Amasyalıdır. Şeyhü’l-kurra Yûsuf Efendi bin Abdullatîf bin İsmâil mahdûmudur. Pederinden ahz-ı kırâ’at ve tahsîl-i vücûh edib, sâir ulemâdan da ulûm-ı Arabîye ahz ü tahsîl ederek, pederiyle beraber 1099’da İstanbul’a gitdi. Orada savt ü edâsıyla ve ilm ü ahlâkıyla kesb-i ma’rûfiyyet edib Ayasofya câmiînde ders-i âm ve Timurkapu’da Daye Hâtun mescidine imâm ve nakîbü’l-eşrâf Seyrekzâde es-Seyyid Yunus Efendi’nin vakfından vazife almak üzere şeyhü’l-kurra olduğu halde 1119 senesi cumâdelâhiresinde vefât etdi.
Âlim, muttakî, hâfız-ı Kur’ân bir şeyhü’l-kurra idi. Yerine birâderi Hâfız Mehmed Efendi ile mahdûmu fâzıl-ı meşhûr Abdullah Efendi şeyhü’l-kurra oldu. Kezâ fi’l-kuyûd mahdûmu Yûsuf Efendi ve bunun mahdûmu Hâfız Ahmed Efendi de meşâyîh-i kurrâdan idi. Yûsuf Efendi de 1274 cumâdelâhirde vefât etmişdi. 36/174
In Modern English
He was from Amasya. He was the son of Şeyhülkurrâ (head of the Qur'an-recitation teachers) Yûsuf Efendi; Yûsuf Efendi was the son of Abdüllatîf, who in turn was the son of İsmâil. He learned the method of Qur'an recitation and the variants of reading (kıraat) from his father, studied the Arabic language sciences with other scholars, and in 1099 [1687-88] went to Istanbul with his father. There, known for his voice and recitation, his learning and character, he gave public lectures at the Hagia Sophia Mosque and became imam of the Daye Hatun Mosque at Timurkapu. Taking a post from the waqf of Nakîbüleşraf Seyrekzade Seyyid Yunus Efendi, he died as şeyhülkurrâ in Cemaziyelahir 1119 [1707-08].
He was a scholar, a pious man, a şeyhülkurrâ who knew the Qur'an by heart. His brother Hâfız Mehmed Efendi and his son, the virtuous and renowned Abdullah Efendi, became şeyhülkurrâ in his place. Also, as found in the records, his son Yûsuf Efendi and that one's son Hâfız Ahmed Efendi were among the sheikhs of the reciters. Yûsuf Efendi had died in Cemaziyelahir 1274 [1857-58]. 36/174
Notes and Research
Old Words in the Text
- şeyhülkurrâ: the head of the Qur'an reciters (kurrâ); the highest office in the science of recitation
- ahz-ı kırâ'at ve tahsîl-i vücûh: to take up the method of Qur'an recitation and learn the varieties of reading (the variants of kıraat)
- ulûm-ı Arabîye: the sciences concerning the Arabic language and literature
- savt ü edâ: voice and recitation
- nakîbü'l-eşrâf: the head of the seyyids (descendants of the Prophet)
- muttakî: one who fears God, devout
- hâfız-ı Kur'ân: one who knows the Qur'an by heart
- meşâyîh-i kurrâ: the sheikhs of recitation
- fi'l-kuyûd: as found in the records
A Family of Qur'an-Recitation Scholars from Amasya
The entry is the short history of a family that went from Amasya to Istanbul and gained renown there in the field of recitation. The information Hüsâmeddin gives is consistent with the biography of a famous Istanbul scholar of recitation. The father of Abdullah Hilmi Efendi (1066/1656-1167/1754), known as Yûsufefendizade, was Şeyhülkurrâ Mehmed Efendi, and his grandfather was Reîsülkurrâ Yûsuf Efendi of Amasya. According to the encyclopedia entry, Abdullah Hilmi Efendi was born in Istanbul. Although some sources write that he was born in Amasya, both the birth date of 1066 given for him and the fact that his father served as imam at the Nakilbent Mosque show that this is not correct. He completed his memorization, took recitation lessons from his father, held posts such as şeyhülkurrâ of the Sultan Ahmed Mosque, had Sahîh-i Buhârî read at the palace in the reign of Ahmed III, and died in 1167 at the age of 101.
In that case, if the word "son" in Hüsâmeddin's sentence "his brother Hâfız Mehmed Efendi and his son Abdullah Efendi became şeyhülkurrâ in his place" is attached to the nearest name, Hâfız Mehmed Efendi, it matches the encyclopedia entry: Mehmed Efendi's son Abdullah is Ahmed Efendi's nephew. No other record was found that would resolve this ambiguity in the text. That Yûsuf Efendi died in 1274, considered together with Abdullah Hilmi's death in 1754, shows that the Yûsuf Efendi named in the text belongs to a later generation.
The Daye Hatun Mosque and His Post in Istanbul
Daye Hâtun in the text is the wet nurse of Mehmed the Conqueror. According to an Istanbul encyclopedia entry, her real name was Hand Hatun, and she had a mosque built in Istanbul near Tarakçılar, a small mosque (mescit) at Demirkapı, and a mosque at Edirne. The district Hüsâmeddin calls "Timurkapu" may be this Demirkapı (Timur means "iron" in old Turkish). However, no record confirming this could be found. No information was found in other sources on the waqf of Nakîbüleşraf Seyrekzade Seyyid Yunus Efendi.
The notation "36/174" at the end of the text appears to be a reference the book makes to a record; its meaning could not be verified.
Bibliography
Primary sources
- Abdîzâde Hüseyin Hüsâmeddîn Yasar, Amasya Tarihi, Amasya Belediyesi Kültür Yayınları, 2022, vol. 6, p. 187–188. amasya.bel.tr
Academic studies
Books