Merzifonludur. Ulemâdan Merzifon müftüsü Ömer Efendizâde el-Hâc Mehmed Efendi’nin mahdûmudur. Amasya’da Îydîzâde Hacı Mustafa Akif ve Laz İbrâhim Efendilerden ikmâl-i tahsîl edib avdetle Merzifon’da ders-i âm ve pederinin irtihâlinde yerine Hacı Ramazân (Ramazânîye) Medresesi müderrisi oldu.
Ba’dehû Merzifon müftüsü olup 1188’de Canikli Hacı Ali Paşa’nın cabbârâne hareketi ile azledilerek Amasya’ya celb ve hapsedildi. Üç ay sonra fidye-i necât olarak bütün varını verip kurtuldu.
1193’de Hacı Ali Paşa’nın ve evlat ve etbâ’ının firârında yine Merzifon müftüsü oldu. 1196’da Caniklizâde [681] Mikdat Ahmed Paşa Amasya mutasarrıfı olup geldikte azledilip 1199’da vefât etdi. Meşâhîr-i ulemâdan vakûr, metîn, vecîh, zî-servet bir zât idi. Serveti Hacı Ali Paşa’nın şerrine uğratdı.
In Modern English
He was from Merzifon. He was the son of el-Hâc Mehmed Efendi, Ömer Efendizâde, one of the scholars and mufti of Merzifon. After completing his studies in Amasya under Îydîzâde Hacı Mustafa Akif and Laz İbrahim Efendi, on his return he became a teacher of general lectures in Merzifon; on his father's death he became professor of the Hacı Ramazan (Ramazaniye) Madrasa in his place.
Then he became mufti of Merzifon, and in 1188 [1774-75], through the tyrannical conduct of Canikli Hacı Ali Pasha, he was dismissed, brought to Amasya, and imprisoned. After three months he was freed by giving all his property as a ransom.
In 1193 [1779], when Hacı Ali Pasha and his children and supporters fled, he became mufti of Merzifon again. In 1196 [1781-82], when Caniklizâde Mikdat Ahmed Pasha came as governor of Amasya, he was dismissed, and in 1199 [1784-85] he died. He was one of the well-known scholars, a dignified, firm, esteemed, and wealthy man. His wealth exposed him to the tyranny of Hacı Ali Pasha.
Notes and Research
Old Words in the Text
- ders-i âm: teacher who gives public lessons
- irtihâl: death
- müderris: madrasa teacher
- azl: dismissal
- celb: summoning, having someone brought
- fidye-i necât: ransom for deliverance
- cabbârâne: tyrannically
- etbâ': supporters, followers
- vakûr, metîn, vecîh, zî-servet: dignified, firm, esteemed, wealthy
What Befell the Mufti
Mehmed Efendi's story shows the system of oppression around Amasya in the time of Canikli Hacı Ali Pasha. The sanjak of Amasya was given to the pasha as a life-tenure grant (mâlikâne) on 30 May 1772, and the sources state that he and his sons oppressed the people and increased their wealth unjustly. The mufti's dismissal and imprisonment in 1188 and his release after giving all his property are consistent with this picture. When the Canikli family fled to Crimea before Çapanoğlu Mustafa Bey in 1193, he returned to the post of mufti, and after the pardon of the Canikli family in 1781, when the sanjak of Amasya was given again to Mikdad Ahmed Pasha, he was dismissed again. Hüsameddin says 1196; in the TDV this appointment is given as September 1781.
No information on Mehmed Efendi himself and his family was found in other sources.
Bibliography