"The Great Abu Sa'ud Teaching Law", Folio from a Divan of Mahmud `Abd-al Baqi

Mahmud 'Abd-al Baqi

Mahmud 'Abd al-Baqi (1526/27–1600) was a Turkish judge and poet whose most important work is his Divan, or collection of poetical works, which reflects the pleasures of courtly life in Istanbul in the sixteenth century. This is a page from one of the four known illustrated copies of this manuscript. It shows the Shaikh al-Islam (chief theologian) of that time, Abu al-Sa'ud (1490–1574), engaged in discussions with other theologians, and accompanies a qasida, or laudatory poem, about him.