Both his grandfather Kamlıklı Hacı Mustafa Efendi and his father Abdurrahman Efendi were muftis of Merzifon, which is how the family came to be called "Müftîzâde", the mufti's sons; Âdil Mustafa Efendi, the third generation, did not carry the office further into the eighteenth century and chose the judiciary instead. He studied in Amasya with Îdîzâde Âkif Mustafa Efendi, one of the teachers who drew the largest circles of students, passed the judges' examination in Istanbul, served as judge in many towns and cities, retired and died in 1188 (1774-75). The epithets Hüseyin Hüsâmeddîn Yasar gives him are "one who practised what he knew, virtuous, a poet".

The Entry in Amasya Tarihi

Merzifon müftüsü Kamlıklı Mustafa Efendizâde Abdurrahman Efendi'nin mahdûmudur. Amasya'da Iydîzâde Hacı Âkif Mustafa Efendi'den ikmâl-i tahsîl edib İstanbul'a gitdi. Tarîk imtihânını kazandığı münâsebetle silk-i kudâta girip hayli kasabât ve bilâda kadı olarak iştihâr etdi. Ba'dehû ihtiyâr-ı tekâüd edib 1188'de vefât etdi. Âmil, fâzıl, şâir bir zât idi.

Rendered into English: Grandson of Kamlıklı Mustafa Efendi, mufti of Merzifon, through his son Abdurrahman Efendi. He completed his studies in Amasya under Îdîzâde Hacı Âkif Mustafa Efendi and went to Istanbul. Having passed the examination for the judicial career, he entered the ranks of the judges and became known as judge in a good many towns and cities. Later he chose to retire, and he died in 1188. He was a man who acted on his learning, virtuous, and a poet.

A Mufti Family in Merzifon

The rise of the family's elder, Kamlıklı Mustafa Efendi, in Merzifon is tied to a case of embezzlement related in the supplement to the fourth volume. In 1128 (1716) the voivode of Merzifon Hasan Ağa, the judge Ali Efendi and Abdullah Efendi, teacher and mufti of the Sultaniye madrasa, together pocketed money collected from the people for the purchase of camels. When this came to light all three were dismissed, banished to Samsun and confined in its fortress; the money was recovered from them and returned to its owners. New men were appointed to the vacant posts, and "Kamlıklı Mustafa Efendi, one of the ulema" became teacher and mufti of the Sultaniye of Merzifon. Hüsameddin does not explain which village or quarter the nisba "Kamlıklı" refers to.

According to his own entry in the eleventh volume, Âdil's father Abdurrahman Efendi studied with his father and, in Amasya, with Çorumlu Müftü Hâfız Seyyid Mehmed Efendi, became a public lecturer, taught at the Çelebi Sultan madrasa in Merzifon, then like his father became mufti of Merzifon, and died after 1167 (1753-54). He was known for his learning in law; Hüsameddin records that he wrote a commentary on the work known as "Aynü'l-İlim" by Aliyyülkārî. The last sentence of the same entry names his son as "Mustafa Âdil Efendi". In the father's entry the given name comes first, while in the son's own heading Âdil leads; taken together, the two usages suggest that Âdil was a pen name distinguishing this Mustafa Efendi from the other Mustafas. Rummânzâde Âdil Mehmed Efendi, whose entry stands just before his in the same volume, came from another family and died some hundred years earlier, in 1086.

Studies in Amasya and Years on the Bench

Âdil Mustafa Efendi's teacher, Îdîzâde Âkif Mustafa Efendi, was a scholar and poet who served twice as mufti of Amasya, taught for more than forty years and died in 1173 (1760). Hüsameddin writes that students flocked to Amasya in his day and that a council of scholars was set up to settle them in the madrasas. Âkif Efendi's family, too, came from Merzifon. That the son of a Merzifon mufti family completed his studies with him shows how the scholarly tie between the two towns worked in those years.

Âdil Efendi then went to Istanbul. The "tarîk imtihânı" mentioned in the entry was the examination that candidates for the judicial profession had to pass. Once through it, he joined the ranks of the judges. Hüsameddin writes that he became known as judge in "hayli kasabât ve bilâd", a good many towns and cities, but does not list his posts. In a system where terms were kept short and judges were moved often, serving in so many places points to a long career. In the end he retired at his own request. Where he lived afterwards, and whether he returned to Merzifon or Amasya, is not known.

His Poetry

No poems by Âdil Mustafa Efendi have come down to us. His teacher Âkif Efendi's divan has survived, but the pupil's verse has not shared that fortune. Hüsameddin, for his part, goes no further than recording that he was a poet and mentions no divan. In his inventory of poets published in 2024, Metin Hakverdioğlu likewise does no more than name him.

Chronology

1128 (1716): His grandfather Kamlıklı Mustafa Efendi becomes teacher and mufti of the Sultaniye of Merzifon.

After 1167 (after 1753-54): His father Abdurrahman Efendi, mufti of Merzifon, dies.

1173 (1760): His teacher Îdîzâde Âkif Mustafa Efendi dies in Amasya.

1188 (1774-75): Âdil Mustafa Efendi dies as a retired judge.

Bibliography

Primary sources

Online sources