“Mü’eyyedzâde fırsat bulup tevârîh-i âl-i Osmân tedvîn olunmak lâzımdır. Molla İdris Fârisî ile tertip ediyor ama çün zuhurları diyâr-ı Rûm’da olmuşdur. Türkî dille [432] olunmak mühimdir.”
“Kemal Paşazâde du’âcınız ol hizmetin uhdesinden gelmeye kâdirdir. Ve fenn-i inşâ ve inşâda mâhirdir. Ve bu merâmın itmâmı bu asırda ancak ona münhasırdır. Pâdişâh fermân eder. Sa’âdetli pâdişâhtan çok demdir ki azl çekmişdir, fakirdir. Hâne-dâde-i ecdâdınız murabbâsıdır. Ona in’âm cebr-i kalb-i kesîrdir. Pâdişâhın Lalazâdesi olduğu cihetden pâdişâhın her ihsânına müstehakdır ve câize-i mukaddem olacak sebeb-i ihtimâm-ı kesîrdir, diye sevk eder. Pâdişâh otuz bin akçe dahi ihsân eder.” (Varak 40, 41)
Kemal Paşazâde Ahmed Şah Çelebi, Mü’eyyedzâdenin şu kadr-ı şinasâne sevk ve ta’rîfine ve pâdişâhın in’âm ve ihsânına karşı minnetdârâne bir şevk ile bu târihten itibâren Edirne’de bir taraftan tedrîs ve ifâzaya mülâzemet, diğer tarafdan “Târîh-i Âl-i Osmân” adlı eser-i bî nazîrini inşâ ve tahrîre bezl-i gayret etmeğe başladı.
911’de Üsküp şehrinde İshâk Paşa Medresesi müderrisi olup tebdîl-i âb u hevâ için oraya gitdi. [433] Çünkü gece ve gündüz çalışmaktan vücûduna oldukça bir za’f gelmiş, bu za’f da tebdîl-i âb u havaya lüzûm göstermiş, başka lütuflara bir zemîn olmuşdur. Bunu Âşık Çelebi şöyle anlatıyor:
“Sehl-i zemândan sonra Molla İdrîs, inşâ-i tevârihe tebdîl-i hava lâzımdır, diye izinle ze’âmeti olan Dobnice (Dobruca) nâm kasabaya varıp kâh onda kâh Sofya’da ikâmet eder.”
“Yine Mü’eyyedzâde, “Kemâl Paşazâde’ye tebdîl-i hava etmek için bir mansıb lâzımdır. Şöyle ki olmazsa kasd-ı himmete bahâne eder” diye Üsküp Medresesini arz eyler.³⁷ Sultân Bâyezîd-i merhûm ki ehl-i me’âlî ve me’ânîdir. Ma’arifetde ve saltanatda ol iki, Bâyezîd-i evvele sânîdir. Molla-yı ma’lûm edinip her zamânda ağır hil’atler ve fâhir-i câ’izeler lütuf ve ihsân buyurup şefkat eder. Merhûm onda ilm ü kemâle meşgûl olur. Her fenne himmet eylese cüz’î teveccühle husûl-ı mevsûl olur.”
Bununla beraber Üsküp havâlisinde büyük bir ze’âmet, yanî çiftlik ihsân edilip kâh Üsküp’te, kâh Edirne’de ikâmet ederek târîhini itmâma çalıştı. Molla [434] İdrîs-i Bitlîsi’ye “Heşt Behişt” adlı târîhini inşâ ve itmâm için her ne lutf edildiyse Kemâl Paşazâdeye de onun mümâsili, belki fâzılı verildi.
Bundan sonra tâlihi parladı. 912’de Edirne’de Halebî ve 913’de Üç Şerefeli Medreseleri uhdesine tevcîh edilerek zamîme-i revâbiti kılındı. 914’de İstanbul’a celb edilip Sultân Fâtih’in sekiz medresesinden biri, ya’nî sahn-ı semâniyye müderrisliğine nâil oldu. Mü’eyyedzâde Abdurrahmân Efendi ile hem bezm olarak musâhabât-ı ilmiyye koyuldu.
917’de Yeniçerilerin ibrâmıyla azledilen Mü’eyyedzâde Efendi’nin inzivâsı üzerine Edirne’de Sultân Bâyezîd Medresesi müderrisi olup İstanbul’dan uzaklaştı. Bu suretle yakasını a’dâsının elinden kurtardı.
918’de Sultân Selîm Hân-ı Evvelin cülûsundan az sonra yine Rumeli Kazaskesi olan Mü’eyyedzâde Abdurrahman Efendi’nin sevk ve tarifiyle Edirne kadısı oldu. 921 senesi şa’bânında Mü’eyyedzâde mütekâid olup yerine [435] sadr-ı Anadolu Zeyrekzâde Rükneddîn Efendi Rumeli Kazaskeri oldukta bunun yerine Anadolu Kazaskeri oldu.³⁸
923’de Sultân Selîm Hân ile Mısır ve Arabistan seferine beraber gidip geldi. Azîmet ve avdetde Molla’nın hayli nevâdiri dillerde destân oldu. Fedâ’il-i ilmiyyesi Sultân Selîm’in nazar-ı dikkat ve istihsânını celb ederek büyük hürmetler gösterdi.
925’de erbâb-ı hased ü nifakın bir takım tezvîrâtı üzerine azl ü teftîş edilip yerine Fenârîzâde Muhyiddîn Mehmet Şâh Efendi Anadolu Kazaskeri³⁹ olmakla beraber müşârün-ileyhin teftîşine me’mûr oldu. Teftîşi aylarca sürdü. Hitâmında berâ’eti zuhûr etdi.
926 senesi evâilinde Sultân Selîm Hân, müşârün-ileyhi kendi talebi üzerine yevmî yüz akçe vazîfe-i tekâ’üdle Edirne’de Dâru’l-hadîs Medresesi müderrisi nasb etdiğinden oraya gidip ihtiyar-ı uzlet ederek tedrîs ve te’lîfâta koyuldu.
927’de merhûm Sultân Süleyman’ın sır-kâtibi olup Edirne’de [436] Sultân Bâyezîd-i Sânî evkâfına mütevellî ta’yîn edilen Amasyalı Refîkî Çelebi Edirne’ye geldikte Kemâl Paşazâde ile şîr ü şeker, hem-bezm-i şi’r ü edeb olup iki hemşehrî birbiriyle dem-güzâr oldu. (Tezkire-i Hasan Çelebi)
928’de Sultân Süleyman Hân Kânûnî müşârün-ileyhe Edirne’de Sultân Bâyezîd-i Sânî müderrisliğini ihsân edib 930’da İstanbul’a celb ile Sultân Fatih medreselerinden birini verdi. 932’de Şeyhülislâm Amasyalı Zenbilli Ali Efendi’nin irtihâline binâen Şeyhülislâm ve müşkil-şâ-yı enâm oldu.
Sekiz yıl makâm-ı celîl-i fetvâda neşr-i füyûzât edib ins ü cin tarafından arz edilen mesâ’il ve müşkilâtı nusûs-ı şer’iyye ile hal ve iftâ ederek “Müfti’s-sekaleyn” unvânını aldı. Bu unvân, meşâyih-i İslâmiyye arasında yalnız kendisine hâs olarak verildi.
Kemal Paşazâde meşâyıh-ı sûfiyyenin ulemâsına pek ziyâde ri’âyet ederdi. Hâssaten Nakşibendiyye Şeyhi ve Emîr Buhârî dâmâdı Amasyalı eş-Şeyh Mahmûd Çelebi⁴⁰ ile Halvetiyye Şeyhi [437] ve Ebu’s-suûd Efendi’nin eniştesi olan Amasyalı Mü’eyyedzâde Abdurrahîm Efendi’nin meclislerine sık sık giderdi.
İftâ ve te’lîf ile gece gündüz fevkalâde iştiğâl ederek 940 senesi şevvâlinin ikinci günü zevâl vaktinde kemâlî zevâle münkalib olarak şems-i vücûdı üfûl ve dâr-ı kudse kufûl etdi. Edirne kapısı hâricinde müşârün-ileyh Amasyalı eş-Şeyh Mahmûd Çelebi zâviyesi ittisâlinde kâin hazîrede Mahmûd Çelebi yanında medfûndur.⁴¹
Şu’arâdan biri târîh-i vefâtını şöyle yazmışdır.
Şems-i burc-ı kemâl ü çarh-ı ulûm
Gitdi ukbâya rahmet ide Gafûr
Cennet-i Adn ola makâmı ânın
Abdi gılmân ola kenizini hûr
Geldi ilhâm-ı hak ile târîh
Kabr-i Ahmed müdâm ola pür-nûr
(302+53+85+42+202+256=940)
Diğer
Göçüben gitdi rükn-i a’zam-ı fazl
Gör sebâtını bî-bekâ kasrın
Fevt-i mollaya dediler târîh
Vây gitdi Kemâli bu asrın
(17+434+101+8+380= 940)
Diğer
Ol bârgâha vardı İbn Kemâl Paşa
(37+234+221+53+91+304=940)
Diğer
Geçip müftî-i bekâya azm kıldı
(31+530+118+117+144=940)
[438] Şakâyık mütercimi Mecdî Mehmed Efendi diyor ki; “Merhûm-ı merkûmun mezârına “Hâzâ makâmu Ahmed” ve kefenine “Hiye âhiru’l-libâs” târîh vâki’ oldu. Mûmâ ileyh Mevlânâ Hazretlerinin kerâmâtındandır ki zamân-ı ihtizârında “Yâ Ehad! Neccinâ mimmâ nehâf (940)” (Ey bir olan Allah’ım! bizi korktuklarımızdan kurtar) diye buyurmuşlar imiş. Ba’de’l-vefât hesap olunup târih vâki’ oldu.”
Âşık Çelebi Tezkiresinde Mevlânâ-yı müşârün-ileyhin târîh-i vefâtını 941 senesi şevvâlinin ikinci günü diye tesbît etmektedir. Âlî Bey “Künhü’l-Ahbâr”ında bunu tahtıe ederek diyor ki:
“Ammâ Mevlânâ-yı Âşık “Meşâirü’ş-Şu’arâ”sında sene ihdâ ve erbaîn ve tis’ımi’e şevvâlinin ikinci günü fevt oldu diye naketdi. Hâlâ ki merhûm zâtının “Mâte’n-nıhrîr” ve kefenine “Hiye âhiru’l-libâs” ve mezâr-ı şerîfine “Hâzâ makâmu Ahmed” târihleri dokuz yüz kırka mahsûb etdiğini ne bildi ve ne esahhını akletdi.
“Bârî târihlerle bir satırda yazmamış olsa ve mabeyninde bir iki sahîfe geçmesi hasebiyyetiyle Âşık’ın nisyânına haml olunsa câiz idi⁴² ve bi’l-cümle sûr-ı İstanbul’dan Taşra Edirne kapısı [439] semtinde ve meşâyıh-ı Nakşibendiyye’den Şeyh Mahmûd Çelebi zâviyesinin hazîresinde medfûn ve genc-i nihân gibi ka’r-ı hâk-ı siyâha makrûndur.” (Varak 258)
Etrâf-ı erba’ası taşdan duvar ve parmaklıkla muhât olan bu hazîre zâviyenin cenûb-ı şarkıyyesinde olup derûnunda Şeyh Mahmûd Efendi ve sağ tarafında Kemal Paşazâde Ahmed Şâh Çelebi medfûndur. Yol üzerinde bulunan Şark duvarının orta ve yüksek yerinde şu kitâbe mahkûkdur:
هذا قبر مفتى الثقلين أحمد بن سليمان بن كمال الشهير بابن كمال پاشا نور هللا مزاره.انتقل إلى جوارهللا تعالى يوم
الخميس ثانى شوال المكرم لسنة أربعين وتسع مأة 43.
Bu kitâbe gösteriyor ki müşârün-ileyh Ahmed Şemseddîn Efendi, 940 senesi şevvâlinin ikinci perşembe günü vefât etmişdir.
Bu hazîrenin etrâfına taş duvarı yaptıran zât, kendisinin mu’îdliğinden Şam ve Mısır mollası olup 950’de Kütahya’da vefât eden Mevlânâ Muhyiddîn [440] Mehmed Bey’dir. “İrtehale’l-ulûm bi’l-kemâl (639+177+124=940)” terkîbi de müşârün-ileyhin târîh-i vefâtıdır. Hazret-i Şeyhülislâm’ın bir mahdûmu İbrâhim Çelebi ile bir kerîmesi Safiyye Hâtun malûm olabildi. Kerîmesini üstâz ve hâmîsi Mü’eyyedzâde Abdurrahman Efendi’nin mahdûmu Abdülvehhâb Efendi’ye verip onu kendisine dâmâd ve mu’îd etmişdi. Kayınbiraderi kibâr-ı kudâtdan Fahreddîn Mehmed Efendi’dir. Fetvâ emîn ü kâtibi de Aşçızâde Hasan Çelebi’dir.
Hazretin fazl ü kemâlini anlatmak için her ilim ve fende gayet mâhir, muhakkik, fâzıl, mütebahhir, müdekkik bir allâme-i kâmildir, demeye hâcet yoktur. Çünkü her ilim ve fenne âid âsâr u mü’ellefâtı, her türlü tarîfin fevkinde olan fezâil ve kemâlâtına birer şâhid-i âdildir.
Bununla beraber gayet müteşerri’, müttekî, zâhid, kâni’, âbid, tab’an gayet latîf, nâzik, hazır cevap, gayet zekî, serîu’l-intikâl, hâfızası mükemmel, karîhası ceyyid, meâni-i latîfe icâdında bî misil bir şâir ve münşi-i [441] ekmeldi. Fuzalâyı ve onlarla münâzarayı pek sever, münâzarada kavî ve müşkil-pesendâne hareket eder, muğâlatayı bilir, hakîkat-i ilmiyye şekline sokar, rakîbini herhalde ilzâm ve iskât eylerdi. Bunun için fuzalâ kendisiyle münâzaradan, sudûr u erkân-ı ilmiyyede musâhabeden çekinirdi. Ecvibe-i müskitesi pek gâlibdi. Bundan dolayı sudûr u erkândan çoklarını gücendirmişdi.
Merhûm iki şeyden fevkalâde zevk almıştı: Biri tedrîs ve ifâde, diğeri de mütâlaa ve te’lîf. Bunlardan bir an hâlî kalmaz, âdetâ uyumaz, yorulmaz, muttasıl okur, okutur ve yazardı. Bunun için âsâr ve mü’ellefâtı pek çoktu.
Âlî Bey “Künhü’l-ahbâr”ında diyor ki, “Bâ-husûs ki, bir an te’lîfden hâlî değilmiş. Ve şebb u rûzunda altı sa’atden ziyâde istirâhatleri az vâki olmuş, hatta vefâtı hâlinde mecmu-ı müsannefâtını görüp görmüşler ve tahmîn-i sahîhle bu hususu tahkîke irgürmişler ki: [442]
“Te’lîfe mübâşeretleri gününden vefâtları târîhine gelince gün başına bir cüz’ün te’lîfi rast gelmiş. Lâsiyyemâ eyyâm-ı maraz ve hengâm-ı tadîlât ve ibâd ve hidmât-ı dîvâniyyeye masrûf olan evkât bile hisâba gelmiş. Bu mana hiçbir mü’ellif hakkında hüveydâ değildir. Kerâmetle olan tayy-ı zamân mümkün olduğu gibi velâyetle imtidâd-ı zaman haml olunmaktan gayrı cevabla kâbil-i inhâ değildir.
“Eğerçi ki müsvedde evrâkında kalıp beyâza çıkmayan âsârına nihâyet yoktur. Vâlâ beyne’l-ulemâ zuhûr u şübu’ bulan müellefâtı dahi gayetle çoktur.” Hülâsa Âlî Bey’in dediği gibi Devlet-i Osmâniyye’nin değil, Anadolu’da zuhûr eden hükûmât-ı İslâmiyye’nin teşekkülünden beri misl ü nazîrî gelmemiş bir allâme-i müfred idi.
Mü’ellefâtından Tefsîr-i şerîf-i Kur’ân-ı Kerîm, Hâşiye-i Keşşâf, Şerh-i Hidâye, Hâşiye-i Telvîh, usûlden Sadru’ş-şerîanın tavzîhini ıslâha dâir Tağyîrü’t-Tenkîh ki bir metin ile şerhini hâvîdir.⁴⁴ Hidâye ve şürûh u havâşîsi mesa’ilini câmi-i izâh ve ıslâh ki metin ve şerhi hâvîdir. [443]
Hadîsten Şerh-i Meşârık, Kelâm’dan Tecrîd ve Şerhini câmi Tecvîdü’d-Tecrîd, Meânîden Islâhu’l-miftâh ve şerhi, Hâşiye-i Şerh-i Miftâh’ı Seydî, Tûsî ve Hocazâde’nin Tehâfütü’l-felâsife kitaplarının hâşiyesi, ferâizden metin ve şerhi câmi’ bir kitâb, Türkçe “Târîh-i âl-i Osmân”, Fârisî dilinde Nigâristân, Nazîre-i Gülistân, Dekâyıku’l-Hakâyık, Mecmû’atü’l-lüğât, Türkçe manzûme-i Yûsuf ve Züleyhâ, Dîvân-ı eş’âr, Münşe’ât, mesâil-i müşkile hakkında yüzlerce resâil⁴⁵ yüzlerce kitablara ta’lîkâtı⁴⁶ meşhûrdur.
Mütercim-i Şakâyık Mecdî Efendi “Terceme-i Şakâyık” da şöyle diyor: (s.384) “Ve bilcümle cümle-i tesânîf-i bedî’ası memâlik-i Arab ve Acemin sanâdîd-i ulemâsı ve bûm-ı Rûmun esâtiz ü fuzalâsı yanında makbûl ve mu’teberdir. Ol nıhrîr-i bedîu’t-takrîrin tahrirde tedbîrine her hırr u âkil bende-i şîfte olup halk-ı halk-ı âlem onun nefâsâtı nefes-i aklâm-ı müşkîn erkâmını evrâk-ı kâfûr-ı fâm ve misk-i hitâm içre derc etdiğinden sonra hırz-ı cân ve ta’vîz-i bend-i cinân yerine hızâne-i ceybinden ihrâc etmeyip sübha-i ebrâr gibi elden düşürmezlerdi. [444]
Şiir
تصانيفه بين التصانيف كلها
كشمس الضحى فى أسود حالك 47
ليحيي رميم العلم بعد وفاته
فأصبح فى اإلتقان أتقن حابك
بلفظ متينللحقايق شارح
ومعنى مبين للغوامض ناهك⁴⁸“
Yine Mecdî Efendi bu sahîfede diyor ki: “Mevlânâ Kemâl Paşazâdenin telâmizesinden olan sikât-ı kudâtdan birinden mesmudur ki bir gün evlâd-ı Arabtan bir hıbr-ı fâhir meclis-i şerîflerine hâzır olup diyâr-ı Mısr’ın ulemâsından arz-ı hedâyâ-yı tehâyâ-yı bedîa eyledikten sonra celâil-i mesâil-i fünûn-i mütedâvileden ve bedâyi-ı revâyi-ı ulûm-ı garîbeden ba’zı mevâkı-ı müşkileyi iştikâl edib e’âlî ahâlî-yi Arab cenâbınızdan ol muhal-i müşkilenin hal olunmasını iltimâs eylediler. Bu müşkilât-ı fünûn-ı mu’addalayı hâvî bir kitab ibrâz eyledi.
Fâzıl-ı mezbûr ol kitâba im’ân-ı nazar ile bir gece nazar eyleyip her mevzı-ı işkâl-âmiz ve mevzı-ı i’dâl-engizde kelimât [445] pür nikat ve ibârât ba-isti’arât ile mahalline münâsip mücmel ve mufassal ve muhtasar ve mutavvel bi-tarîkı’l-hal cevâb-ı bâ-savâb ifâda buyurduktan sonra ale’s-sabâh zikrolunan berîd-i nîk nüvîde kesret-i iştiğâl-i eşgâl-i fetvâ ile şekvâ suretinde itizâr-ı ol kitâb-ı hall-i intisâbı redd ü teslîm eyledi.”
Gülistân-ı Sa’dî ve Bahâristân-ı Câmiye nazîre olarak te’lîf eylediği “Nigâristân”ın mukaddimesinde şu kıt’ayı yazmışdır.⁴⁹
بهارستان نكارستان ما نيست
و ليكن چون نكارستان ما نيست
كلستان كتاب مانه هر باب
به از كلهاى رنكين معا نيست
Yûsuf ve Züleyhâ kıssasını hâvî manzûmesi binlerce beyti hâvî ve gâyet metîndir. Yalnız bu manzûmesi başlıbaşına bir âlem-i edebiyyâtdır. Hele sekiz defteri hâvî “Târîh-i âl-i Osmân”ı, Türk Edebiyatında kendine hâs bir üslûb-ı latîfe mâliktir. Mevlânâ İdrîs’in “Heşt Behişt”i, “Târih-i âl-i Osmân”ın yanında târih değil, bir münşe’ât mecmûası şeklinde kalır.
Merhûmun eş’ârı pek çok ve gayet bedîdir. [446] Bedâyi-i eş’ârından bir kısmını da yazmak isterdim. Ancak terceme pek uzadı. Bu kısmı hazfe malesef mecbûr oldum. Şunu da arz edeyim ki merhûm, Acem diline etdikleri hizmetlerden bir kısmını Türk diline lutf etseydi, pek çok istifâde ederdik.
In Modern English
"Müeyyedzâde, finding an opportunity, says: The history of the Ottomans must be compiled and written. Molla İdrîs is arranging it in Persian; but since this dynasty arose in the land of Rum (Anatolia), it is important that their history be written in Turkish."
"We who pray for you say Kemalpaşazâde is able to carry out this service. He is a master of the art of writing and of inşa (ornate prose). The completion of this aim in this age is peculiar to him alone. Let the sultan command it. He has long been far from the service of the fortunate sultan and is poor. He was raised in the house of your ancestors. To bestow a favour on him would be to mend a broken heart. As the son (grandson) of the sultan's lala, he is worthy of every favour of the sultan; and a reward given in advance will also cause him to work with great effort,' he guides the sultan. The sultan also grants thirty thousand akçe." (Leaves 40, 41)
Kemalpaşazâde Ahmed Şah Çelebi, filled with grateful zeal for this appreciative guidance and introduction by Müeyyedzâde and for the sultan's gift and favour, from this date on continued in Edirne to teach and spread learning on the one hand, and on the other began to apply himself to composing and writing his unique work called "Târîh-i Âl-i Osmân."
In 911 [1505-06] he became müderris of the İshak Pasha Madrasa in the city of Skopje (Üsküp) and went there for a change of air. For from working night and day considerable weakness had come over his body, and this weakness made a change of air necessary, which also prepared the ground for other favours. Âşık Çelebi tells it thus:
"After a short time Molla İdrîs, saying a change of air is necessary for writing history, went with permission to the town called Dobnice (Dobruja), where his zeamet lay, and stayed now there, now in Sofia."
"Again Müeyyedzâde, saying 'Kemalpaşazâde needs a post for a change of air; otherwise he will make this a pretext for slackening his effort,' submitted the Skopje Madrasa (to the sultan). The late Sultan Bâyezîd was a ruler of lofty aims and subtle meanings; in learning and in sovereignty, in these two fields, the second of the first Bâyezîd. Recognising the said molla, he always showed him kindness by granting heavy robes of honour and valuable rewards. The late one there busied himself with learning and maturity. Whatever science he strove for, with a slight inclination he obtained it."
Moreover, a large zeamet, that is, a farm estate, was granted him in the Skopje region, and living now in Skopje, now in Edirne, he tried to complete his history. Whatever favour was shown to Molla İdrîs-i Bitlisî to write and complete his history called "Heşt Behişt," the like of it, perhaps more, was given to Kemalpaşazâde.
After this his fortune shone. In 912 [1506-07] the Halebî Madrasa and in 913 [1507-08] the Üç Şerefeli Madrasa in Edirne were given to him and added to his salary. In 914 [1508-09] he was summoned to Istanbul and attained the professorship of the Sahn-ı Semân, one of the eight madrasas of Mehmed the Conqueror. With Müeyyedzâde Abdurrahman Efendi as his fellow assembly companion he immersed himself in scholarly conversations.
In 917 [1511-12], when Müeyyedzâde Efendi, dismissed at the insistence of the Janissaries, withdrew to his corner, he became müderris of the Sultan Bâyezîd Madrasa in Edirne and moved away from Istanbul. Thus he saved his collar from the hands of his enemies.
In 918 [1512], shortly after Sultan Selim I came to the throne, through the guidance and introduction of Müeyyedzâde Abdurrahman Efendi, who was again Rumeli kazasker, he became kadı of Edirne. In Shaban 921 [September 1515], when Müeyyedzâde retired and the Anatolian kazasker Zeyrekzâde Rükneddîn Efendi became Rumeli kazasker in his place, he became Anatolian kazasker in his stead.
In 923 [1517] he went and returned with Sultan Selim Han on the Egyptian and Arabian campaign. On the way out and back the Molla's many witty sayings became legends on people's tongues. His scholarly virtues drew the attention and admiration of Sultan Selim; the sultan showed him great respect.
In 925 [1519], on certain slanders by envious and two-faced persons, he was dismissed and put under investigation; Fenârîzâde Muhyiddîn Mehmed Şah Efendi, who became Anatolian kazasker in his place, was also charged with investigating him. The investigation lasted months. In the end it became clear that he was cleared.
In early 926 [1520], when Sultan Selim Han, at his own wish, appointed him müderris of the Dârülhadis Madrasa in Edirne with a retirement stipend of a hundred akçe a day, he went there and chose seclusion; he set about teaching and writing works.
In 927 [1521], when Refîkî Çelebi of Amasya, who was the private secretary of the late Sultan Süleyman and had been appointed trustee of the waqfs of Sultan Bayezid II in Edirne, came to Edirne, he and Kemalpaşazâde mixed like sugar and milk and met in gatherings of poetry and literature; the two fellow townsmen passed pleasant times together. (Hasan Çelebi Tezkiresi)
In 928 [1522] Süleyman the Magnificent gave him the müderrisship of the Sultan Bayezid II Madrasa in Edirne; in 930 [1524] he called him to Istanbul and gave him one of the Fatih madrasas. In 932 [1526], upon the death of Şeyhülislam Zenbilli Ali Efendi of Amasya, he became şeyhülislam and the solver of the people's difficulties.
For eight years, spreading abundance from the exalted office of fetva, he solved and bound by fetva the questions and difficulties presented by humans and jinn with the clear rulings of the sharia, and received the title "Müfti's-sekaleyn" (mufti of humans and jinn). This title was given, among the şeyhülislams of Islam, to him alone.
Kemalpaşazâde showed very great respect to the learned among the Sufi shaykhs. In particular he often attended the gatherings of Shaykh Mahmûd Çelebi of Amasya, Naqshbandi shaykh and son-in-law of Emîr Buhârî, and of Müeyyedzâde Abdurrahîm Efendi of Amasya, Khalwati shaykh and brother-in-law of Ebüssuûd Efendi.
While he was exceptionally occupied night and day with giving fatwas and writing works, at noon on the second day of Shawwal 940 [16 April 1534] his maturity turned to decline; the sun of his being set and he migrated to the sacred abode (the hereafter). He lies buried in Istanbul outside Edirnekapı, in the cemetery adjoining the zaviye of the aforementioned Shaykh Mahmûd Çelebi of Amasya, beside Mahmûd Çelebi.
One of the poets wrote the date of his death thus:
Şems-i burc-ı kemâl ü çarh-ı ulûm
Gitdi ukbâya rahmet ide Gafûr
Cennet-i Adn ola makâmı ânın
Abdi gılmân ola kenizini hûr
Geldi ilhâm-ı hak ile târîh
Kabr-i Ahmed müdâm ola pür-nûr
(302+53+85+42+202+256=940)
Meaning: The sun of the sign of perfection and the sphere of the sciences has gone to the hereafter; may God the Forgiving have mercy on him. May the Garden of Eden be his abode; may his servant be the youths of paradise and his maidservant the houris. By the inspiration of the Truth the date came: may the grave of Ahmed be forever full of light.
Another
Göçüben gitdi rükn-i a'zam-ı fazl
Gör sebâtını bî-bekâ kasrın
Fevt-i mollaya dediler târîh
Vây gitdi Kemâli bu asrın
(17+434+101+8+380= 940)
Meaning: The greatest pillar of virtue has migrated and gone; look at the firmness of this palace (the world) that has no permanence. For the death of the molla they gave this date: "Alas, the Kemal (perfection) of this age is gone."
Another
Ol bârgâha vardı İbn Kemâl Paşa
(37+234+221+53+91+304=940)
Meaning: Ibn Kemal Pasha has arrived at that exalted presence.
Another
Geçip müftî-i bekâya azm kıldı
(31+530+118+117+144=940)
Meaning: The mufti passed over (from this world) and set out for the eternal realm.
Mecdî Mehmed Efendi, translator of the Şakâyık, says: "For the late one's grave the words 'Hâzâ makâmu Ahmed' (This is the station of Ahmed), and for his shroud 'Hiye âhiru'l-libâs' (This is the last garment) fell as chronograms. It is among the miracles (kerâmât) of the said Mevlânâ that while in the throes of death he said 'Yâ Ehad, neccinâ mimmâ nehâf (940)' (O One God, save us from what we fear); when calculated after his death, this too was found to be a chronogram."
In the Âşık Çelebi Tezkiresi the date of the Mevlânâ's death is recorded as the second day of Shawwal 941. Âlî Bey, finding this wrong, says in his "Künhü'l-Ahbâr":
"But Mevlânâ Âşık, in his 'Meşâirü'ş-Şuarâ,' reported that he died on the second day of Shawwal of the year nine hundred forty-one. Yet he neither knew that the dates said for the late one himself, 'Mâte'n-nıhrîr' (the deep scholar died), for his shroud, 'Hiye âhiru'l-libâs,' and for his grave, 'Hâzâ makâmu Ahmed,' correspond to nine hundred forty, nor considered which was more correct."
"At least, had he not written this on the same line as the dates, and had it been put down to Âşık's forgetfulness since a page or two intervened, this might have been acceptable. In short, the late one lies buried outside the walls of Istanbul in the Edirnekapı quarter, in the cemetery of the zaviye of Shaykh Mahmûd Çelebi, one of the Naqshbandi shaykhs, and has settled in the depths of the black earth like a hidden treasure." (Leaf 258)
This cemetery, enclosed on all four sides by stone wall and railing, lies to the southeast of the zaviye; within it Shaykh Mahmûd Efendi is buried, and on his right side Kemalpaşazâde Ahmed Şah Çelebi. In the middle of the east wall along the road, at a high place, this inscription is carved:
Meaning: "This is the grave of Ahmed, son of Süleyman, son of Kemal, known as Kemalpaşazâde, mufti of humans and jinn. May God illumine his grave. He migrated to the presence of God Almighty on the second day of Shawwal of the year 940, a Thursday." (Arabic inscription)
This inscription shows that the said Ahmed Şemseddîn Efendi died on Thursday, the second day of Shawwal 940.
The one who had the stone wall built around this cemetery was Mevlânâ Muhyiddîn Mehmed Bey, who rose from being his muîd (assistant) to become molla of Damascus and Egypt and died in Kütahya in 950 [1543-44]. The phrase "İrtehale'l-ulûm bi'l-kemâl" (The sciences departed with Kemal; 639+177+124=940) is also his death date. A son of His Excellency the şeyhülislam, İbrâhim Çelebi, and a daughter, Safiyye Hâtun, could be identified. He gave his daughter to Abdülvehhâb Efendi, son of his teacher and patron Müeyyedzâde Abdurrahman Efendi, making him his son-in-law and muîd. His brother-in-law was Fahreddîn Mehmed Efendi, one of the great kadıs. His fetva emini (fatwa steward) and secretary was Aşçızâde Hasan Çelebi.
To describe His Excellency's virtue and maturity there is no need to say that he was a perfect allâme, exceedingly masterly in every science and art, a researcher, virtuous, deeply learned and subtle in thought. For his works and compositions on every science and art are just witnesses to his virtues and maturity, which are beyond any description.
Besides this he was extremely devoted to the sharia, pious, ascetic, content, fond of worship; by nature very gracious, courteous, quick in reply, very intelligent, quick to grasp, of excellent memory and keen mind, a poet unmatched in finding subtle meanings and a most accomplished münşî (prose writer). He greatly loved virtuous scholars and disputing with them, was strong and forceful in debate, knew sophistry and gave it the guise of scholarly truth, and in every case silenced and defeated his opponent. For this reason scholars shrank from debating with him, and the leading men of the ilmiye class from conversing with him. His silencing answers weighed very heavily. For this reason he had offended very many of the leading men of the ilmiye.
The late one took extraordinary pleasure in two things: one, teaching and explaining; the other, reading and writing works. He was not idle from these for a moment, scarcely slept, never tired, and constantly read, had others read, and wrote. For this reason his works and compositions were very many.
Âlî Bey says in his "Künhü'l-Ahbâr": "In particular, he is said not to have been idle from writing works for a single moment. He rarely rested more than six hours in his night and day. Indeed, at the time of his death they went over all his works and, by a sound estimate, researched and established the following:
"From the day he began writing works to the date of his death, one cüz (quire) fell to every day; and this even counting the days of illness, holidays and festivals, and the time spent on divan duties. This has not been seen for any author. Just as time may be rolled up and shortened by miracle, (this) can be explained by no answer other than ascribing it to the lengthening of time through sainthood."
"True, the works that remained in draft papers and were not fair-copied are endless. Nevertheless, the compositions that emerged and spread among scholars are also exceedingly many." In short, as Âlî Bey says, he was a single, unique allâme whose like and equal had not come, not of the Ottoman State but since the founding of the Islamic states that arose in Anatolia.
Among his works the following can be counted: a commentary on the Qur'an; a gloss on the Keşşâf; a commentary on the Hidâye; a gloss on the Telvîh; in the principles of jurisprudence, the Tağyîrü't-Tenkîh, on correcting Sadrüşşerîa's Tavzîh, containing a text and its commentary; the Îzâh ve Islâh, collecting the issues in the Hidâye and its commentaries and glosses, containing text and commentary.
From hadith, a commentary on the Meşârık; from kalam, the Tecvîdü't-Tecrîd, collecting the Tecrîd and its commentary; from the science of meânî, the Islâhu'l-Miftâh and its commentary; a gloss on the Seyyid (Şerîf Cürcânî)'s Commentary on the Miftâh; glosses on the Tehâfütü'l-felâsife books of Tûsî and Hocazâde; from ferâiz (inheritance law), a book containing text and commentary together; the Turkish "Târîh-i Âl-i Osmân"; the Persian Nigâristân, that is, a nazire to the Gulistan; Dekāiku'l-Hakāik; Mecmûatü'l-lugât; the Turkish verse Yûsuf and Züleyhâ; a poetry divan; Münşeât; and, famed, hundreds of treatises on difficult questions and the explanations he wrote on hundreds of books.
Mecdî Efendi, translator of the Şakâyık, says in the "Terceme-i Şakâyık" (p. 384): "In short, all his unparalleled works are accepted and esteemed by the great scholars of the Arab and Persian lands and the masters and virtuous of the land of Rum. Every free and intelligent person became a devoted slave to the mastery in writing of this scholar of peerless speech and deep learning. After the people of the world set the exquisite words written by his musk-scented pens onto camphor-white, musk-sealed paper, they did not take them from the treasure in their bosom, but, as an amulet of the soul and a talisman of the heart, never let them fall from their hands like the rosary of the good."
An Arabic poem: "His works among all works are like the forenoon sun in pitch darkness. He wove most firmly, so that he might revive the rotten bones of learning after its death. He explained truths with sound words and set forth obscure questions with clear meanings."
Again Mecdî Efendi says on the same page: "I heard from one of the trustworthy kadıs, a student of Mevlânâ Kemalpaşazâde: One day a distinguished scholar of Arab descent came to his exalted assembly. After presenting gifts and fine greetings from the scholars of the land of Egypt, he reported that some difficult places among the great questions of the sciences in current study and the rare subtleties of the strange sciences had remained obscure to the leading Arabs, and that they asked that these difficulties be solved by his honour. He took out a book containing the difficulties of these intricate sciences."
"The said scholar, looking over that book carefully for one night, at every place that caused difficulty and perplexity wrote correct answers, short or detailed, concise or long as the place required, with words full of wit and phrases adorned with metaphor, and gave their solutions. In the morning, to the said messenger bearing the good news, he returned the book with its solutions added, apologising as if complaining of the multitude of fatwa business."
In the preface of the "Nigâristân," which he wrote as a nazire to Sa'dî's Gulistan and Câmî's Bahâristân, he wrote this quatrain:
Meaning (Persian quatrain): The Bahâristân is not our Nigâristân, nor is it like our Nigâristân; the Gulistan too is not like each chapter of our book; (each chapter of our book) is lovelier than roses of coloured meaning.
His verse telling the story of Yûsuf and Züleyhâ contains thousands of couplets and is exceedingly firm. This verse alone is a literary world in itself. As for the "Târîh-i Âl-i Osmân," made up of eight defters, it has a graceful style of its own in Turkish literature. Next to the "Târîh-i Âl-i Osmân," Mevlânâ İdrîs's "Heşt Behişt" remains not history but a collection of inşa (ornate correspondence).
The late one's poems are very many and exceedingly beautiful. I would have liked to write a portion of these beautiful poems too. But the biography has grown too long. I had to leave this part out, alas. Let me also note that had the late one granted the Turkish language a part of the services he rendered to the Persian language, we would have benefited greatly.
Notes and Research
Old Words in the Text
- tevârîh-i âl-i Osmân: histories of the House of Osman
- tedvîn: compiling and putting into writing
- fenn-i inşâ: the art of ornate prose and official writing
- murabbâ: raised, nurtured and brought up
- cebr-i kalb: winning over a heart, mending a broken heart
- câize: reward, gratuity
- tebdîl-i âb u hevâ: change of air
- ze'âmet: a fief (dirlik) with an income of more than 20,000 akçe
- Sahn-ı Semân: the eight high madrasas around the Fatih Mosque
- mütekâid: retired
- teftîş: investigation
- berâ'et: being cleared, innocence
- vazîfe-i tekâ'üd: retirement stipend
- iftâ: giving fatwas
- müfti's-sekaleyn: mufti of humans and jinn
- hazîre: a small cemetery beside a mosque or lodge
- mu'îd: assistant to a müderris
- münâzara: scholarly debate
- muğâlata: sophistry, misleading reasoning
- ecvibe-i müskite: silencing answers
- cüz: a bundle of paper of eight leaves, a quire
- nazîre: a work written in imitation of another work
The Birth of the Turkish History
This second part of the entry opens with a meeting regarded as a turning point in Kemalpaşazâde's life. Present-day studies largely confirm the picture Hüsameddin relates. While Bâyezîd II had İdrîs-i Bitlisî write a Persian history of the Ottomans, he also asked Kemalpaşazâde for a Turkish history that everyone could understand and granted him 30,000 akçe. The role of the kazasker Müeyyedzâde Abdurrahman Efendi in this work being given to a young müderris still on 30 akçe a day is clearly recorded in the sources. Kemalpaşazâde wrote a separate defter for each sultan's reign, and presented to Bâyezîd II his history of eight defters, brought down to the events of 916 [1510]. The work Hüsameddin calls "containing eight defters" is this first presented form. Kemalpaşazâde later, at Süleyman's wish, continued his work to the end of the Mohács campaign, to 933 [1527], so that the history became a whole of ten defters. Separate copies of the section on Mohács have been known as "Mohaçnâme."
Although Hüsameddin's comparison with the "Heşt Behişt" carries a local historian's enthusiasm, the literary quality of the work is still recognised today. Kemalpaşazâde deliberately gave wide room to Turkish words, but could not escape the influence of Arabic and Persian; because he cared for rhymed prose (seci), the work took on a literary character. Interestingly, this great history remained until the nineteenth century a work known by name but little used as a source, and its defters could be published individually only in the twentieth century by researchers such as Şerafettin Turan, Ahmet Uğur, Şefaettin Severcan and Koji Imazawa.
On the Dates of His Offices
The order of offices Hüsameddin gives generally agrees with present-day biographies; a few dates differ. The going to the İshak Pasha Madrasa in Skopje is placed in 911 [1505] in some sources as in Hüsameddin; another biography ties this appointment to 917, to Müeyyedzâde's Rumeli kazaskership. In his own footnote Hüsameddin also notes that Müeyyedzâde became Rumeli kazasker in 911; that is, the two accounts set the same event on different dates. The kadılık of Edirne is 918 in Hüsameddin, 921 [1515] in newer research; the Anatolian kazaskership is Shaban 921 in Hüsameddin and in today's sources 14 Shaban 922 [12 September 1516]. The placing of the dismissal and investigation in 925, of the retirement and the appointment to the Edirne Dârülhadis at 100 akçe a day in early 926, and of the şeyhülislamate in 932 [1526] upon the death of Zenbilli Ali Efendi, agrees exactly with the sources.
A detail Hüsameddin does not mention is the technical work he carried out during his kazaskership. Kemalpaşazâde took part in the survey (tahrir) of Egypt, the registration of land and taxes, on the Egyptian campaign, and in 924 [1518] was charged with the survey of the province of Karaman. For his labour in bringing the kanunnames into conformity with sharia law, Nev'îzâde Atâî calls him "muallim-i evvel" (first teacher) and his student Ebüssuûd Efendi "muallim-i sânî" (second teacher).
His Grave and the Mahmud Çelebi Zaviye
The date given by the inscription, 2 Shawwal 940, corresponds in today's calendar to Thursday, 16 April 1534; against Âşık Çelebi's record of 941, the date defended by Âlî and Hüsameddin is generally accepted today. Kemalpaşazâde was buried outside Edirnekapı, in the cemetery of the zaviye of Mahmud Çelebi, son-in-law of Emîr Buhârî. Hüsameddin explains the two scholars' lying side by side by their being fellow townsmen, and says in his own footnote that, had it not been so, Kemalpaşazâde would have been buried at Eyüp beside his benefactor Müeyyedzâde; this is an interpretation. It is recorded that in Kemalpaşazâde's will he asked that his funeral be conducted in a dervish manner and that no tomb be built over his grave but only a stone set up. It is also written that his grave was later built by his student Pîrîpaşazâde Mehmed Bey, kadı of Egypt. The "molla of Damascus and Egypt" Muhyiddîn Mehmed Bey, whom Hüsameddin says had the cemetery wall built, must be the same person as Muhyiddin Mehmed b. Pîr Mehmed, counted among the scholars Kemalpaşazâde trained; the two pieces of information complement each other.
There is a sad detail the reader should know: this cemetery, which Hüsameddin describes in detail and whose inscription he read, is no longer in its place. In 1971, when the Golden Horn coastal road was built, the plots in this area were entirely removed and Kemalpaşazâde's grave was moved elsewhere. In this respect Hüsameddin's record of the inscription and his description of the cemetery's walls have become a valuable document of a place that no longer exists.
His Bond with Amasya
Hüsameddin counts Kemalpaşazâde and many of the scholars around him as men of Amasya. Kemalpaşazâde's birthplace is disputed in the sources: some sources point to Tokat, others to Edirne, and the view that he was from Amasya rests directly on Hüsameddin's Amasya Tarihi. What is certain is the family's close tie with Amasya. His father Süleyman Çelebi was appointed to the Amasya garrison command in 879 [1474] and was in Prince Bâyezîd's retinue, and in 883 [1478] passed to the sanjak bey post of Tokat. His grandfather Kemal Pasha was Prince Bâyezîd's lala; the phrase "the sultan's lalazâde" in the text points to this. After memorising the Qur'an, Kemalpaşazâde read Arabic, logic and Persian with the scholars of Amasya. His mother was the daughter of Küpelioğlu Muhyiddin Mehmed, one of the kazaskers of Fatih's time who had settled in Tokat.
Present-Day Information on His Works
The Yûsuf u Zelîha mesnevi that Hüsameddin calls "thousands of couplets" has 7777 couplets and was found more artful than earlier mesnevis on the same subject. Some sources regard the Nigâristân as a nazire to the Gulistan, others to the Bahâristân; Hüsameddin names both together. It has been said since Kâtib Çelebi that Kemalpaşazâde translated Ibn Taghribirdi's history en-Nücûmü'z-zâhire into Turkish in Egypt; Hüsameddin records this too in his footnote. But no copy of this translation has been found to this day. Although his divan was printed in Istanbul in 1313 [1895-96], it is reported that this edition also contains poems belonging to others, and that the full text of the divan, containing more than 400 ghazals, was prepared anew by M. A. Yekta Saraç.
The famous quatrain Hüsameddin quotes in his footnote also shows his mastery of Turkish poetry: "Telef kılma be-gâyet sakla malı / Ki zîrâ malı gâyet saklamalı / Kemâl ü fazl olupdur şimdi makbul / Kemâlin dahi mal oldı me'âli." The poet, using the word "mal" (wealth) in a pun, complains of a time when even virtue is valued only through wealth. The word "Kemâl" at the end of the quatrain is also an allusion to the poet's own name.
Noteworthy Points
The expression "the second of the first Bâyezîd in learning and sovereignty" in the quotation from Âşık Çelebi in the text is a wordplay; Bâyezîd II is by name "the second Bâyezîd," and in knowledge and rule he is likened to the first great bearers of this name. Âlî's reckoning of "one quire a day" naturally carries the exaggeration of praise; but considering that researchers attribute to Kemalpaşazâde a number of works varying between 179 and 226, a significant part of them short treatises, commentaries and glosses, it is clear that he was one of the most productive authors of Ottoman scholarly history. The footnote in which Hüsameddin defends Âşık Çelebi is also a pleasant detail; the author shields the tezkire writer from Âlî's harsh criticism by saying that Âşık may have been absent-minded like himself and that similar small errors are found in Âlî's works too.
Bibliography
Primary sources
- Abdîzâde Hüseyin Hüsâmeddîn Yasar, Amasya Tarihi, Amasya Belediyesi Kültür Yayınları, 2022, vol. 6, p. 138–142. amasya.bel.tr
Academic studies
Official sources