Khawaja-zada

Mulla Musleh al-Din Mustafa ibn Yusuf al-Bursawi al-Hanafi, known as Khawaja-zada. His father was a merchant of great wealth, and his children lived in great comfort. In his youth the subject of this entry was given one dirham a day, as a sign of displeasure, because he had devoted himself to learning and abandoned his father's way. He then persisted in seeking knowledge and attached himself to the service of Mawla Ibn Qadi Ayasulug, and then to Khadr Bey ibn Jalal, who used to say that when a question was difficult for him, it should be put to a sound intellect, meaning Khawaja-zada.

He moved from college to college in great poverty, and memorised the commentary on "al-Mawaqif." Then Sultan Muhammad made him his own teacher, and he read the "Tasrif" of al-Zanjani with him, and he wrote an excellent gloss on it. He became very close to him and was made chief judge of the army. At that time his father was in hardship and need, so he went from Bursa to Edirne to see his father. His son went out to meet him, together with the scholars and notables of the city. He dismounted from his horse, embraced him and seated him at the head of the assembly, while his father sat beside him. The brothers could not sit down because of the crowds of notables, so they stood with the servants, having been used to comfort before.

Then the sultan gave him the teaching post at the sultan's college in Bursa for fifty dirhams a day. At the age of thirty-three he was given his own college in Constantinople, and he wrote there the book "al-Tahafut" at the sultan's command. Then he was appointed judge at Edirne and gave legal opinions in Constantinople. After the death of Muhammad, Bayezid gave him the sultan's college at Bursa for one hundred dirhams a day, and then the post of mufti of Bursa. By then his legs and his right hand had failed, so he wrote with his left hand a gloss on the commentary on "al-Mawaqif," at Bayezid's command.

He died in 893 AH ¹.