Bu zâtın sâdât-ı Hüseyniyyeden, ya’nî âbâ ü ecdâdı sülâle-i tâhire-i Hüseyin bin emîrü’l-mü’minîn Ali bin Ebî Tâlib’den olduğuna dâ’ir ele geçen silsile-nâmeleri pek muhtelifdir. Birkaç silsile-nâmede müttefîken yazıldığı üzere şeyh-i müşârün-ileyh,
“es-Seyyid Tâceddîn Mehmed bin Kudbeddîn, Ahmed bin Şemseddîn Mehmed bin Mühezzebeddîn Abdürrahim bin Osmân bin Celâleddîn Mehmed bin Yahyâ bin Hâzım bin Sâbit bin Ali bin Hüseyin bin Mehdî [339] ibni Mehmed bin Hüseyin bin Ahmed bin Mûsâ bin İbrâhim el-Murteza bin Mûsâ el-Kâzım ibni Ca’fer es-Sadık bin Muhammed el-Bâkır bin Ali Zeynelâbidîn bin Hüseyin eş-Şehîd bin Ali bin Ebî Tâlib” mahdûmudur.
Sülâle-i Rıfâ’iyyeden es-Seyyid Zeynelâbidîn Ali bin Ahmed el-Kayseri ahfâdından esbak Medîne-i Münevvere müftüsü es-Seyyid Ahmed Es’ad Efendi ensâb-ı Rıfâ’iyye’nin sâdâd-ı Aleviyyeden olduğunu isbâta mahsûs olarak te’lîf eylediği el-Müselselâtü’r-Rifâ’îye adlı eser matbu’ında sâhib-i tercemenin sülâlesini şöyle sevk ediyor:
“eş-Şeyhü’l-ecellü es-Seyyid Şemseddîn Ebu’l- Abbâs Ahmed bin Tâceddîn Mehmed bin Kutbeddîn Ahmed bin Şemseddîn Mehmed bin Abdurrahîm bin Osmân bin Hasan bin Mehmed ‘Uslet bin Hâzım bin Ahmed bin Ali bin Hasan bin Rifâ’a el-Mekkî bin Mehdî bin Mehmed bin Hasan bin Hüseyin bin Abdurrahman bin Ahmed bin Mûsâ bin İbrâhim bin el-İmâm Mûsâ el-Kâzım er-Rifâ’î el-‘Alevî el-Lâdikî” diyor.
Ahmed Es’ad Efendi yine diyor ki: “Kayseriye’de medfûn olan ceddim es-Seyyid Zeynel’âbidîn Ali el-Kayserî, Lâdik’de medfûn olan Sâhibü’l-hâl es-Seyyid Ahmed el-Kebîrü’r-Rifâ’î, Batayıh’de medfûn olan sâhibü’t-tarîkat-ı Rıfâ’iyye Seydî Ahmed er-Rifâ’î, [340] “Hâzım bin Ahmed bin Hasan Rifâ’a el-Mekkî” evlâdındandır.
“Ceddim es-Seyyid Zeynel’âbidîn Ali bin Ahmed bin Mehmed bin Abdurrahman ibn-i Abdulkebîr bin Mahmûd bin Ali bin Hâşim bin Sa’d bin Selâme bin Ahmed el-‘Ubeyd bin Abdullah bin Hâzım sahibül hâl es-Seyyid Ahmed el-Kebîr bin Mehmed bin Ahmed bin Mehmed bin Abdurrahîm bin Osmân bin Hasan bin Mehmed ‘Uslet bin Hâzım. Tarîkat-ı Rifâ’îyye sâhibi es-Seyyid Ahmed bin Ali ibn-i Yahyâ bin Sâbit bin Hâzım’dır. Tarîkat-ı Rıfâ’iyye sâhibi Âl-i Sâbit’ten, Sâhibü’l-hâl Ahmed-i Kebîr Âl-i ‘Usle’den ve ceddim de Âl-i Selâme’dendir.
Ahmed Es’ad Efendi’nin şu iddi’âsından anlaşıldığı üzere Rıfâ’ilik, amud-ı sülâlede vâki’ Hasan bin Rifâ’a ve yahud Hasan Rifâ’a’ya nisbetden ileri gelir. Hâlbuki ilk yazdığım silsilenâmeye göre Rıfâ’ilik, tarîkat-ı mahsûsaya nisbetden ileri gelir. Çünkü amûd-ı nesebde Hasan bin Rifâ’a, yahud Hasan Rifâ’a nâmı yokdur.
Süreyyâ Bey’in Sicill-i Osmânî’sinde sâhib-i tarîkat Seydî Ahmed Rifâ’î hazretlerinin sülâlesi şöyle yazılıyor: “Ahmed Rifâ’î -Ebül-alemeyn Seyyid Ebil-Hasan Ali bin Yahyâ bin Sâbit bin Hâzım bin [341] Ahmed bin Ali bin Hasan Rifâ’a Mekkî bin Mehdî bin Mehmed bin Hüseyin bin Ahmed bin Mûsâ bin İbrâhim bin Hazret-i Mûsâ Kâzım-ı ‘Alevî’dir. Ecdâdından Rifâ’a İşbilîyeye geçip Rifâ’îlik bundan ibtidâ eder.”
Cemâleddîn Ahmed bin ‘Utbe el-Horasanî Veliyüddîn Efendi Kütübhânesinde 1612 numarada mukayyed ‘Umdetü’t-Tâlib fi Neseb-i Âl-i Ebî Tâlib adlı eserin 347 ve 348 sâhifelerinde diyor ki:
“Ba’zıları Şeyh Celîl Seydî Ahmed bin er-Rifâ’î hazretlerini Hüseyin bin Ahmed el-Ekber evlâdından olduğunu iddi’â ederek Ahmed bin Ali bin Yahyâ bin Sâbit bin Hâzim bin Ali bin Hüseyin el-Mehdî bin Ebil-Kâsım Mehmed bin Hüseyin er-Rıza bin Ahmed el-Ekber demişdir.
“Ensâb ulemâsından hiçbiri Hüseyin bin Ahmed el-Ekber’in Mehmed adlı bir oğlu olduğunu zikr ve kaydetmemişdir. Eş-Şeyhü’n-Nakîb Tâceddîn el-‘Alevî, bana derdi ki: “Seydî Ahmed bin er-Rifâ’î, kendisinin evlâd-ı Ali’den olduğunu iddi’â etmezdi. Bu iddi’â müşârün-ileyhin evlâd-ı evlâd-ı evlâdından çıkdı.”
‘Umdetü’t-Tâlib mü’ellifi Ahmed bin ‘Utbe’nin Hüseyin er-Rızâ bin Ahmed el-Ekber dediği zât, ilk yazdığım silsilenâmesinde [342] “Hüseyin bin Ahmed bin Mûsâ bin İbrâhim el-Murteza bin Mûsâ el-Kâzım el-‘Alevî’dir. Ahmed Es’ad Efendi’nin yazdığı silsilenâmede “Hüseyin bin Abdurrahman bin Ahmed bin Mûsâ bin İbrâhim bin Mûsâ el-Kâzım” diye görülmektedir.
Cemâleddîn Ahmed ibn-i ‘Utbe “Umde”sinde diyor ki: “Ahmedü’l-Ekber bin Mûsâ bin İbrâhim el-Murteza”nın oğulları Hüseyin, İbrâhim, Ali ale’l-usûl sâbit olup Abdurrahman adlı oğlu yokdur.
Kadı’l-kudât Şemseddîn Ebu’l-Abbâs Ahmed ibn-i Hallikân Vefeyâtü’l-‘A’yân adlı kitab-ı matbû’unda Şeyh-i ecel Seydî Ahmed ibn-i er-Rifâ’î sülâlesini şöyle yazıyor:
“Ebu’l- Abbâs Ahmed bin Ebil Hasan Ali bin Ebil Abbâs el-ma’rûf bibni’r-Rifâ’î” deyip 578 senesi cumâdelûlâsının yirmi ikinci günü Ümm-i ‘Ubeyde karyesinde vefât eylediğini kaydediyor ve diyor ki:
“Rifâ’î, râ’nın kesri, fâ’nın fethi ve ‘ayn-ı mühmele ile ‘Arab’dan Rifâ’a adlı bir kimseye mensûbdur. Bunu ben, şeyhin kendi akraba ü ta’allükâtının hattından böylece nakl [343] eyledim.” (Cild 1, sahîfe 55)
Kezalik nakl ü zabtına fevkalâde i’timâd edilen meşâhîr-i meşâyîh-i fuzalâ’dan Abdulvahhâb eş-Şa’rânî de et-Tabakâtü’l-Kübrâ’sında Seydî Ahmed ibnü’r-Rifâ’î tercemesi zeylinde diyor ki: “Rifâ’î, şeyhin ecdâdından ve Mekke etrâfında sâkin evlâd-ı Arab’dan Hasan bin Rifâ’a adlı bir kimsenin pederine mensûbdur.”
Şu üç zâtın kayd u zabtı gösteriyor ki Seydî Ahmed ibnü’r-Rifâ’î evlâd-ı Ali’den değil, belki evlâd-ı Arab’dan Rifâ’a’nın hafîdidir. Bu dakîkayı nazar-ı dikkate alan ba’zı ukalâ-yı nessâba Sâhibü’l-hâl Ahmed-i Kebîr’in ceddi olduğu muhakkak olan Osmânı, doğrudan “Celâleddîn Mehmed bin Yahyâ bin Hâzım”ın oğlu göstermiş, Hasan bin Rifâ’a evlâdından olmadığını anlatmıştır.
Lâkin bu silsile-nâmede Ahmed ibn-i ‘Utbe’nin yazdığı gibi Osmân’ın Celâleddîn Mehmed bin Yahyâ bin Hâzım oğlu olduğu gayri sâbit ve Mehdî bin Mehmed’in de Hüseyin bin Ahmed bin Mûsâ bin İbrâhim bin Mûsâ el-Kâzım neslinden olmadığı [344] mazbûttur.
Bununla beraber Sâhibü’l-hâlin on kadar silsilenâmesi görülüp hepsinde butûnen tahâlüf, tenâkus, tezâyüd, hatta tebâyün müşâhede edildi. Silsile yazarken yazanlar tarafından sehv u hatâ mümkündür.
Hülâsa Sâhibü’l-hâlin nesebi Abdurrahîm bin Osmân’a kadar sağlam olup ilerisi hakkında Allahu â‘lem deyip geçmelidir. Benim tetebbu’âtıma göre şeyh-i müşârün-ileyh, her hâlde ana tarafdan sâdât-ı Hüseyniyyeden olmalıdır.
Bunun için Mehmed Süreyyâ Bey’in Sicill-i Osmânî’sinde hazret-i şeyhin nesebi şöyle yazıyor:
“Ahmed Kebîr-i Rifâ’î-Sâhibü’l-hâl bin Tâceddîn bin Kutbeddîn Ahmed bin Şemseddîn Mehmed Rifâ’îdir. Vâlidesi tarafından Seyyid Bilâl Kâzımî ahfâdındandır.” (Cild 1, s. 19.)
Ahmed Es’ad Efendi de el-Müselselât’ında diyor ki: “Sâhibü’l-hâl Ahmed Kebîr’in ceddi eş-Şeyh Muhezebeddîn Abdurrahîm bin Osmân, tarîkat-ı Rifâiyye sâhibi Seydî Ahmed ibn-i Rifâ’î’nin kerîmesi Zeyneb’i tezvic edib ondan [345] mahdûmu eş-Şeyh Şemseddîn Medmed er-Rifâ’î doğdu. Sâhibü’l-hâl Ahmed-i Kebîr, ana tarafından Seydî Ahmed ibnü’r-Rifâ’î’nin evlâd-ı kirâmındandır.
“Sâhib-i müşarün ileyh, Batâyıh’da Ümmü ‘Ubeyde karyesinde doğdu. Pederinin işâretiyle Bağdâd’a gidip halîfesi bulunan eş-Şeyh Ebu’l-Hasan Ali bin Mehmed el-Vâsıtî’ye hizmet ederek ondan tahsîl-i ulûm ve ahz-ı hilâfet etdi.”
Risâle-i Rifâ’îye’de mezkûr olduğu üzere “Sâhibü’l-hâl Ahmed-i Kebîr, tarîkât-ı Rifâ’îyeyi pederinin halîfesi eş-Şeyh Ebu’l-Hasan Ali el-Vâsıtî’den, o da Sâhibü’l-hâlin pederi eş-Şeyh Tâceddîn Mehmed er-Rifâ’î’den o da pederinin halîfesi eş-Şeyh Necmeddîn Ahmed bin Ali el-Batâyihî’den, o da Sahîbü’l-hâl’in ceddi eş-Şeyh Kutbeddîn Ahmed er-Rifâ’î’den, o da pederi eş-Şeyh Şemseddîn Mehmed er-Rifâ’î’den, o da pederinin halîfesi eş-Şeyh Muhyiddîn İbrâhim bin Ali el-A‘zeb er-Rifâ’î’den, Sâhibü’l-hâlin ceddi a’lâsı eş-Şeyh Mühezzebeddîn Abdurrahîm bin Osmân er-Rifâ’î’den, o da Sâhibü’t-tarîkati’r-Rıfâ’iyye Seydî Ahmed bin er-Rifâ’î hemşîrezâdesi ve halîfesi eş-Şeyh Seyfeddîn Ali bin er-Rifâ’î’den, o da dayısı bulunan Seydî Ahmed bin er-Rifâ’î’den ahzetdi. [346]
Seydî Ahmed ibnü’r-Rifâ’î, tarîkati eş-Şeyh Ali el-Kârî’den, o da eş-Şeyh Ebu’l-Fazl Kâmih’den, o da Gulâm ibn-i Türkân demekle meşhûr eş-Şeyh Ebû Ali’den, o da Zâhid-i meşhûr eş-Şeyh Ebû Ali er-Rudbârî’den ahz u telakkun etdi. Bundan yukarısı Hazret-i risâlet penâh Sallallâhu ‘Aleyhi ve’s-Sellem Efendimize kadar ma’lûmdur.”
Sâhibü’l-hâlin evlâd-ı kirâmından rivâyet edilen ma’lûmata göre “Pederi eş-Şeyh Tâceddîn Mehmed Rifâ’î, sâdât-ı Hüseyniyyeden ve Mûsâ el-Kâzım hazretlerinin evlâd-ı kirâmından Sinop’da medfûn es-Seyyid Bilâl el-Kâzımî kerîmesini tezevvüc edib Sâhibü’l-hâl es-Seyyid Ahmed-i Kebîr er-Rifâ’î, bu kerîmeden doğdu.
“Sinn-i bulûğa vâsıl oldukta Bağdâd’a gidip eş-Şeyh Ebu’l- Hasan el-Vâsıtî’den ikmâl-i tahsîl ve ahz-i hilâfet ederek seyâhate çıkıp 706 hudûdunda Amasya’ya geldi. Ba’dehû Sinop’a gidip li-ümm-i ceddi es-Seyyid Bilâl el-Kâzımî yanında kaldı. Bunun vefâtından sonra Hicâz’a gitdi. Mekke-i Mükerreme ve Medîne-i Münevvere’de birer sene mücâvir olarak ikâmet etdi.
“Bundan sonra Mısır, Kudüs, Şâm, Halep, Kürdistân [347] bilâdını seyâhatle devredib 713’de ikinci def’a Amasya’ya geldi. Mes’ûdiyye Tekkesine nâzil olup şeyhi bulunan Baba İlyâs oğlu eş-Şeyh Alâeddîn Ali Âşık Baba yanında kaldı. Âşık Baba’nın kerîmesini tezevvüç edib ma’rufiyyet kazandı. Anadolu Nâzırı İşboğa Noyin kendisine fevkalâde ikrâm ve ihtirâm ederek mürîd-i hâsı oldu.
720 senesi saferinde İşboğa Noyin’in vefâtı üzerine Lâdik’in Emîr-i meşhûru Kızoğlu İhtiyâreddîn Sevinç Bey kendisini Lâdik’e da’vet etdiğinden oraya gitdi. Sevinç Bey, kendisine zâviye binâ ve ta’âmiyesine ba’zı kurânın a’şârını tahsîs eyledi. Emîr ve halkdan büyük hürmetler gördü. Bu zâviyesinde neşr-i füyûzâta başladı.
831’de Seyyâh-ı meşhûr Muhammed İbn-i Batuta gelip kendisiyle müşerref oldu. Ba’dehû Amasya Emîri Torumtay oğlu Emîr Zeyneddîn Ya’kûbşâh ve Sivas hükümdârı Sultân Alâeddîn Ertana Hân devirlerinde pek muhterem olup Amasya Emîr-i Kebîri beylerbeyi el-Hâc Şâdgeldi Paşa da kendisine büyük teveccühler gösterdi. Bir kerîmesini alıp kendisine dâmâd [348] oldu.
Ali Bey Künhü’l-Ahbâr adlı eserinde diyor ki: “Sâhibü’l-hâl Ahmed Kebîr, kırk yıl seyâhat, kırk yıl da ikâmet ve riyâzat, bin kere hatm-i Kur’ân etmiş, âlim, âbid, muttakî, zâhid, ehl-i velâyet, mazınne-i kerâmet bir zât-ı âlî menkabet idi. Yüz yirmi kadar evlâd-ı zükûru olup ekserî bilâd-ı muhtelifeye rihlet etmişdir. 758’de vefât etdi.”
Süreyyâ Bey de Sicill-i Osmânî’de diyor ki: “Ahmed-i Kebîr Sâhibü’l-hâl, bil-muhâcere Amasya civârında mütemekkin oldu. 748’de irtihâl eyledi. Sinni altmış iki olup kırk yılını seyâhetle geçirmiş ve bin kere hatmedib kırk yıl erba’în çıkarmıştır!”
“Mahdûmları Mehmed, Ali, Mehmed Sânî, Kâsım, İzzeddîn Hassan, Abdullah, Abdurrahîm, Yahya, Necmeddîn, Muhyiddîn, Hızır, Sâlih, Osmân, Ömer, Abdussemi’ idi. Bunlardan Yahyâ Necmeddîn sülâlesinden Seyyid Hasan Rifâ’î Tokat’ta meşhûr olup 992’de orada bir câmi inşâ etmiş ve 996’da irtihâl eylemişdir. Pederleri Tâceddîn bin Şemseddîn [349] Rifâ’î Batâyıh’da Ümmü ‘Ubeyde karyesinde Şeyh-i Ahmediyye iken 704’de irtihâl eylemişdir.”
Ahmed Es’âd Efendi de el-Müselselât’ında “Sâhibü’l-hâl es-Seyyid Ahmed-i Kebîr er-Rifâ’î, Lâdik kasabasında 759’da dâr-ı na’îme irtihâl etdi. Zâviyesi kurbunda medfûn ve türbesi ziyâret-gâh-ı enâmdır. Âlim, âbid, sâhib-i kerâmet, ehl-i velâyet bir zât idi.” diyor.
Süreyyâ Bey’in rivâyetine göre Ahmed-i Kebîr Sâhibü’l-hâl, 686’da doğmuş demektir. Bunun yirmi yaşı buluğa ve tahsîl-i ilme çıkarılırsa 706’da seyahate çıkmış, kırk yıl da seyahate verilirse 746’da evlenmiş demek olur. Şu hâlde saydığı onbeş evlâd-ı zukûr, ancak iki yılın mahsûlü olması lâzım gelir ki mümkün değildir.
Ali Bey’in rivâyetine göre kırk yıl seyâhat, kırk yıl da ikâmet ve riyâzet doğruysa seksen yıl eder. Sinn-i bulûğu da buna zamm edilirse Sâhibü’l-hâlin 95 yaşında vefât etmesi lâzım gelir. Süreyya Bey’in de kırk yıl seyâhati, kırk yıl da riyâzeti bunu icâb eder. Altmış [350] iki yaşında vefât eden bir zât için bunlar nasıl tasavvur olunur?
Bununla beraber yüz yirmi kadar yalnız evlâd-ı zukûru olan bir zâtın elbetde bunun nısfı, hatta sülüsü mikdârı da evlâd-ı inâsı icâb eder ki mecmu’ evlâdının mikdârı yüz altmıştan fazlaya bâliğ olur. Bu kadar evlâdın kaç yılda doğabilmesi lâzım gelir?
Binâenaleyh: Şu iki müverrihin verdiği ma’lûmâttan biraz tenzîlât icrâsı elzem görülmektedir. Sâhibü’l-hâl’in evlâd-ı kirâmı tarafından verilen ve silsilenâmelerinde yazılan ma’lûmata göre Sâhibü’l-hâl es-Seyyid Ahmed-i Kebîr, yetmiş iki yaşında 759 senesi rebiülevvelinde vefât etmişdir. Bu zabta göre 687 târîhinde doğmuş olur.
Seyyâh-ı meşhûr İbn-i Batuta kendisini 731’de Lâdik kasabasında ziyâret etdiğini seyâhat-nâmesinde kaydediyor. Kezalik 727 senesi saferinin evâ’ilinde tanzîm edilen Atabek Gâzi vakfiyesi zeylinde şâhid görülmektedir. 727’den kırk yıl seyâhat için çıkarılırsa 687 senesinde, ya’nî doğduğu günden i’tibâren seyâhate çıkması lâzım gelir. [351]
Sâhibü’l-hâl’in evlâd-ı kirâmı içinde es-Seyyid eş-Şeyh Alâeddîn Ali, Muhyiddîn Mehmed, Sadreddîn Kâsım, İzzeddîn Hasan, Necmeddîn Yahya, Hayreddîn Hızır, Sâlih Abdullah, Abdurrahîm, Abdussemi’, Ebûbekir, Ömer, Osmân pek meşhûr idiler. Vefâtından sonra yerine mahdûmu ve halîfesi es-Seyyid eş-Şeyh Alâeddîn Ali Revâkî Çelebi geçdi.
Evlâd-ı kirâmından es-Seyyid eş-Şeyh Necmeddîn Yahyâ er-Rifâ’î Âbâdoğullarının da’veti üzerine Hakala kasabasına gelip kendisine yapılan zâviyesinde yerleşti. 773’de vefât edib zâviyesi hücresine defnedildi. Elyevm sandukası mevcûd olup üzerinde târîh-i vefâtı mahkûkdur.
Eş-Şeyh Sâlih Çelebizâde Şerefeddîn Osmân Paşa, Amasya Hükümdârı el-Hâc Şâdgeldi Paşa’nın eniştesi ve vezîri idi. Bunun evlâdı Amasya’da kaldı. Sâhibü’l-hâlin zâviyesi vakfı meşhûr olup tevliyeti asrımıza kadar evlâd-ı kirâmı uhdelerine müvecceh idi. Bunlardan es-Seyyid eş-Şeyh Ahmed Efendi 1081’de mütevellî oldu.
Bunun vefâtında bölükbaşı es-Seyyid Mehmed Çelebi mütevellî olup [352] 1119’da vefâtıyla ammizâdesi es-Seyyid eş-Şeyh Nureddîn Mehmed Efendi mütevellî ve zâviye şeyhi oldu. 1154 senesi muharreminin onunda vefâtıyla es-Seyyid Abdul’alîm Efendi ve 1185’de kasr-ı yediyle mahdûmu es-Seyyid Abdulvehhâb Efendi mütevellî oldu.
1204’de mûmâ ileyhin vefâtıyla silahdâr-ı şehriyârî es-Seyyid Abdullah Ağa bin es-Seyyid Abdulkerîm Efendi bin es-Seyyid eş-Şeyh Nureddîn Mehmed Efendi mütevellî oldu. 1210 recebinde bunun da vefâtıyla Bölükbaşıoğlu es-Seyyid Hasan Çelebi bin es-Seyyid Mehmed Ağa bin es-Seyyid Ali Ağa bin es-Seyyid Mehmed Çelebi mütevellî oldu.
1221’de bunun ref’iyle birâderi es-Seyyid el-Hâc Ali Ağa ve 1222’de kasr-ı yediyle sânîyen es-Seyyid Hasan Çelebi bin es-Seyyid Mehmed Ağa ve 1233’de kasr-ı yediyle oğulları es-Seyyid Hüseyin, Hâfız Ahmed Efendiler ve 1251’de silahdâr es-Seyyid Abdullah Ağazâde es-Seyyid Mehmed Hakkı Bey’in oğulları es-Seyyid Ahmed İzzet, Abdulkerîm Beyler mütevellî olup 1272’de es-Seyyid Abdulkerîm Paşa’nın vefâtıyla mahdûmu es-Seyyid Mehmed Hakkı Bey mütevellî oldu.
Bunlardan sonra es-Seyyid eş-Şeyh Ahmed Efendi bin es-Seyyid Mehmed Efendi bin es-Seyyid Hâfız Ahmed Efendi mütevellî ve zâviye şeyhi olmuşdu. [353]
1314’de Lâdik’e gidip tekkeye misâfir olduğum zaman bu zâtı pîr-i fânî olarak gördüm. Mahdûmu es-Seyyid Mehmed Ârif Efendi müsta’id, zekî bir kimse idi.
Sâhibü’l-hâl’in evlâd-ı kirâmından pek çok ulemâ, kudât, meşâyîh, mevâlî, vüzerâ, ümerâ zuhûr etdi. Şeyhülislâm es-Seyyid Alâeddîn Ali Efendi, vüzerâdan es-Seyyid Yûsuf Paşa, es-Seyyid Mustafa Paşa, meşâhîr-i şu’arâdan es-Seyyid Mehmed Edîb Efendi bunlardandır.
In Modern English
The genealogies (silsilenâme) that have come to hand concerning whether this man was among the Husaynid sayyids, that is, whether his lineage rests on the pure line of Husayn, son of the Commander of the Faithful Ali bin Ebû Tâlib, differ greatly from one another. According to what several genealogies write in common, the said sheikh is the son of
"es-Seyyid Tâceddîn Mehmed bin Kutbeddîn Ahmed bin Şemseddîn Mehmed bin Mühezzebeddîn Abdürrahim bin Osmân bin Celâleddîn Mehmed bin Yahyâ bin Hâzım bin Sâbit bin Ali bin Hüseyin bin Mehdî bin Mehmed bin Hüseyin bin Ahmed bin Mûsâ bin İbrâhim el-Murtezâ bin Mûsâ el-Kâzım bin Ca'fer es-Sâdık bin Muhammed el-Bâkır bin Ali Zeynelâbidîn bin Hüseyin eş-Şehîd bin Ali bin Ebî Tâlib."
In the printed copy of the work el-Müselselâtü'r-Rifâ'iyye, which he wrote to prove that the Rifâî lineages are from the Alawid sayyids, that is, from the line of Ali, the former mufti of Medina es-Seyyid Ahmed Es'ad Efendi, of Rifâî descent and one of the grandsons of es-Seyyid Zeynelâbidîn Ali bin Ahmed of Kayseri, lists the lineage of the person whose biography we are writing as follows:
"The most exalted sheikh es-Seyyid Şemseddîn Ebu'l-Abbâs Ahmed bin Tâceddîn Mehmed bin Kutbeddîn Ahmed bin Şemseddîn Mehmed bin Abdurrahîm bin Osmân bin Hasan bin Mehmed 'Uslet bin Hâzım bin Ahmed bin Ali bin Hasan bin Rifâ'a el-Mekkî bin Mehdî bin Mehmed bin Hasan bin Hüseyin bin Abdurrahman bin Ahmed bin Mûsâ bin İbrâhim bin İmam Mûsâ el-Kâzım er-Rifâ'î el-Alevî el-Lâdikî."
Ahmed Es'ad Efendi also says: "My grandfather es-Seyyid Zeynelâbidîn Ali el-Kayserî, who is buried in Kayseri; the possessor of spiritual states (Sâhibü'l-hâl) es-Seyyid Ahmed el-Kebîr er-Rifâî, who is buried in Lâdik; and Seyyid Ahmed er-Rifâî, the founder of the Rifâî order, who is buried in Batâyih, are all descended from 'Hâzım bin Ahmed bin Hasan Rifâ'a el-Mekkî.
"My grandfather es-Seyyid Zeynelâbidîn Ali is the son of Ahmed bin Mehmed bin Abdurrahman bin Abdülkebîr bin Mahmûd bin Ali bin Hâşim bin Sa'd bin Selâme bin Ahmed el-'Ubeyd bin Abdullah bin Hâzım. The Sâhibü'l-hâl es-Seyyid Ahmed el-Kebîr is the son of Mehmed bin Ahmed bin Mehmed bin Abdurrahîm bin Osmân bin Hasan bin Mehmed 'Uslet bin Hâzım. Es-Seyyid Ahmed, the founder of the Rifâî order, is the son of Ali bin Yahyâ bin Sâbit bin Hâzım. The founder of the Rifâî order is from the branch of Sâbit, the Sâhibü'l-hâl Ahmed-i Kebîr is from the branch of 'Usle, and my grandfather is from the branch of Selâme."
It is understood from this claim of Ahmed Es'ad Efendi that the name Rifâîlik comes from Hasan bin Rifâ'a, or Hasan Rifâ'a, who stands in the main line of descent. Yet according to the genealogy I wrote first, the name Rifâîlik comes from attachment to a particular order, because the name Hasan bin Rifâ'a or Hasan Rifâ'a is not in the main line of that chain.
In Süreyyâ Bey's Sicill-i Osmânî, the lineage of the founder of the order, His Holiness Seydî Ahmed Rifâî, is written as follows: "Ahmed Rifâî is Ebü'l-alemeyn Seyyid Ebi'l-Hasan Ali bin Yahyâ bin Sâbit bin Hâzım bin Ahmed bin Ali bin Hasan Rifâ'a Mekkî bin Mehdî bin Mehmed bin Hüseyin bin Ahmed bin Mûsâ bin İbrâhim bin His Holiness Mûsâ Kâzım-ı Alevî. His ancestor Rifâ'a passed to Işbîliye [Seville]; the name Rifâîlik begins with him."
Cemâleddîn Ahmed bin 'Utbe el-Horasânî says on pages 347 and 348 of his work 'Umdetü't-tâlib fî nesebi Âl-i Ebî Tâlib, registered under number 1612 in the Veliyyüddîn Efendi Library:
"Some, claiming that the glorious Sheikh Seydî Ahmed bin er-Rifâî is descended from Hüseyin bin Ahmed el-Ekber, have given his lineage as Ahmed bin Ali bin Yahyâ bin Sâbit bin Hâzim bin Ali bin Hüseyin el-Mehdî bin Ebi'l-Kâsım Mehmed bin Hüseyin er-Rızâ bin Ahmed el-Ekber.
"None of the genealogists has mentioned or recorded that Hüseyin bin Ahmed el-Ekber had a son named Mehmed. The naqib Sheikh Tâceddîn el-Alevî used to tell me: 'Seydî Ahmed bin er-Rifâî did not claim to be descended from Ali. This claim arose among the grandchildren of his grandchildren.'"
The person whom Ahmed bin 'Utbe, the author of the 'Umdetü't-tâlib, calls "Hüseyin er-Rızâ bin Ahmed el-Ekber" appears in the genealogy I first wrote as "Hüseyin bin Ahmed bin Mûsâ bin İbrâhim el-Murtezâ bin Mûsâ el-Kâzım el-Alevî"; in the genealogy written by Ahmed Es'ad Efendi he is seen as "Hüseyin bin Abdurrahman bin Ahmed bin Mûsâ bin İbrâhim bin Mûsâ el-Kâzım."
Cemâleddîn Ahmed ibn 'Utbe says in his 'Umde: "The sons of Ahmedü'l-Ekber bin Mûsâ bin İbrâhim el-Murtezâ named Hüseyin, İbrâhim, and Ali are established according to the rules; he has no son named Abdurrahman."
The chief judge Şemseddîn Ebu'l-Abbâs Ahmed ibn Hallikân writes the lineage of the exalted sheikh Seydî Ahmed ibn er-Rifâî in his printed book Vefeyâtü'l-a'yân as follows:
"Ebu'l-Abbâs Ahmed bin Ebi'l-Hasan Ali bin Ebi'l-Abbâs, known as İbnü'r-Rifâî." He records that he died in the village of Ümmü 'Ubeyde on the twenty-second day of Jumada al-awwal 578 [September 1182] and says:
"Rifâî is pronounced with a kasra on the letter râ, a fatha on fâ, and the unpointed 'ayn; it is a nisba to a man of the Arabs named Rifâ'a. I transmitted this thus from the handwriting of the sheikh's own relatives and kin." (Vol. 1, p. 55)
Likewise, the famous and virtuous sheikh Abdülvehhâb eş-Şa'rânî, whose transmissions and records are held in the highest trust, says in a note he added to the biography of Seydî Ahmed ibnü'r-Rifâî in his et-Tabakâtü'l-kübrâ: "The name Rifâî is a nisba to the father of a man named Hasan bin Rifâ'a, one of the sheikh's ancestors, of Arab descent, who lived around Mecca."
The records of these three men show that Seydî Ahmed ibnü'r-Rifâî is not of the line of Ali but, on the contrary, a descendant of Rifâ'a of Arab descent. Taking this subtlety into account, some clever genealogists have presented Osmân, who is certainly the grandfather of the Sâhibü'l-hâl Ahmed-i Kebîr, directly as the son of "Celâleddîn Mehmed bin Yahyâ bin Hâzım," thereby wishing to show that he is not of the line of Hasan bin Rifâ'a.
Yet in this genealogy too, as Ahmed ibn 'Utbe writes, it is not established that Osmân is the son of Celâleddîn Mehmed bin Yahyâ bin Hâzım; and it is clear from the records that Mehdî bin Mehmed is not of the line of Hüseyin bin Ahmed bin Mûsâ bin İbrâhim bin Mûsâ el-Kâzım.
Nevertheless, some ten genealogies of the Sâhibü'l-hâl have been seen, and in all of them were found disagreement, omissions, additions, and even complete contradiction among the generations. There may also be slips and errors on the part of those who wrote down the chain.
In short, the lineage of the Sâhibü'l-hâl is sound up to Abdurrahîm bin Osmân; for what lies above that, one must say "God knows best" and pass on. According to my research, the said sheikh must in any case be a Husaynid sayyid on his mother's side.
For this reason, the lineage of His Holiness the sheikh is written in Mehmed Süreyyâ Bey's Sicill-i Osmânî as follows:
"Ahmed Kebîr-i Rifâî Sâhibü'l-hâl is the son of Tâceddîn; he is the son of Kutbeddîn Ahmed, who is the son of Şemseddîn Mehmed Rifâî. On his mother's side he is among the grandchildren of Seyyid Bilâl Kâzımî." (Vol. 1, p. 19)
Ahmed Es'ad Efendi also says in his el-Müselselât: "The grandfather of the Sâhibü'l-hâl Ahmed Kebîr, Sheikh Mühezzebeddîn Abdurrahîm bin Osmân, married Zeyneb, daughter of Seydî Ahmed ibn Rifâî, the founder of the Rifâî order, and from her was born his son Sheikh Şemseddîn Mehmed er-Rifâî. The Sâhibü'l-hâl Ahmed-i Kebîr is, on his mother's side, one of the worthy grandchildren of Seydî Ahmed ibnü'r-Rifâî.
"The said person was born in the village of Ümmü 'Ubeyde in Batâyih. At his father's direction he went to Baghdad, served Sheikh Ebu'l-Hasan Ali bin Mehmed el-Vâsıtî, his father's deputy, learned from him, and received the caliphate, that is, the permission to be a sheikh."
As told in the Risâle-i Rifâ'iyye: "The Sâhibü'l-hâl Ahmed-i Kebîr took the Rifâî order from his father's deputy Sheikh Ebu'l-Hasan Ali el-Vâsıtî; he from the Sâhibü'l-hâl's father, Sheikh Tâceddîn Mehmed er-Rifâî; he from his father's deputy Sheikh Necmeddîn Ahmed bin Ali el-Batâyihî; he from the Sâhibü'l-hâl's grandfather Sheikh Kutbeddîn Ahmed er-Rifâî; he from his father Sheikh Şemseddîn Mehmed er-Rifâî; he from his father's deputy Sheikh Muhyiddîn İbrâhim bin Ali el-A'zeb er-Rifâî; he from the Sâhibü'l-hâl's great-grandfather Sheikh Mühezzebeddîn Abdurrahîm bin Osmân er-Rifâî; he from Sheikh Seyfeddîn Ali bin er-Rifâî, the son of the sister and the deputy of Seydî Ahmed bin er-Rifâî, the founder of the Rifâî order; and he took it from his maternal uncle Seydî Ahmed bin er-Rifâî.
"Seydî Ahmed ibnü'r-Rifâî received and learned the order from Sheikh Ali el-Kârî; he from Sheikh Ebu'l-Fazl Kâmih; he from Sheikh Ebû Ali, known as Gulâm ibn Türkân; and he from the famous ascetic Sheikh Ebû Ali er-Rûdbârî. Above this it is known as far as our Prophet (peace be upon him)."
According to information related from the worthy grandchildren of the Sâhibü'l-hâl: "His father Sheikh Tâceddîn Mehmed Rifâî married the daughter of es-Seyyid Bilâl el-Kâzımî, a Husaynid sayyid and a descendant of His Holiness Mûsâ el-Kâzım, who is buried in Sinop; the Sâhibü'l-hâl es-Seyyid Ahmed-i Kebîr er-Rifâî was born of this lady.
"When he reached maturity he went to Baghdad, completed his studies with Sheikh Ebu'l-Hasan el-Vâsıtî, received permission to be a sheikh, set out to travel, and came to Amasya around 706 [1306-07]. Later he went to Sinop and stayed with his mother's father es-Seyyid Bilâl el-Kâzımî. After his death he went to the Hejaz; in Mecca and Medina he stayed a year each as a mujawir, that is, residing in the holy cities for worship.
"After this he traveled through the lands of Egypt, Jerusalem, Damascus, Aleppo, and Kurdistan, and in 713 [1313-14] came to Amasya for the second time. He lodged at the Mes'ûdiyye Tekke and stayed with Sheikh Alâeddîn Ali Âşık Baba, son of Baba İlyâs, who was the sheikh of the tekke. He married Âşık Baba's daughter and became known. İşboğa Noyin, the overseer of Anatolia, showed him the utmost hospitality and respect and became his favored disciple.
"In the month of Safar 720 [March-April 1320], upon the death of İşboğa Noyin, he went to Lâdik because the famous emir of Lâdik, Kızoğlu İhtiyâreddîn Sevinç Bey, invited him there. Sevinç Bey had a zawiya built for him and set aside the tithe of certain villages for the food expenses of the zawiya. He received great respect from the emir and the people. In this zawiya of his he began to spread his spiritual grace.
"In 831 [correctly 731, 1330-31] the famous traveler Muhammed Ibn Battuta came and had the honor of meeting him. Later he was greatly respected in the time of the emir of Amasya, Emîr Zeyneddîn Ya'kûbşâh, son of Torumtay, and of Sultan Alâeddîn Ertana Han, ruler of Sivas; the great emir of Amasya, the beylerbeyi el-Hâc Şâdgeldi Pasha, also showed him great closeness. He married one of his daughters and became his son-in-law."
Ali Bey says in his work Künhü'l-ahbâr: "The Sâhibü'l-hâl Ahmed Kebîr spent forty years traveling and forty years living in one place disciplining the self, recited the Qur'an a thousand times in full, and was a scholar, devoted to worship, God-fearing, an ascetic, one of the saints, thought to possess miracles, and a person with exalted legends. He had about one hundred twenty male children, most of whom migrated to various lands. He died in 758 [1357]."
Süreyyâ Bey also says in the Sicill-i Osmânî: "Ahmed-i Kebîr Sâhibü'l-hâl migrated and settled near Amasya. He died in 748 [1347-48]. He was sixty-two years old; he spent forty years traveling, recited the Qur'an a thousand times in full, and for forty years performed the erbaîn, that is, the forty-day retreat."
"His sons were Mehmed, Ali, the second Mehmed, Kâsım, İzzeddîn Hassan, Abdullah, Abdurrahîm, Yahyâ, Necmeddîn, Muhyiddîn, Hızır, Sâlih, Osmân, Ömer, and Abdüssemi'. Of these, Seyyid Hasan Rifâî, of the line of Yahyâ Necmeddîn, became famous in Tokat, had a mosque built there in 992 [1584], and died in 996 [1587-88]. Their father Tâceddîn bin Şemseddîn Rifâî died in 704 [1304-05] while he was the Ahmediyye sheikh in the village of Ümmü 'Ubeyde in Batâyih."
Ahmed Es'ad Efendi also says in his el-Müselselât: "The Sâhibü'l-hâl es-Seyyid Ahmed-i Kebîr er-Rifâî passed to the eternal world in the town of Lâdik in 759 [1357-58]. He is buried near his zawiya; his tomb is a place of visit for the people. He was a scholar, devoted to worship, a possessor of miracles, one of the saints."
According to Süreyyâ Bey's account, Ahmed-i Kebîr Sâhibü'l-hâl would have been born in 686 [1287-88]. If twenty years are allotted to maturity and study, he set out to travel in 706, and if forty years are given to travel, he would have married in 746. In that case the fifteen male children he lists would have had to be born in only two years, which is not possible.
According to Ali Bey's account, if forty years of travel and forty years of living in one place disciplining the self are correct, that makes eighty years. If the age of maturity is added to this, the Sâhibü'l-hâl would have had to die at 95. The information given by Süreyyâ Bey of forty years of travel and forty years of asceticism requires the same. How can these be thought of for a man who died at sixty-two?
Moreover, a man who had about one hundred twenty male children must of course have had half, or even a third, as many female children; in that case the number of all his children reaches more than one hundred sixty. In how many years can so many children be born?
For this reason it seems necessary to make some reduction in the information given by these two historians. According to the information given by the worthy grandchildren of the Sâhibü'l-hâl and written in their genealogies, the Sâhibü'l-hâl es-Seyyid Ahmed-i Kebîr died at the age of seventy-two, in Rabi' al-awwal 759 [February-March 1358]. According to this record he would have been born in 687 [1288].
The famous traveler Ibn Battuta records in his travel book that he visited him in the town of Lâdik in 731 [1330-31]. Likewise, he is seen as a witness at the end of the Atabek Gâzi waqf deed, drawn up in early Safar 727 [late December 1326]. If forty years for travel are subtracted from 727, he would have had to set out on his travels in 687, that is, on the day he was born.
Among the worthy children of the Sâhibü'l-hâl, es-Seyyid eş-Şeyh Alâeddîn Ali, Muhyiddîn Mehmed, Sadreddîn Kâsım, İzzeddîn Hasan, Necmeddîn Yahyâ, Hayreddîn Hızır, Sâlih Abdullah, Abdurrahîm, Abdüssemi', Ebûbekir, Ömer, and Osmân were very well known. After his death he was succeeded by his son and deputy es-Seyyid eş-Şeyh Alâeddîn Ali Revâkî Çelebi.
Of his children, es-Seyyid eş-Şeyh Necmeddîn Yahyâ er-Rifâî came to the town of Hakala at the invitation of the Âbâdoğulları and settled in the zawiya built for him. He died in 773 [1371-72] and was buried in a cell of the zawiya. His sarcophagus stands to this day, with the date of death carved on it.
Sheikh Sâlih Çelebizâde Şerefeddîn Osmân Pasha was the brother-in-law and vizier of the ruler of Amasya, el-Hâc Şâdgeldi Pasha. His line remained in Amasya. The zawiya waqf of the Sâhibü'l-hâl is famous; its mütevelli-ship, that is, its administration, remained in the hands of his worthy grandchildren down to our time. Of these, es-Seyyid eş-Şeyh Ahmed Efendi became administrator in 1081 [1670-71].
Upon his death the bölükbaşı es-Seyyid Mehmed Çelebi became administrator; upon his death in 1119 [1707-08], his uncle's son es-Seyyid eş-Şeyh Nureddîn Mehmed Efendi became administrator and zawiya sheikh. Upon his death on the tenth of Muharram 1154 [March 1741] es-Seyyid Abdülalîm Efendi, and upon his withdrawal in 1185 [1771-72] his son es-Seyyid Abdülvehhâb Efendi, became administrator.
Upon the death of the said person in 1204 [1789-90], the sultan's silahdar (sword-bearer) es-Seyyid Abdullah Ağa bin es-Seyyid Abdülkerîm Efendi bin es-Seyyid eş-Şeyh Nureddîn Mehmed Efendi became administrator. Upon his death in Rajab 1210 [January-February 1796], Bölükbaşıoğlu es-Seyyid Hasan Çelebi bin es-Seyyid Mehmed Ağa bin es-Seyyid Ali Ağa bin es-Seyyid Mehmed Çelebi became administrator.
Upon his dismissal in 1221 [1806-07], his brother es-Seyyid el-Hâc Ali Ağa; upon his withdrawal in 1222 [1807-08], for the second time es-Seyyid Hasan Çelebi bin es-Seyyid Mehmed Ağa; upon his withdrawal in 1233 [1817-18], his sons es-Seyyid Hüseyin and Hâfız Ahmed Efendi; and in 1251 [1835-36] the sons of silahdar es-Seyyid Abdullah Ağazâde es-Seyyid Mehmed Hakkı Bey, es-Seyyid Ahmed İzzet and Abdülkerîm Bey, became administrators. In 1272 [1855-56], upon the death of es-Seyyid Abdülkerîm Pasha, his son es-Seyyid Mehmed Hakkı Bey became administrator.
After these, es-Seyyid eş-Şeyh Ahmed Efendi bin es-Seyyid Mehmed Efendi bin es-Seyyid Hâfız Ahmed Efendi had become administrator and zawiya sheikh.
When I went to Lâdik in 1314 [1896-97] and stayed as a guest at the tekke, I saw this man as a very old elder. His son es-Seyyid Mehmed Ârif Efendi was a capable, intelligent person.
From the worthy children of the Sâhibü'l-hâl came many scholars, kadıs, sheikhs, great judges (mevlâ), viziers, and emirs. Among them are the şeyhülislam es-Seyyid Alâeddîn Ali Efendi, the viziers es-Seyyid Yûsuf Pasha and es-Seyyid Mustafa Pasha, and the famous poet es-Seyyid Mehmed Edîb Efendi.
Notes and Research
Old Words in the Text
- sâdât-ı Hüseyniyye: sayyids descended from Husayn
- silsilenâme: a genealogical document
- sâhib-i terceme: the person whose biography is written
- amûd-ı neseb: the main line of descent, the line running from father to son
- nessâbe: genealogist
- tahâlüf, tenâkus, tezâyüd, tebâyün: disagreement, omission, addition, contradiction
- hilâfet almak: to receive from one's sheikh permission to give guidance in his place
- mücâvir: one who stays for a time in Mecca or Medina for worship
- nâzil olmak: to lodge, to settle
- a'şâr: tithes, taxes on produce
- kurâ: villages
- neşr-i füyûzât: spreading spiritual grace, giving guidance
- riyâzet: devoting oneself to worship while eating little and sleeping little, to discipline the self
- erba'în: a forty-day retreat, çile
- evlâd-ı zükûr / inâs: male / female children
- tenzîlât: reduction, lowering
- tevliyet: waqf administration, mütevelli-ship
- kasr-ı yed: withdrawal, giving up a post
- ref': dismissal from a post
- pîr-i fânî: a very old elder
The Ahmed-i Kebîr and Ahmed-i Kûçek Question
Whether the Sâhibü'l-hâl Seyyid Ahmed-i Kebîr, who lies in Lâdik, and Ahmed-i Kûçek, named in fourteenth-century sources as the most important representative of Rifâîsm in Anatolia, were the same person was debated for a long time. "Kebîr" means great, "kûçek" means small; two different epithets suggested two different people. Aliye Uzunlar's study, published in 2020, by comparing two previously unused works of İbnü's-Serrâc (d. 747/1347), the records of Ibn Battuta, and Hüsameddin's Amasya Tarihi, showed that these two names belong to a single person. The lineage given by Ibn Battuta and İbnü's-Serrâc is in the form "Seyyid Ahmed-i Kûçek bin Seyyid Tâceddin Muhammed bin Seyyid Şemsüddin Ahmed el-Müsta'cil bin Muhammed er-Rifâî"; the lineage Es'ad el-Medenî gives for the Sâhibü'l-hâl is the same.
According to Uzunlar, Ibn Battuta, İbnü's-Serrâc, and Eflâkî called him "Ahmed-i Sagîr" or "Ahmed-i Kûçek" to distinguish him from an older family elder of the same name; this elder must be either the founder of the order, Seyyid Ahmed er-Rifâî, or his grandfather Ahmed el-Müsta'cil. In Amasya and its surroundings, however, he was called "Kebîr" as an expression of respect, and the epithet "Sâhibü'l-hâl" was used to distinguish him from the founder of the order. The genealogical question that Hüsameddin discusses at length in this entry has thus become one of the basic supports of present-day research as well.
The life story reconstructed by Uzunlar largely coincides with the account Hüsameddin relays from the grandchildren: his father Seyyid Tâceddin (d. 744/1343-44) is a sheikh who lived in Basra, frequently traveled around Syria and Anatolia, and married the daughter of Seyyid Bilâl Kâzımî in Sinop. Ahmed became a deputy of Ebu'l-Hasan el-Vâsıtî in Baghdad, came to Anatolia in 706 [1306-07], stayed with his grandfather Seyyid Bilâl, returned to Amasya in 713 [1313-14] and settled at the Hânkâh-ı Mes'ûdî, married the daughter of Âşık Paşa, a grandson of Baba İlyâs, then withdrew to his zawiya in Lâdik and died there in 759 [1358].
There is a difference on one point. Uzunlar and Recep Uslu give Tâceddin's death as 744 [1343-44]; in the Süreyyâ Bey record that Hüsameddin relays it is written 704. Also, Hüsameddin's expression "son of Baba İlyâs" should be read as a family name; Uzunlar introduces Alâeddin Ali, also called Âşık Baba, as a grandson of Baba İlyâs.
The Amasya Years and the Meeting with Ulu Ârif Çelebi
An event told in Eflâkî's Menâkıbü'l-ârifîn opens a lively window onto Seyyid Ahmed's Amasya years. Ulu Ârif Çelebi, a grandson of Mevlânâ, stopped at Amasya in 716 [1317] on his way to Tabriz, met Seyyid Ahmed, and was invited by him to a sema gathering. Seyyid Ahmed's dervishes came with hollow gourds in their hands and performed an ecstatic sema to the sound they made by striking the gourds. When Seyyid Ahmed said, as if apologizing, "Our dervishes are like this; they whirl to the sound of an empty gourd," Ârif Çelebi replied, "Your dervishes can whirl with an empty gourd, while our companions can whirl only with a full gourd." On parting, Seyyid Ahmed presented Ârif Çelebi with a horse and a garment of Egyptian make, and Ârif Çelebi put the garment he was wearing on him. Recep Uslu interprets this meeting as the Seljuks' effort, through the Mevlevis, to get to know the Rifâîs, who stood close to the Ilkhanids. As Hüsameddin also notes, İşboğa Noyan, the overseer of Anatolia for the Ilkhanids, was a disciple of Seyyid Ahmed.
Ibn Battuta and Problems of Date
The date "831" in the text is an evident typesetting or writing error. Further on in the same entry Hüsameddin gives Ibn Battuta's visit as 731; the year 831 is long after the death of both the traveler and Seyyid Ahmed. The place and time of the meeting are also disputed: according to what Recep Uslu relays from Uzunlar, Ibn Battuta met Seyyid Ahmed in 726 [1326], while the sheikh was going on the pilgrimage with his disciples.
Hüsameddin's calculation on the figures given by Süreyyâ Bey and Âlî is a fine example of his critical view of sources. He shows that forty years of travel and forty years of asceticism cannot fit into a life of sixty-two years and that one hundred twenty male children is unrealistic, and he prefers the dates of birth 687 and death 759 in the records of the grandchildren. Present-day research also accepts 759 [1358] as the date of death. Besides this, other dates circulate in some sources. According to what Sadi Bayram relays, Evliya Çelebi places his death in 1351. The dates of birth 1118 and death 1182 given in some official sources in the presentation of the tomb at Lâdik belong to the founder of the order, Ahmed er-Rifâî; the two persons' bearing the same name has caused this confusion. The Ibn Hallikân record that Hüsameddin relays also shows that the founder died at Ümmü 'Ubeyde in 578 [1182].
According to what Uslu relays from Uzunlar, Seyyid Ahmed was buried in the graveyard of the mosque he had built in Lâdik in 752 [1351]. This agrees with Hüsameddin's words "he is buried near his zawiya."
The Tomb in Lâdik Today
The tomb still stands today in a large cemetery in the Lâdik district of Samsun and is open to visits. It is a square-plan building with a pointed roof, built in alternating courses of cut stone and brick; in front of it is a porch with two wooden posts, and inside are seven sarcophagi. Its masonry system and style bear the features of the architecture of the principalities period. Among the people it is known as a place visited especially by those without children; many people in the district are given his name.
The versified repair inscription over the door arch makes an interesting link with the list of administrators Hüsameddin gives. According to the inscription, the tomb was renewed in the time of Sultan Abdülhamid I by Seyyid Abdullah Ağa, the sultan's chief çuhadar (valet) known as "Hazret-i Nûrî Efendizâde," and in the last line the date 1192 [1778] is given by abjad reckoning. In Hüsameddin's list, the sultan's silahdar Seyyid Abdullah Ağa, who became administrator in 1204, is also a grandson of the zawiya sheikh Nureddîn Mehmed Efendi. The inscription calls him chief çuhadar and Hüsameddin silahdar; considering advancement in palace service, the two are most probably the same person. In that case it is understood that Abdullah Ağa had the tomb repaired some twelve years before taking over the administration of the waqf. The person who lies in the inscription is called only "Seyyid Ahmed." In an Ottoman archive document dated 1294 [1877], the building appears as "the Zawiya of es-Seyyid Ahmed el-Ekber, buried in the kaza of Lâdik."
Evliya Çelebi speaks of the tomb as a place of gaze for the people of gnosis, a camp for dervishes, and a great waqf bountiful to passersby. In examinations in the foundations archive no waqf deed of the zawiya itself was found, but records of the "Seyyid Ahmed Kebîr Zawiya and Mescid-i Şerif Waqf" in the Zaviye district of Lâdik were found. According to these records, after the closure of tekkes and zawiyas, the waqf was seized in 1925 by the Evkaf administration. The tekke where Hüsameddin stayed as a guest in 1314 [1896-97] thus saw its own end about thirty years after him.
The Tomb of Necmeddin Yahyâ at Hakala
The Hakala that Hüsameddin mentions is today the village of Yolpınar in the Suluova district of Amasya. The tomb of Seyyid Ahmed's son Seyyid Necmeddin Yahyâ er-Rifâî stands here. In this square-plan, two-story, domed structure with a vaulted crypt below, there are two wooden sarcophagi; the sarcophagi, made in the kündekâri technique, are decorated with thuluth script and rumi motifs. According to the records, Necmeddin Yahyâ had a large zawiya built here in 764 [1362-63] and drew up its waqf deed in 771 [1369-70]; the tomb may be a surviving part of this zawiya.
There is a small discrepancy about the date of death. Hüsameddin writes that he died in 773 [1371-72] and that the date is carved on his sarcophagus. Sadi Bayram, however, reports that the date 771 [1369-70] is read at the foot of the sarcophagus; this is also the same as the date of the waqf deed. Which reading is correct could be understood by re-examining the sarcophagus.
Bibliography
Primary sources
- Abdîzâde Hüseyin Hüsâmeddîn Yasar, Amasya Tarihi, Amasya Belediyesi Kültür Yayınları, 2022, vol. 6, p. 110–114. amasya.bel.tr
Academic studies
Official sources
Other sources