Amasya yeniçerilerinden Apardıoğlu İbrâhim Ağa bin Mehmed Ağa bin Apardı İbrâhim Ağa’nın mahdûmudur. Tahsîl-i ilm ü marifet etdikten sonra kibâr-ı Nakşibendiyyeden Buharalı Mirza Yûsufzâde eş-Şeyh Mustafa Efendi’ye [721] ve meşhûr Çatal Hâfız Ahmed Efendi’ye hizmet ederek Hacı İlyas tekkesi şeyhi ve Hâfız Efendi’nin halifesi oldu. Hayli iştihâr edib 1236’da vefât etdi.
Ahval ü ma’ârif-i sûfiyeye vâkıf, âbid, halûk, latîf, tecemmülâta mâ’il, sulehâ-yı meşâyihden bir zât idi. Şeyhinin yanında medfûndur. Oğulları Kurşunlu Mahallesi imâmı Hâfız Mehmed, İbrâhim Efendilerdir. Hâfız Mehmed Efendizâde Hâfız Mustafa Efendi de imâmdı.
Bunun ammizâdesi Hâfız Ahmed Efendi olup daha sonra vefât etdi. Oğulları Mehmed Sa’îd, Hasan, Ali Efendilerdir. Evkâf kâtibi Hâfız Hasan Efendizâde Abdüllatîf Efendi mahkeme kâtibi ve bidâyet a’zâsından olup 1320 sâlinden sonra vefât etdi.
In Modern English
He was the son of İbrâhim Ağa, called Apardıoğlu, a Janissary of Amasya; İbrâhim Ağa was the son of Mehmed Ağa, who was the son of İbrâhim Ağa Apardı. After acquiring learning and knowledge, he served Sheikh Mustafa Efendi, son of Mirza Yûsuf of Bukhara and one of the great figures of the Nakşibendiyye, and the famous Çatal Hâfız Ahmed Efendi; he became sheikh of the Hacı İlyas lodge and a successor (halife) of Hâfız Efendi. He gained considerable fame and died in 1236 [1820-21].
He was a man who knew the states and sciences of Sufism, devoted to worship, of good character, refined, inclined to dress with care, one of the pious sheikhs. He is buried beside his sheikh. His sons are Hâfız Mehmed, imam of Kurşunlu neighborhood, and İbrâhim Efendi. Hâfız Mustafa Efendi, son of Hâfız Mehmed Efendi, was also an imam.
His cousin Hâfız Ahmed Efendi died later. His sons are Mehmed Sa'îd, Hasan and Ali Efendi. Abdüllatîf Efendi, son of the waqf clerk Hâfız Hasan Efendi, was a court clerk and member of the court of first instance (bidâyet), and died after 1320 [1902-03].
Notes and Research
Old Words in the Text
- tahsîl-i ilm ü marifet: acquiring learning and knowledge
- kibâr-ı Nakşibendiyye: the great figures of the Nakşibendî order
- halîfe: a disciple authorized by the sheikh who can act in his place
- iştihâr: gaining fame
- ahvâl ü ma'ârif-i sûfiyye: the states and knowledge of Sufism
- âbid, halûk, latîf: devoted to worship, of good character, gentle
- tecemmülât: adornment, care in dress
- sulehâ-yı meşâyih: the pious among the sheikhs, virtuous sheikhs
- medfûn: buried
- ammizâde: paternal cousin
- bidâyet a'zâsı: member of the court of first instance (bidâyet)
A Nakşibendî Sheikh of Janissary Descent
Ahmed Efendi's lineage goes back to the Janissary corps: his father and grandfather were Janissaries. He himself entered the Nakşibendî path and became sheikh of a lodge. Hüsameddin refers to him with the heading "Yeşil Şeyh" (the Green Sheikh) but does not say why he bore this epithet. He says he carried out his sheikhship at the Hacı İlyas lodge; no reliable source could be found on the location of this lodge in Amasya or its present condition.
No verifiable source could be found on Çatal Hâfız Ahmed Efendi or Sheikh Mustafa Efendi, son of Mirza Yûsuf of Bukhara.
Bibliography
- Abdîzâde Hüseyin Hüsâmeddîn Yasar, Amasya Tarihi, Amasya Belediyesi Kültür Yayınları, 2022, vol. 6, p. 224–224. amasya.bel.tr