Amasya’da tahsîl-i ulûm ederek ders-i âm oldu. Sonra Mahmûd Çelebi tekkesi şeyhi el-Hâc Mustafa Efendi’ye intisâb edib 1160’da şeyhinin vefâtı üzerine mezkûr tekke şeyhi ve 1179’da esnâf şeyhi oldu. 1186’da Canikli Hacı Ali Paşa’nın ve mahdûmlarının teveccühlerini kazanıp iştihâr etdi.
1188’de Hacı Ali Paşa’nın pek zâlimâne ahvâl ü harekâtı [690] bunun yüzünden olduğu söylenmekle 1193 şevvâlinde Hacı Ali Paşa’nın evlâd ü etbâ’ının firârı üzerine mezkûr tekkenin meşîhatını halifesi eş-Şeyh Abdüsselâm Efendi’ye kasr-ı yed ve ferâgat etmeğe mecbûr oldu.
1196’da Mikdat Ahmed Paşa’nın avdetinde kendisine teklif edilen meşîhat-ı mezkûreyi kabûl etmeyip kûşe-i uzlet ve inzivâda zikr ü ibâdet ile meşgûl olduğu halde 1207 senesi zilka’desinde vefât etdi. Âlim, âbid, müttakî, bir pîr-i mu’ammer idi.
In Modern English
He studied in Amasya and gave public lectures. Then he attached himself to Hacı Mustafa Efendi, sheikh of the Mahmud Çelebi Lodge, and on his sheikh's death in 1160 [1747-48] became sheikh of that lodge, and in 1179 [1765-66] sheikh of the guilds. In 1186 [1772-73] he won the favor of Canikli Hacı Ali Pasha and his sons and made a name.
Because it was said that in 1188 [1774-75] Hacı Ali Pasha's very cruel state and conduct were due to him, when Hacı Ali Pasha's children and men fled in Şevval 1193 [1779] he was compelled to withdraw, leaving the sheikhdom of the said lodge to his caliph Şeyh Abdüsselâm Efendi.
On Mikdat Ahmed Pasha's return in 1196 [1781-82] he did not accept the sheikhdom offered to him but withdrew to his corner, and while occupied with dhikr and worship he died in Zilkade 1207 [1793]. He was a learned, devout, pious, aged great man.
Notes and Research
Old Words in the Text
- ders-i âm: a general lecture open to the public and students
- intisâb: attaching oneself to a person, especially to a sheikh
- meşîhat: sheikhdom, headship of a lodge
- halîfe: a sheikh's deputy, his authorized disciple
- kasr-ı yed: withdrawing one's hand, giving up a post
- kûşe-i uzlet: withdrawing to one's own corner, into solitude
- zikir: the act of worship of remembering God (dhikr)
- pîr-i mu'ammer: a great man of long life, an aged man
- esnâf şeyhi: the religious and spiritual head of the guild organization
The Canikli Period and the Lodge Sheikh
The Hacı Ali Pasha in the text is Canikli Hacı Ali Pasha. According to the sources, the family could not hold out against Çapanoğlu Mustafa Bey in 1779 and fled to Crimea, and was pardoned in 1781; the sanjak of Amasya was then given as an arpalık to Mikdad Ahmed Pasha. Hüsameddin's dates of 1193 and 1196 agree with this course of events. The sheikh's closeness to the Canikliler and the rumor that Ali Pasha's cruel conduct was due to him are found only in Hüsameddin. Hüsameddin presents this as hearsay by saying "it was said"; it should not be taken as a definite judgment. No information was found in other sources on the Mahmud Çelebi Lodge or on the guild sheikhdom.
Bibliography
- Abdîzâde Hüseyin Hüsâmeddîn Yasar, Amasya Tarihi, Amasya Belediyesi Kültür Yayınları, 2022, vol. 6, p. 215–215. amasya.bel.tr