Ârif Ahmed Efendi was a judge who rose by his pen: in Hüseyin Hüsâmeddîn Yasar's account it was his skill in poetry, in formal prose (inşâ) and in the ta'lik script that won him promotion. He belonged to the third generation of an Amasya family of judges. His grandfather Hâfız Ahmed Efendi had served as judge of Antalya, Sivas and Canik, and his father Abdülbâkî Efendi was appointed judge of Amasya at least three times. He himself climbed from deputy judge to judge of small towns and from there into the ranks of the senior judges, and died after 1131 (1718-19). Hüsameddin's brief verdict was that he was "a poet among the great judges".

Hüsameddin's Text

Meşâhîr-i kudâtdan Hâfız Ahmed Efendizâde Abdülbâki Efendi'nin mahdûmudur. Müfessir Hızır Efendi tilmîzlerinden Çorumlu Müftü Ahmed Efendi'den ikmâl-i tahsîl edib kazâ nâibi, kasabâta kadı oldu. Şiir ve inşâda ve ta'lik yazısında mahareti olduğundan terfi' edilerek 1131 yılından sonra vefât etdi. Kibâr-ı kudâtdan şâir bir zât idi.

A plain translation: Born to Abdülbâkî Efendi, son of Hâfız Ahmed Efendi, of the renowned judges. He completed his studies with Çorumlu Müftü Ahmed Efendi, one of the pupils of Hızır Efendi the exegete, and became deputy judge of a district, then judge in small towns. Because of his mastery of poetry, formal prose and the ta'lik script he was promoted, and he died after the year 1131. He was a poet among the great judges.

The Hâfız Ahmed Efendizâdes

Hâfız Ahmed Efendi, who may be regarded as the founder of the family, was, according to his entry in the sixth volume, the son of Mehmed of Amasya. He studied with Hacı İsmâil of Yağmurköy and Kadızâde Mehmed Efendi, became an aspirant (mülâzım) of Mihekzâde Mustafa Efendi of Amasya in Istanbul, taught in turn in the madrasas of Amasya, then at the Yörgüç Paşa madrasa and the Hâtuniye madrasa of Tokat, and finally became a judge. With Mihekzâde's backing he was appointed, with the rank of mevleviyet, judge of Antalya in 1056 (1646), of Sivas in 1059 and of Canik in 1062. In 1064 (1653-54) he retired with the Mehmed Paşa madrasa and lived in the Kurşunlu quarter of Amasya, teaching and at prayer. He set out on the pilgrimage in 1068 and died on the way back early in 1069 (1658). Hüsameddin closes the entry with this sentence: "Mahdûmu Abdulbaki Efendi ve hafîdi Ahmed Efendi de kibâr-ı kudâtdan idiler. Bunlara 'Hâfız Ahmed Efendizâdeler' dendi." The "hafîd", the grandson Ahmed Efendi, must by his name, his profession and the phrase "great judges" be Ârif Ahmed Efendi himself; the two entries describe the same family from either end.

The middle link is Abdülbâkî Efendi. His name appears twice in the chronicle part of the fourth volume: in Zilkade 1087 (January 1677) he became judge of Amasya "for the second time" in place of Habîb Efendi, and in Zilkade 1090 (December 1679) he returned to the post in place of Judge Ali Efendi. That he was appointed three times to his family's town, the first time undated, shows the standing the family enjoyed in Amasya. The epithet "Kadızâde" in Ârif Ahmed Efendi's heading also comes from this father: it means "the judge's son".

His Teacher and Career

Ârif Ahmed Efendi's teacher, Çorumlu Müftü Ahmed Efendi, had been a pupil of Hızır Efendi the exegete. Beginning in 1058 (1648), Hızır Efendi was four times mufti of Amasya and teacher at the Sultaniye madrasa; he was once dismissed and sent to Cyprus, and in 1072 the grand vizier Fâzıl Ahmed Pasha called him back. Hüsameddin writes that several hundred students attended his lessons. As the pupil of a teacher trained in that circle, Ârif Ahmed Efendi belongs to the second generation of Hızır Efendi's scholarly milieu.

The entry lists the stages of his career briefly: deputy judge of a district, judge of small towns, then promotion. The nâib was the judge's deputy, and the judgeships of small towns were among the lower rungs of the profession. Being counted among the "kibâr-ı kudât", the great judges, suggests that like his grandfather he eventually reached the rank of mevleviyet, but the cities where he served are not recorded. That the reasons given for his promotion include formal prose and the ta'lik hand alongside poetry shows that he was known above all as a judge of the pen.

His date of death is uncertain. Hüsameddin says "after the year 1131", which suggests he had seen a document showing him alive in 1131 (1718-19) but had found no record of his death.

His Poetry

Not one of Ârif Ahmed Efendi's poems is known. Even Hüsameddin, who credits his promotion to his skill in verse, admits no couplet of his into the entry. Since his grandfather's entry calls him only "Ahmed Efendi", the Ârif in his heading may be a pen name; Hüsameddin usually heads his poets' entries with their pen names. The two Ârifs who follow him in the eleventh volume, Ârif Mehmed Dede and his great-grandson Ârif Mehmed Efendi, came from the circle of the Mevlevî lodge; nothing in the entries ties Ârif Ahmed Efendi, of a family of judges, to that Mevlevî line. Metin Hakverdioğlu's article on the poets of Amasya Tarihi also names him, without adding anything new.

Chronology

1056-1062 (1646-1652): His grandfather Hâfız Ahmed Efendi becomes in turn judge of Antalya, Sivas and Canik.

Early 1069 (1658): Hâfız Ahmed Efendi dies on the road home from the pilgrimage.

Zilkade 1087 (January 1677): His father Abdülbâkî Efendi becomes judge of Amasya for the second time.

Zilkade 1090 (December 1679): Abdülbâkî Efendi is again appointed judge of Amasya.

After 1131 (after 1718-19): Ârif Ahmed Efendi dies.

Bibliography

Primary sources

Online sources