Amasyalıdır. Hacı Ahmed oğullarından Berber Hacı Ahmed Ağa’nın mahdûmu ve Sermüezzin-i Harem-i Şerîf el-Hâc Ahmed Efendi’nin hemşîre [339] zâdesidir. Zaman-ı sabâvetinde dayısı Hacı Ahmed Efendi’nin yanına gidip Harem-i Şerîf-i Mekkî müezzinlerine iltihâk etdi. Tedrîcen Mekke-i Mükerreme’de terakkî ve tahsîl-i ulûm ederek Şerîf Avnü’r-Refik Paşa’ya kendisini sevdirdi.
Hacı Ahmed Efendi’nin dâmâdı ve 1300’de Sermüezzin-i Harem-i Şerîf olup 1303’de Amasya‘ya geldi. Badehû gidip Mekke-i Mükerreme eşrâfından olarak rütbe-i sâlise ile Hicâz vilâyeti meclis idâre a’zâsı oldu.
Muahharan Şerîf Anvü’r-Refik Paşa ile araları açıldığından 1318’de İstanbul’a gelip mütemâyiz rütbesiyle Nezâret-i Maârif’de Encümen-i teftîş ve muâyene a’zâsı oldu. 1326’da ilân-ı meşrûtiyyeti müteâkib ûlâ rütbesiyle Harem-i Şerîf-i Mekke müderrisi olarak Mekke-i Mükerreme’ye gitdi.
1334’de Mekke-i Mükerreme emîri olan Şerîf Hüseyin Paşa şerâfet-i nesebiyyesini şe’âir-i İslâmiyesini nâzar-ı i’tibâra almayarak Hilafet-i İslâmiye-i Osmâniyye aleyhine İngilizlerle beraber olup ilân-ı harb ve isyân etdiği esnâda bi’z-zarûre müdiriyyetten çekildi. [340] Bu târihten sonra hayât-ı memâtı mâ’lûm olamadı. Gâyet terbiyeli, nâzik-tabiat, âlim, vakûr, lisân-ı Arabla ana dilinden daha iyi mütekellim, fünûn-ı maârifden haberdâr, sesi gâyet güzel ve muhrik olmakla beraber tîz idi.
In Modern English
He is from Amasya. He was the son of Berber Hacı Ahmed Ağa, of the Hacı Ahmed family, and the nephew, through his sister, of el-Hâc Ahmed Efendi, the chief muezzin of the Harem-i Şerîf (the Sacred Mosque). In his boyhood he went to his maternal uncle Hacı Ahmed Efendi and joined the muezzins of the Harem-i Şerîf in Mecca. Little by little he rose in Mecca and pursued learning, and he won the affection of Sharif Avnürrefik Pasha.
He was the son-in-law of Hacı Ahmed Efendi; in 1300 [1882-83] he became chief muezzin of the Harem-i Şerîf, and in 1303 [1885-86] he came to Amasya. He then went back and, as one of the notables of Mecca, became a member of the administrative council of the Hejaz province with the third-class rank.
Later, since he had fallen out with Sharif Avnürrefik Pasha, he came to Istanbul in 1318 [1900-01] and, with the rank of mütemâyiz, became a member of the Inspection and Examination Committee at the Ministry of Education. In 1326 [1908-09], in the days following the proclamation of the Constitution, he went to Mecca as müderris (madrasa professor) of the Harem-i Şerîf of Mecca, with the first-class rank.
In 1334 [1915-16], when Sharif Hussein Pasha, the Emir of Mecca, disregarded the nobility of his lineage and the symbols of Islam, sided with the British, declared war and rose in revolt against the Ottoman Islamic caliphate, he was compelled to resign from his post as director. After this date nothing was known of his life or death. He was well mannered, gentle by nature, learned and dignified; he spoke Arabic better than his mother tongue and was well informed about the sciences and education. His voice was very fine and moving, though high-pitched.
Notes and Research
Old Words in the Text
- mahdûm: son
- hemşîrezâde: sister's son, nephew
- sermüezzin: chief of the muezzins
- zaman-ı sabâvet: boyhood
- iltihâk etmek: to join
- tedrîcen: gradually, step by step
- tahsîl-i ulûm: pursuing learning
- dâmâd: son-in-law
- eşrâf: notables
- rütbe-i sâlise: third-class rank
- meclis-i idâre: provincial administrative council
- mütemâyiz: distinguished, privileged; here the name of a rank
- ûlâ: first-class (rank)
- müderris: professor teaching in a madrasa or similar institution
- şe'âir-i İslâmiyye: the symbols and rites of Islam
- vakûr: dignified
- muhrik: burning, moving
- tîz: thin and high-pitched
Sharif Hussein and the Revolt of 1916
Sharif Hussein Pasha, named in the text, was born in Istanbul in 1853 and belonged to the Hashemite family; he was the Emir of Mecca. He was appointed to the emirate in November 1908; before that he had long been a member of the Şûrâ-yı Devlet (Council of State) with the rank of vizier. After his correspondence with the British during the war years, he began the revolt in Mecca in June 1916 and, in his proclamation dated 27 June, accused the Committee of Union and Progress of irreligion. Jeddah and Tâif fell to the rebels in the following months, while Medina remained under Ottoman rule until January 1919. Sharif Hussein proclaimed himself king of the Arab lands in November 1916. Hüsameddin's date "1334" agrees with these events: the Hijri year 1334 falls between November 1915 and October 1916.
The same source writes that the interpretation of the revolt as an independence movement representing the whole Arab world can no longer be defended on the available documents. Sharif Hussein had claimed in his bargaining with the British that he could muster more than a hundred thousand men, but despite large financial and logistical support he could raise only an armed force of 4,000-5,000 against the Ottomans; the same place notes that most Arabs remained loyal to the state. Hüsameddin ties Emin Mehmed Bey's withdrawal from his post to this event. We could not verify from another source the exact name of the post he left ("müdiriyet") or the reason.
The Post of Muezzin at the Harem-i Şerîf
The office of muezzin at the Sacred Mosque goes back to the first years of Islam. After Abû Mahzûre, whom the Prophet appointed muezzin of the Sacred Mosque, his son and grandsons carried on this duty for centuries. From the time of Muâviye onward, special officials were appointed for the Sacred Mosque and allowances were set aside for them. Information on the place of Hacı Ahmed Efendi, who is called chief muezzin in the text, and of Emin Mehmed Bey in this office remains limited to what Hüsameddin reports.
Points That Could Not Be Verified
In some sources the emirate of Avnürrefik Pasha in Mecca is given as 1882-1905 and a quarrel between him and Sharif Hussein is described; but since this information was taken only from summaries in search results, it could not be verified. No information was found in other sources on why Emin Mehmed Bey fell out with Avnürrefik Pasha, on his post at the Ministry of Education, or on his professorship in Mecca.
Bibliography
Primary sources
- Abdîzâde Hüseyin Hüsâmeddîn Yasar, Amasya Tarihi, Amasya Belediyesi Kültür Yayınları, 2022, vol. 7, p. 366–367. amasya.bel.tr
Academic studies