Amasya ulemâsından el-Hâc Ali Efendi’nin mahdûmudur. “Ders-i âm Efendi” demekle meşhûr Şeyhü’l-kurra Hâfız el-Hâc Mehmed Efendi bin Ali Efendi’den vücûh-ı kıra’atı ahz ü ikmâl etdikten sonra “Uzun Müderris” demekle meşhûr Fâzıl Mehmed Efendi bin Sinan’dan tahsîl-i ulûm ederek her iki cihetden me’zûn oldu. 1052 muhareminde vefât eden Sultân Bâyezîd Câmi-i şerîfi birinci imâmı Hâfız Abdurrahman Efendi’nin yerine birinci imâm oldu. Talebe-i ulûma ta’lîm ve vücûh-ı Kurân ve tedrîs-i fıkıh edib 1082 senesi rebîülevvelinin on beşinde dâr-ı na’îme irtihâl etdi.
Âlim, fakîh, müteşerri’, kıraat-ı seb’a ve aşere ve takrîbe âşinâ, savt ü edâsı güzel, kıra’atı mükemmel bir şeyhü’l-kurra idi. Hacı Kurra Efendi, “Sultân Bülbülü” demekle meşhûr idi. Mü’ezzin Bülbül Hâfız Ahmed Çelebi ile bunun nevbetinde saflarda yer [545] bulunmazdı. Bu zâtın yerine Hâcezâde Hâfız Halîl Efendi imâm-ı evvel oldu.
In Modern English
He was the son of Hacı Ali Efendi, one of the scholars of Amasya. After learning and completing the modes of recitation (qira'at) of the Quran from Hâfız Hacı Mehmed Efendi son of Ali Efendi, Sheikh of the Qurra (head of the Quran reciters), famous as "Ders-i âm Efendi", he acquired learning from Fâzıl Mehmed Efendi son of Sinan, famous as "Uzun Müderris", and received an ijaza in both respects. He became first imam in place of Hâfız Abdurrahman Efendi, first imam of the Sultan Bayezid Mosque, who died in Muharrem 1052. He taught students, taught the modes of recitation of the Quran and fiqh, and departed for the hereafter on the fifteenth of Rebiülevvel 1082.
He was a scholar, a jurist, bound to the sharia, a sheikh of the qurra acquainted with the seven and ten qira'at and with takrîb, of beautiful voice and recitation, and perfect in his reading. Hacı Kurra Efendi was famous as the "Sultan's Nightingale". During the turns of duty of this man and the muezzin Bülbül Hâfız Ahmed Çelebi, no place could be found in the rows. In this man's place Hâcezâde Hâfız Halîl Efendi became first imam.
Notes and Research
Old Words in the Text
- vücûh-ı kıra'at: the different modes of reciting the Quran (qira'at)
- ahz ü ikmâl: learning and completing
- me'zûn: authorized, holding an ijaza
- şeyhü'l-kurra: head of the Quran reciters, chief qurra
- kıraat-ı seb'a ve aşere: the system of the seven and ten qira'at
- savt ü edâ: voice and recitation
- nevbet: turn, watch
- dâr-ı na'îm: paradise (a way of speaking of death)
The Sultan Bayezid Mosque
The mosque where this person was first imam is the Beyazıt II Mosque and Complex, which still serves in the center of Amasya today. According to the inscriptions, the mosque was completed in Receb 891 (July 1486); its inscriptions were written by a calligrapher named Ali b. Mezîd. The sources differ as to when construction began. Hüsameddin puts forward that the work was begun right after Bayezid's accession, in Receb 886 (September 1481). The complex includes a madrasa, an imaret, a tabhane and buildings adjoining the mosque.
Qira'at and the Tradition of the Qurra
The text says that Hacı Efendi was, on one hand, a qurra who recited the Quran beautifully, and on the other a scholar who was the student of Fâzıl Mehmed Efendi, nicknamed "Uzun Müderris". The expression "authorized in both respects" reports that he received an ijaza both in qira'at and in the madrasa sciences. In entry no. 555 "Uzun Müderris Mehmed Efendi" is mentioned as the teacher of Ahmed Efendi-Hocazâde; this name most probably indicates the same person, but the book does not state explicitly that the name in the two entries is one.
The nickname "Sultan Bülbülü" comes from the beauty of the person's voice. It is related that in the turns of duty in which they served together with the muezzin Bülbül Hâfız Ahmed Çelebi no empty place remained in the rows of the mosque; this can be taken as a popular expression describing the crowd and the interest shown in the two.
No information was found in other sources about this person. Information on the date of death and his predecessor Hâfız Abdurrahman Efendi is known only from Hüsameddin.
Bibliography