horn sounded again. The assistant told him that they would be late but Rizah-bey still took it easy and continued to sip coffee. When he took out tobacco to smoke the pipe, the horn sounded for the third time announcing departure of the ship. Panicking, the assistant said, Rizah-bey, we'll be late. Rizah-beg asked him, when is the next ship for Istanbul? The assistant answered, only in two weeks.
And Rizah-bey then said: “Take it easy, sit down, rush is a work of devil!” He lit the pipe and continued to enjoy Rijeka sun over the following two weeks until the departure of another ship to Istanbul!
Tomb of Rizah Muderizović in the courtyard of the Atik Mosque in Fojnica