The pulpit of the Hâtuniye Mosque came to Hıfzı İbrâhim Efendi from his father. The son of Hâfız Bünyad Efendi, imam and preacher of that mosque, Hıfzı took over the preachership when his father died in 1096 (1685). He was a hafız known for his fine voice and recitation, a professor skilled in the literary sciences, a scholar who served as judge in several small towns and, in Hüseyin Hüsâmeddîn Yasar's word, a "natûk" poet, one whose speech flowed easily. At the end of his life he retired on the income of the Mehmed Bey madrasa at Hakala, and he died at the end of Şaban 1121 (October 1709). Of his poetry no example has come down.

Hüsameddin's Entry

The entry stands on a two-column page in the ninth volume of Amasya Tarihi, and in the digital text it is interwoven with another entry from the neighbouring column. The text below has been assembled by separating the sentences of the two columns.

Amasyalıdır. Kibârı ulemâdan Hâtuniye Câmii imâmı ve hatîbi Mevlânâ Hâfız Bünyad Efendi'nin mahdûmudur. Amasya ulemâsından ve hâssaten müftî-yi meşhûr el-Hâc Hızır Efendi'den ahz-ı ulûm ve ikmâl-i tahsîl edib ders-i âm ve bâ'dehû müderris oldu. 1096 senesi şâbânında pederinin irtihâline binâ'en câmi-i mezkûrun hitâbeti kendi uhdesine tevcîh edilib imâmet vazîfesi de imâm-ı sâbık Hâfız Mustafa Efendizâde Hâfız Mehmed Efendi'ye verildi. Ulûm-ı edebbiyede mahareti, fıkıh ve usûlde fazileti der-kâr olduğundan Hızır Paşa müderrisi olmuşdu. Lâdik ve Köprü gibi ba'zı kasabâta kâdı olup sonra terk-i kazâ ederek tedrîs ve ifâdeyle iştigâl etdi. Evâhir-i ömründe Hakala'da Mehmed Bey Medresesiyle mütekâid olduğu halde 1121 senesi şa'bânının evâhirinde vefât etdi. Âlim, Hâfız-ı Kur'ân savt ü edâsı güzel, edîb, natûk şâir bir zât idi. Mahdûmu es-Seyyid Mustafa Efendi hatîb olup 1124 muharreminde İbrâhim Efendi'ye hitâbeti ferâgat ederek İstanbul'a gitdi.

In English: Of Amasya, he was the son of Mevlânâ Hâfız Bünyad Efendi, one of the eminent scholars, imam and preacher of the Hâtuniye Mosque. He took his learning from the scholars of Amasya, above all from the famous mufti el-Hâc Hızır Efendi, completed his studies and became first a lecturer and then a professor. In Şaban 1096, on his father's death, the preachership of that mosque was conferred on him, and the post of imam was given to Hâfız Mehmed Efendi, son of the former imam Hâfız Mustafa Efendi. As his skill in the literary sciences and his excellence in jurisprudence and its principles were evident, he had become professor of the Hızır Paşa madrasa. He served as judge in some towns such as Lâdik and Köprü, then gave up judging and occupied himself with teaching and instruction. At the end of his life, while in retirement on the Mehmed Bey madrasa at Hakala, he died at the end of Şaban 1121. He was a scholar, a hafız with a fine voice and delivery, a man of letters and an eloquent poet. His son es-Seyyid Mustafa Efendi became preacher and, in Muharrem 1124, resigned the preachership to one İbrâhim Efendi and went to Istanbul.

A glossed reading of the entry is found under the title Hıfzı İbrâhim Efendi-İmâmzâde.

Preacher of the Hâtuniye Mosque

The by-name "İmâmzâde", son of the imam, comes from his father's post at the Hâtuniye Mosque. Built by Bülbül Hatun, wife of Bayezid II and mother of Prince Ahmed, this mosque was the centre of the quarter on the north bank of the Yeşilırmak that took its name; the building and its complex are described in Hatuniye Mosque (Bülbül Hatun Complex). Although Bünyad Efendi had been both imam and preacher, after his death the two posts were divided: the preachership went to his son, the imamate to the son of one of the mosque's earlier imams. Hıfzı's training as a hafız and his fine voice were natural assets for the preacher who delivered the Friday sermon.

The "famous mufti el-Hâc Hızır Efendi" named as his teacher is not introduced further. Hüsameddin's ninth volume contains several scholars named Hızır; among them Şeyhzâde Hacı Hızır Efendi, son of the Halveti sheikh Muhyiddîn Mehmed Efendi, became mufti of Amasya for the third time in 1069 (1659) and fits in time as Hıfzı's teacher. The identification nonetheless remains a guess.

Professor and Judge

Hüsameddin attributes Hıfzı's appointment as professor of the Hızır Paşa madrasa to his mastery of the literary sciences and his knowledge of law. The madrasa meant must be the one built by Hayreddin Hızır Paşa, who left a mosque, a madrasa and endowments in Amasya in the fifteenth century. Hıfzı later served as judge in towns around Amasya such as Lâdik and Köprü; but he chose not to advance on that road, giving up the bench and returning to teaching. At the end of his life he was "mütekâid" with the Mehmed Bey madrasa at Hakala, that is, the professor's stipend of that madrasa had been assigned to him as a pension. Şaban 1121 corresponds to October 1709.

The Other Hıfzı on the Same Page

In the neighbouring column, printed interwoven with Hıfzı İbrâhim Efendi's entry, can be read the last lines of another Amasya man's life: Hıfzı İbrâhim Paşa-Meşâleci. Born in Amasya in 1135 (1722-23), this statesman rose to be steward of the grand vizier and died in 1194 (1780) as governor of Erzurum, a generation after Hıfzı İbrâhim Efendi. The same name, the same pen name and the same page can easily lead to the two being confused; no kinship between them is known.

His Poetry

His poems have not reached us. "Eloquent poet" is praise, but it comes without an example; not a single line appears in the entry.

Chronology

1069 (1659): Şeyhzâde Hacı Hızır Efendi becomes mufti of Amasya for the third time.

Şaban 1096 (July 1685): His father Hâfız Bünyad Efendi dies; Hıfzı becomes preacher of the Hâtuniye Mosque.

End of Şaban 1121 (October 1709): Dies while in retirement on the Mehmed Bey madrasa at Hakala.

Muharrem 1124 (February 1712): His son Seyyid Mustafa Efendi gives up the preachership and goes to Istanbul.

Bibliography

Primary sources

Online sources