Dawūd al-Qayṣarī

Ottoman Sufi scholar, philosopher and mystic (c.1260-c.1350)

Dawūd al-Qayṣarī
Personal
Born	c. 1260 Kayseri
Died	751/1350
Religion	Islam
Era	14th century
Notable work(s)	Sharh Fusus al-Hikam
Tariqa	Akbariyya
Occupation	Theologian, Teacher at the first Ottoman medrese
Senior posting
Influenced by Ibn Arabi, Qunawi
Influenced Molla Fenari

Dawūd al-Qayṣarī (c. 1260 – c. 1350) was an early Ottoman Sufi scholar, philosopher and mystic. He was born in Kayseri, in central Anatolia and was the student of the Iranian scholar, Abd al-Razzaq Kāshānī (d. 1329).^[1]

He was the author of over a dozen philosophical texts, many of which are still important textbooks in Shi'ite religious schools. The most important is the commentary on Ibn al-'Arabi's Fusus al-Hikam and his criticism of Ibn al-Farid's poetry. Sultan Orhan Gazi built a school for him in the town of İznik, the first case of an Ottoman state-established medrese.^[2]