Amasyalıdır. Amasya‘da müftü iken Amasya Vâlisi Şehzâde Sultân Mustafa’ya muallim olan Kalecikli es-Seyyid Seyrek Muhyiddîn Mehmed Efendi’nin mahdûmudur. Pederi Amasya Müftüsü iken 945 senesi zilka’desinin beşinci perşembe [279] gecesi doğdu.
İki yaşında iken pederinin irtihâline binâen vâlidesinin yanında büyüdü. Mukaddimât-ı ulûmu Amasya‘da fâzıl-ı meşhûr Cum’a ve Müfessir Ahmed Efendilerden görüp 966’da yirmi bir yaşında İstanbul’a gitdi. Pederinin hâcezâdesi olan Taşköprülüzâde Usâmeddîn Ahmed Efendi hizmetine ittisâl etdi.
Bu esnâda sudûr-ı ulemâdan Amasyalı Muhaşşî Sinan Efendi’den ikmâl-i tahsîl edib Kazasker Abdülkerîmzâde Mehmed Efendi’den mülâzım ve ders-i âm ve 971 şa’bânında Hayrabolu’da Rüstem Paşa, 973 şa’bânında Rodoscuk’da Rüstem Paşa, 983 muharreminde Orhaniye-i İznik müderrisi oldu.
985 senesi cumâdelâhiresinde İznik kadısının arzı ile ma’zûl, 987 senesi rebîülâhirinde Edirne’de Üç Şerefeli Medresesi müderrisi olup altı sene orada tedrîs-i ulûm etdi. 993 senesi saferinde Sahn-ı Semâniye müderrisi olarak İstanbul’a gelip 995 senesi zilka’desinde Bağdat mollası [280] oldu.
998 senesi rebîülevvelinde Trablusşam kazâsına nakledilip kabûlünde mütereddid olduğundan Manisa mollası oldu. 999 recebinde azledilip 1000 senesi saferinde mukaddemen kabûl etmediği Trablusşam kadısı oldu. l00l senesi muharreminde buradan da azledilip İstanbul’a geldi.
Sene-i mezbûre zilka’desinde Edirne’de Dârü’l-hadîs Medresesi müderrisliği verilip gönderildi. l003 senesi zilka’desinde yüz akçe vazîfeyle Sahn-ı Semâniye müderrisliğine ta’yîn edilip İstanbul’a geldi. l004 senesi cumâdelûlâsında istirhâmı üzerine Selânik mollası oldu.
l005 senesi saferinde yine azledilip l008 senesi şa’bânında İzmir mollası olduğu halde Leyle-i Berâtda dâr-ı bekâya irtihâl etdi. Fâzıl, sâlih, erbâb-ı tarîkdan müteneffir, harîs-i fazl ve kemâl, tünd-meşreb, dellâl-ı uyûb idi. “Eşbâh ve Nezâir-i Fıkhiyye”ye ta’likâtı, “Ebu’s-Su’ûd Efendi Tefsîri” kenârında kelimâtı, “Şakâyık-ı Nu’mâniye”ye zeyli vardır. Şâir, afîf idi. Mahdûmları Yunus, Ahmed [281] Efendilerdir.
Es-Seyyid Yunus Efendi, sudûr-ı ilmiyyeden olup l062 senesi saferinde vefât etdi. Es-Seyyid Ahmed Efendi, pederinin irtihâlinde Amasya‘ya gelip müderris ve kâdı-i kasabât iken l0ll’de Amasya’nın eşkiyâ tarafından istilâsı vak’asında vefât etdi. Mahdûmu sudûrdan es-Seyyid Abdurrahman Efendi’dir. Kitâblarını Amasya’da Sultân Bâyezîd Kütübhânesi’ne vakfetmişdir. Birkaç kitâbını Abdüllatîf Efendi Kütübhânesinde gördüm.
“Şakâyık-ı Nu’maniyye”yi tezyîl eden Nev’îzâde Atâyî Efendi bu tercemenin sonunda diyor ki: “Şakâyık-ı Nu’maniyye”ye zeyli ve kenârında ilhâkâtı vardır. Ekserî şetûm olmağın şöhret bulmamışdır.” Bununla beraber o zamanın ricâlini anlamak için bu zeylin lüzûmu var idi. Bulunamadı.
In Modern English
He was from Amasya. He was the son of Seyyid Seyrek Muhyiddîn Mehmed Efendi of Kalecik, who, while serving as mufti in Amasya, was the teacher of Prince Sultan Mustafa, governor of Amasya. He was born when his father was Mufti of Amasya, on the night of the fifth Thursday of the month of Zilkade in the year 945.
When he was two years old his father died, and he grew up with his mother. He read the basic sciences in Amasya with the renowned scholars Cum'a Efendi and Müfessir Ahmed Efendi, and in 966 [1558-59], at the age of twenty-one, he went to Istanbul. He entered the service of Taşköprülüzade Usâmeddîn Ahmed Efendi, the son of his father's teacher.
In the meantime he completed his studies under Muhaşşî Sinan Efendi of Amasya, one of the leading scholars. He became a mülâzım under the Chief Military Judge (Kazasker) Abdülkerîmzade Mehmed Efendi and received the licence to teach in public lectures [ders-i âm]. In the month of Şaban 971 [1563-64] he became müderris of the Rüstem Pasha Madrasa in Hayrabolu, in Şaban 973 [1565-66] of the Rüstem Pasha Madrasa in Rodoscuk, and in Muharrem 983 [1575-76] of the Orhaniye Madrasa in İznik.
In Cemâziyelâhir 985 [1577-78] he was dismissed on the report of the judge of İznik. In Rebîülâhir 987 [1579-80] he became müderris of the Üç Şerefeli Madrasa in Edirne and taught there for six years. In Safer 993 [1585-86] he came to Istanbul as müderris of the Sahn-ı Semân; in Zilkade 995 [1586-87] he became molla of Baghdad.
In Rebîülevvel 998 [1589-90] he was transferred to the district of Tripoli in Syria; as he hesitated to accept it, he became molla of Manisa. In Receb 999 [1590-91] he was dismissed, and in Safer 1000 [1591-92] he was appointed judge of Tripoli, a post he had earlier declined. In Muharrem 1001 [1592-93] he was dismissed from there too and came to Istanbul.
In the month of Zilkade of that year he was given the professorship of the Dârü'l-hadîs Madrasa in Edirne and sent there. In Zilkade 1003 [1594-95] he was appointed müderris of the Sahn-ı Semân with a stipend of one hundred akçe and came to Istanbul. In Cemâziyelevvel 1004 [1595-96], at his own request, he became molla of Salonica.
In Safer 1005 [1596-97] he was dismissed again. In Şaban 1008 [1599-1600], while molla of İzmir, he died on the Night of Berât. He was learned and pious; he disliked the people of the Sufi orders, was keen on learning and accomplishment, was hot-tempered and fond of finding fault. He left notes on the "Eşbâh ve Nezâir-i Fıkhiyye," remarks in the margin of the "Commentary of Ebu's-Su'ûd Efendi," and a supplement to the "Şakâyık-ı Nu'mâniye." He was a poet and a chaste man. His sons were Yunus and Ahmed Efendi.
Seyyid Yunus Efendi, one of the leading figures of the learned class, died in Safer 1062 [1651-52]. Seyyid Ahmed Efendi came to Amasya when his father died and, while müderris and judge of the town, died in 1011 [1602-03] in the seizure of Amasya by bandits. His son was Seyyid Abdurrahman Efendi of the learned class. He endowed his books as a waqf to the Sultan Bayezid Library in Amasya. I saw a few of his books in the Abdüllatîf Efendi Library.
Nev'îzade Atâyî Efendi, who wrote a supplement to the "Şakâyık-ı Nu'maniyye," says at the end of this biography: "He has a supplement to the 'Şakâyık-ı Nu'maniyye' and additions in its margin. Because most of it was abusive, it did not become famous." Even so, it may be said that this supplement was needed to understand the notables of that time. It could not be found.
Notes and Research
Old Words in the Text
- irtihâl: death, passing away
- mukaddimât-ı ulûm: basic sciences, the opening courses of madrasa education
- mülâzım: a scholar counted as a candidate for a professorship, waiting in line
- ders-i âm: the licence to teach public lectures
- ma'zûl: dismissed from office
- arz: reporting, submitting to a higher authority
- Dârü'l-hadîs: a madrasa devoted to teaching hadith
- Sahn-ı Semâniye: the eight madrasas around the Fâtih Mosque in Istanbul
- istirhâm: request, petition
- Leyle-i Berât: the Night of Berât, the fifteenth night of Şaban
- erbâb-ı tarîk: people of the Sufi orders
- tünd-meşreb: hot-tempered
- dellâl-ı uyûb: one who proclaims faults, a fault-finder
- zeyl: a supplement that continues a work
- ta'likât: explanatory notes
- afîf: chaste
Zeyrekzade Emrullah Efendi in the Sources
A study published in 2021 in the Journal of the Faculty of Divinity of Ankara University presents Emrullah Mehmed Efendi as a scholar of the second half of the sixteenth century. Biographical works say little about him; the study draws on his own writings and on the marginal notes of those works. According to the study's abstract, Emrullah Efendi was a student of Taşköprîzade, received an ijaza from Şeyhülislam Ebussuûd, and debated with Birgivî in a gathering of scholars. Hüsameddin, for his part, writes that he entered the service of Taşköprülüzade Usâmeddîn Ahmed Efendi; how the two records relate could not be seen from the abstract, and the full text of the article could not be read.
The entry in the Dictionary of Turkish Literary Names gives the date of birth as 5 Zilkade 945 [25 March 1539]; this agrees with Hüsameddin's "fifth night of Zilkade." The same entry names his father as "Zeyrek Muhyiddin Efendi, teacher of Sultan Selim II," whereas Hüsameddin says he was the teacher of Prince Mustafa. The entry does not mention Amasya.
The sequence of posts largely matches Hüsameddin's: Hayrabolu (971), Rodoscuk (973), İznik Orhaniye (983), Üç Şerefeli (987), Sahn-ı Semân (993), Baghdad (995), Manisa (998), Tripoli (1000), the Dârü'l-hadîs and the Sahn (1003), and Salonica (1004). There are two differences. The entry places the Dârü'l-hadîs post in Zilkade 1000 [August-September 1592], while Hüsameddin gives Zilkade 1001. They also differ on the place of death: the entry says he died in Istanbul in Şaban 1008 [February-March 1600] and ends the list of posts at Salonica; Hüsameddin says he died on the Night of Berât while molla of İzmir. Which is correct could not be settled with the sources read.
The Supplement and Atâyî's Remark
Taşköprîzade's Arabic "eş-Şakâ'iku'n-Nu'mâniyye," on the lives of Ottoman scholars, was continued in later centuries by many supplements and translations. The best known is Nev'îzade Atâyî's (d. 1635) "Hadâiku'l-hakâik"; Atâyî used all the supplements written before him as sources, and the supplement and additions of Seyrekzade Emrullah Mehmed are counted among them.
According to the Dictionary, Emrullah Efendi has two works: this supplement, and notes on Süyûtî's grammatical work "el-Eşbâh ve'n-Nezâ'ir." That Atâyî mentions the marginal additions and says the work was not sought after because it was not liked agrees with the sentence Hüsameddin quotes. The entry also reports that no copy of the supplement turned up in library records and catalogue surveys; Hüsameddin's note "It could not be found" points the same way.
Records Concerning Amasya
According to Hüsameddin, Emrullah Efendi's son Ahmed came to Amasya when his father died and died in 1011 [1602-03] in the seizure of Amasya by bandits; his grandson Abdurrahman Efendi endowed his books to the Sultan Bayezid Library in Amasya. No information on this event or this waqf was found in other sources.
Bibliography
Primary sources
- Abdîzâde Hüseyin Hüsâmeddîn Yasar, Amasya Tarihi, Amasya Belediyesi Kültür Yayınları, 2022, vol. 7, p. 349–349. amasya.bel.tr
Academic studies
Books