[654] Amasya’da muhaddis-i meşhûr, Hıfzızâde el-Hâc Osmân Fa’ik Efendi’den ve Kürd el-Hâc Hâfız Ali Efendi’den ikmâl-i tahsîl edib ders-i âm oldu. Neşr-i ulûma himmet ederek iştihâr edib 1150’de Halfet Gâzi Medresesine müderris oldu.
1169’da Halfet Gâzi vakfına mütevellî olup vüs’ât ü yesâra erdi. 1176’da tevliyetle beraber vazife-i tedrîsinin nısfını mahdûmu es-Seyyid Abdullah Efendi’ye ve diğer nısfını da dâmâdı olan diğer es-Seyyid Abdullah Efendi’ye kasr-ı yed ü ferâgat etdikten sonra vefât etdi. Meşâhîr-i ulemâdan idi.
In Modern English
In Amasya he completed his studies under the renowned hadith scholar Hıfzızâde Hacı Osman Fa'ik Efendi and Kürd Hacı Hâfız Ali Efendi, and became able to give public lectures. He became known for his efforts to spread learning, and in 1150 [1737-38] became professor at the Halfet Gâzi Madrasa.
In 1169 [1755-56] he became trustee of the Halfet Gâzi waqf and attained ample means and prosperity. In 1176 [1762-63], while continuing as trustee, he withdrew, leaving half of the teaching post to his son Seyyid Abdullah Efendi and the other half to another Seyyid Abdullah Efendi, his son-in-law, and then died. He was one of the well-known scholars.
Notes and Research
Old Words in the Text
- ikmâl-i tahsîl: completing one's studies
- ders-i âm: a professor of high rank who gives public lectures
- neşr-i ulûm: spreading the sciences
- iştihâr: becoming known, gaining fame
- vüs'ât ü yesâr: ample means and abundance
- kasr-ı yed ü ferâgat: withdrawing one's hand, renouncing a post
- nısf: half
- dâmâd: son-in-law
- meşâhîr-i ulemâ: renowned scholars
The Halfet Gâzi Madrasa
The name popularly pronounced Hilfet Gazi is in fact Halîfet Gazi. The complex today stands in the Şamice quarter of central Amasya, on Torumtay Street. Its inscription shows that the madrasa was built in 606 (1209-10). Halîfet Gazi, who had it built, was one of the Danishmend emirs; when the principality ended he entered Seljuk service, became governor of Amasya in 1222, and fell as a martyr in the campaign against the Georgians in 1232, and was buried in his tomb in Amasya. The madrasa's waqf deed dated 622 (1225) has survived to the present.
The building's story continues in later centuries. The south wall and the eastern part of the madrasa partly stand. After the earthquake of 1647 the professor Hasan Efendi had the collapsed parts rebuilt in wood, and in 1888 the mufti of Amasya, Hacı Osman Hilmi Efendi, repaired the building extensively. The two-storey tomb with an octagonal body next to the madrasa contains a Roman-period sarcophagus. Researchers differ on tying the building's original state to a church; some sources write that the madrasa was converted from a church, while others consider the tomb older than the madrasa.
Hüsameddin's Record
In this entry Hüsameddin describes the professorship of the madrasa and the trusteeship of the waqf as being combined in the same person. The handing over of the professorship in halves to two Seyyid Abdullah Efendis, that is, sharing it between son and son-in-law, shows that a teaching post could be transferred within the family. Hıfzızâde Osman Fa'ik Efendi also appears as a teacher in entries 663 and 664; from these three entries one can see how many people shared a common teacher in Amasya's scholarly circle. No information was found in other sources about Ahmed Efendi.
Bibliography
- Abdîzâde Hüseyin Hüsâmeddîn Yasar, Amasya Tarihi, Amasya Belediyesi Kültür Yayınları, 2022, vol. 6, p. 204–204. amasya.bel.tr
- Aynur Durukan, "Hilfet Gazi Medresesi ve Türbesi", TDV İslâm Ansiklopedisi, vol. 18, İstanbul 1998, p. 30-31. https://islamansiklopedisi.org.tr/hilfet-gazi-medresesi-ve-turbesi