Lokman

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Lokman (also Locman, Luqmaan and Luqman) (c. 1100 B.C.) was an Ethiopian sage who is believed to be a nephew or grand-nephew to Job. Often confused with Aesop, it is believed that Lokman was quoted by the Islamic prophet Muhammad as authority on certain issues. The thirty-first chapter of the Qur'an is named after him.

According to the legend, Lokman, who could understand the language of the flowers and grasses, after seeing all the world, settled in Mopsuestia (Turkish: Misis - Yakapinar) which is between Adana and Ceyhan in the Mediterranean region of Turkey.

The natives asked for an elixir of immortality. When Lokman Hekim was looking for a plant for the medicine, a plant began to speak: "I am the cure for mortality". So Lokman Hekim breaks off a piece of the plant and starts making the medicine, writing the recipe in a notebook. Just finished making the elixir, an invisible hand drops the plant and the formula into the wild waters of Ceyhan River from Mopsuestia Bridge. Lokman immediately throws himself to the river but cannot find the notebook. When the summer comes and the waters of the river are low, he continues searching along the riverbank. At last, he finds a page of his notebook in a barley field. The people of the area today, believe that the soil of the barley field is sacred, warm up the sandy soil, wrap it in a cloth and put it on a child who has stomach ache.

The thirty-first Surah of the Quran has the name of "Luqmaan" and that surah indicates that Lokman was given wisdom.

It is said that (not in the Quran), the life of Lokman is worth the life of nine eagles. He died after the last of the nine eagles, which he was feeding, died. Because of an eagle's life is eighty years, and because of it was thought that he had lived 560 years, he is considered as the symbol of long life.

In Arabic and Turkish literature, there are many Lokman Hekim stories. Turks say that he could cure all ills except a broken heart.

Lokman is also credited as the author of Fables of the Sun and the Wind, Peacock and the Jackdaw and several other stories.

[edit] References

Quran on http://submission.org/quran/

Ali Haydar Bayat, "Bibliyografyanın Işığında Lokmân, Hakî mi, Hekim mi?", Tıp Tarihi Araştırmaları, S.10, İstanbul 2001, S.144-155. Ali Haydar Bayat, "Türk Kültüründe Lokman Hekim", Türk Dünyaı Araştırmaları Vakfı, İstanbul 2001 )