Amasyalıdır. Halvetîye meşâyîhinden Şeyhzâde Abdulcabbar Efendi bin eş-Şeyh Hüsameddîn Hüseyin Efendi bin Abdurrahman Efendi’nin mahdûmudur. Amasya’da meşâhîr-i ulemâdan tahsîl-i ulûm ederek [556] İstanbul’a gidip ders-i âm ve ba’de’l-imtihân 1061’de müderris ve 1062’de Şeyhülislâm Bahâî Mehmed Efendi’ye fetvâ emîni oldu.
1064’de Bahâî Efendi’nin vefâtına binâ’en fetvâ emânetinden infisâl etdi. 1067 rebîülahiresinde Trablusşam, 1071 şa’bânında Ankara, 1076 muharreminde sânîyen Trablusşam, 1082 rebîülevvelinde Kayseriyye ve 1088 cumâdelûlâsında Diyârbekir Mollası oldu. 1089 senesi saferinde dâr-ı bekâya rihlet etdi. Gâyet fakîh, usûlî, müteşerri’, afîf bir zât idi.
In Modern English
He was a native of Amasya. He was the son of Şeyhzâde Abdülcebbâr Efendi, one of the Halveti sheikhs; Abdülcebbâr Efendi was the son of Şeyh Hüsâmeddîn Hüseyin Efendi, who in turn was the son of Abdurrahman Efendi. After learning from well-known scholars in Amasya, he went to Istanbul and gave lectures open to all; after the examination he became a madrasa professor in 1061 [1650-51], and in 1062 [1651-52] the fetva emini of Şeyhülislam Bahâî Mehmed Efendi.
In 1064 [1653-54], on the death of Bahâî Efendi, he left the post of fetva emini. In Rebîülâhir 1067 he became kadı (molla) of Tripoli (Syria), in Şaban 1071 of Ankara, in Muharrem 1076 of Tripoli for the second time, in Rebîülevvel 1082 of Kayseri, and in Cemâziyelevvel 1088 of Diyarbekir. He passed to the other world in Safer 1089 [1678]. He was a person of very deep knowledge of fiqh, strong in the science of legal methodology, devoted to the sharia and chaste.
Notes and Research
Old Words in the Text
- ders-i âm: one who gives lectures open to all, a high-ranking member of the teaching corps
- fetva emini: the official who ran fatwa affairs in the office of the şeyhülislam
- infisâl: leaving office
- Mollâ: a high-ranking member of the scholarly class who was kadı of a major city
- dâr-ı bekâya rihlet etmek: to die
- usûlî: a person strong in knowledge of the principles of fiqh (legal methodology)
- müteşerri': devoted to the sharia
- afîf: chaste, honorable
Bahâî Mehmed Efendi and His Time
The nickname "Müvezzi'" in the entry title has no explanation in the text, and this nickname was not found for Ahmed Efendi in other sources. Bahâî Mehmed Efendi, to whom Ahmed Efendi was attached, was a famous poet and şeyhülislam. He was first appointed şeyhülislam on 8 Receb 1059 (18 July 1649); after being dismissed he returned to the office during the grand vizierate of Siyavuş Pasha, beginning this second term on 11 Ramazan 1062 (16 August 1652). He was strangled to death on 12 Safer 1064 (2 January 1654).
These dates agree with those Hüsameddin gives. Ahmed Efendi's post as fetva emini corresponds to 1062, that is, the beginning of Bahâî Efendi's second term as şeyhülislam. His leaving it in 1064 is the natural consequence of the şeyhülislam's death. The post of fetva emini is one that came with the şeyhülislam and ended with his departure; Ahmed Efendi's later judgeships form the main body of his career.
The Steps of Judgeship
The judgeships of cities such as Tripoli, Ankara, Kayseri and Diyarbekir are among the high-ranking judgeships called "mevleviyet" in the Ottoman scholarly system. Kadıs who reached this rank were called "molla." The posts Hüsameddin lists show the steps of judgeship in Anatolia for an Amasya madrasa professor. The exact duration of each post could not be verified in another source.
Bibliography
Primary sources
- Abdîzâde Hüseyin Hüsâmeddîn Yasar, Amasya Tarihi, Amasya Belediyesi Kültür Yayınları, 2022, vol. 6, p. 174–174. amasya.bel.tr
Academic studies
Other sources
- "Mevleviyet", TDV İslâm Ansiklopedisi.