Amasya mahkemesi baş-kâtibi el-Hâc İsmâil Efendi bin el-Hâc Mehmed Efendi bin el-Hâc Ali Efendi bin Hasan Efendi bin hattât ve vâ’iz-i meşhûr Fazlullah Efendi’nin mahdûmudur. Ulemâdan ve hâssaten Fenercizâde Hacı Evliya Hâlil Efendi’den tahsîl-i ulûm ederek ders-i âm oldu.
1176’da pederinin intikâlini müte’âkib mahkeme mukayyidi olarak tahsîline devam etmişdi. Sonra birâderi es-Seyyid Feyzullah Efendi’nin yerine mahkeme kâtibi olduysa da bir yıl sonra ma’zûlen tedrîse devam etdi.
1212’de sânîyen mahkeme kâtibi olup 1214’de Amasya nâibi iken azl ve Samsun’a hayli ulemâ ile beraber [707] nefy edildi. 1215’de Hüseyin Battal Paşa’nın inâyetiyle avdet edib üçüncü defa mahkeme kâtibi ve 1218’de ma’zûl ve 1219 senesi hengâmesinde merhûm oldu. Âlim, kâtib, fıkıh ve Arabiyyeye vâkıf, talîk-nüvîs idi. Mahdûmları es-Seyyid Abdülfettah, Ali, Mehmed Emin Efendilerdir.
In Modern English
He is the son of Hacı İsmail Efendi, chief scribe of the Amasya court; İsmail Efendi was the son of Hacı Mehmed Efendi, who was the son of Hacı Ali Efendi, who was the son of Hasan Efendi, who descended from Fazlullah Efendi, calligrapher and famous preacher. He learned from the scholars, especially from Fenercizâde Hacı Evliya Halil Efendi, and became a ders-i âm (a müderris who has received authority to give general lectures).
In 1176 [1762-63], after his father's death, he continued his studies as court mukayyid (record keeper). Then he became court scribe in place of his brother Seyyid Feyzullah Efendi; but when he was dismissed a year later he returned to teaching.
In 1212 [1797-98] he became court scribe for the second time. In 1214 [1799-1800], while naib of Amasya, he was dismissed and, together with many scholars, exiled to Samsun. In 1215 [1800-01], with the help of Hüseyin Battal Pasha, he returned and became court scribe for the third time; in 1218 [1803-04] he was dismissed and in 1219 [1804-05] he died. He was a scholar, a scribe, versed in fiqh and Arabic, and wrote the talik script. His sons are Seyyid Abdülfettah, Ali and Mehmed Emin Efendis.
Notes and Research
Old Words in the Text
- hattât: an artist who writes a fine hand
- vâ'iz: religious preacher
- ders-i âm: a müderris authorized to give general lectures in a madrasa
- mukayyid: the official who keeps the court records
- ma'zûl: dismissed from office
- nâib: a judicial officer acting by the kadı's authority
- nefy: exile
- Arabiyye: Arabic and the sciences of the Arabic language
- talîk-nüvîs: one who writes the talik script
- merhûm oldu: he died
Court Scribeship and Exile
In the entry, scribeship and müderrisship are intertwined. The author shows this man as scribe at the same court in three separate periods, and for a time as naib. That he returned to teaching each time he left a post shows that the scholar class of Amasya carried out judicial and educational work together. A recent academic study on the müderrises of the city reports the existence of more than forty madrasas in Amasya; this shows the environment in which these persons with the title ders-i âm were trained.
The reason for the exile of 1214 is not written in the text. Hüsameddin records only that many scholars were sent to Samsun and that they returned a year later through the mediation of Hüseyin Battal Pasha. In the searches made, no verifiable source was found about Hüseyin Battal Pasha and this event; the information rests solely on this entry. For the same reason it is not known with which local quarrel in Amasya the exile was connected.
The Fazlullah Efendi in the entry is mentioned as a famous calligrapher and preacher. The chain of descent reaches back four generations; this chain shows that the profession of scribeship and learning continued in the family from father to son.
Bibliography
- Abdîzâde Hüseyin Hüsâmeddîn Yasar, Amasya Tarihi, Amasya Belediyesi Kültür Yayınları, 2022, vol. 6, p. 219–220. amasya.bel.tr
- Hasan Telli, "Meşihat Arşivi'ne Göre Amasya Müderrisleri", Kocatepe İslami İlimler Dergisi, 7/2 (2024), p. 732–758. https://doi.org/10.52637/kiid.1512049