Merzifonludur. Merzifon ulemâsından Ma’kûl Mehmed Efendi’nin mahdûmudur. Tilmizi Eşref Abdurrahman Efendi’nin Tezkiretü’l-Hikem zeylinde yazdığı üzere Köprü’de Kara Müderris Ahmed Efendi’den, Ankara’da Ankaravî Mehmed Efendi’den, İstanbul’da Erzincânî Ali Efendi’den, Diyârbekirli Molla Çelebi’den [124] tahsîl-i ulûm ve ahz-i icâzetle Merzifon’a avdetle ders-i âm oldu.
Ba’dehû orada Medrese-i Sultâniye müderrisi, sonra Merzifon müftüsü olup ulemâ arasında temâyüz etdi. 1100 senesi evâhirinde tedrîs ü iftâdan azledildiğine canı sıkılıp 1101’de Amasya’ya nakl-i ikâmet ve Sultân Bâyezîd Câmiinde tedrîs-i ulûma müvâzabet ederek 1105 senesi evâilinde Hızır Paşa müderrisi oldu.
1114 senesi vak’asında zî-medhal gösterildiğinden İstanbul’a celb edilip teftîş esnâsında bir sun’ u taksîri olmadığı anlaşılmakla avdet edib 1115 senesi zilhiccesinin on üçüncü günü Amasya’da vefât etdi.⁵
Eşref Efendi diyor ki: “Mûmâ ileyh gâyet fâzıl, halûk, ulûm-ı âlîyede mâhir, natûk, usûl-i fıkh u kelâmîde kâmil idi. Mutâla’a eylediği ekser kitaba havâşi ve ta’lîkât yazdı. Akâ’id-i hayâliyesine bir hâşiye te’lîf etdi. Sülâle-i ilmiyyesi bir tarafdan Ebu’s-Su’ûd Efendi’ye, diğer tarafdan Seyyid Şerîf Cürcânî’ye müntehîdir. Evlâdından İbrâhim Efendi aşağıda gelir. [125]
In Modern English
He was from Merzifon, the son of Ma'kûl Mehmed Efendi, one of the scholars of Merzifon. According to what his student Eşref Abdurrahman Efendi wrote in his continuation of the Tezkiretü'l-Hikem, he learned from Kara Müderris Ahmed Efendi in Köprü, from Ankaravî Mehmed Efendi in Ankara, and from Erzincânî Ali Efendi and Diyarbekirli Molla Çelebi in Istanbul; he received his licence (icazet), returned to Merzifon, and received the authorization to give public lectures.
He then became müderris of the Sultaniye Madrasa there, then mufti of Merzifon, and distinguished himself among the scholars. Vexed at being dismissed from teaching and from issuing fatwas at the end of 1100 [1689], he moved to Amasya in 1101 [1689-90]; continuing to teach in the Sultan Bayezid Mosque, in early 1105 [1693-94] he became müderris of the Hızır Pasha madrasa.
In the incident of 1114 [1702-03], being named as guilty, he was summoned to Istanbul; when the investigation showed that he had no fault or offence, he returned and died in Amasya on the thirteenth day of Zilhicce 1115 [April 1704].
Eşref Efendi says: "The said person was extremely learned, of fine character, a master of the higher sciences, a fine speaker, and mature in the principles of jurisprudence and in theology (kelâm). He wrote glosses and notes on most of the books he read. He wrote a gloss on the Akâ'id-i Hayâliyye. His chain of learning goes back on one side to Ebüssuûd Efendi and on the other to Seyyid Şerîf Cürcânî. İbrâhim Efendi, of his descendants, comes below."
Notes and Research
Old Words in the Text
- tilmîz: student
- zeyl: a continuation or appendix of a work
- ahz-i icâzet: obtaining permission to teach from a teacher
- tedrîs ü iftâ: teaching and issuing fatwas
- zî-medhal: implicated, having a stake (named in the incident)
- sun' u taksîr: deliberate fault and neglect
- havâşî ve ta'lîkât: commentaries and notes written on a work
- akâ'id-i hayâliyye: glosses written on Hayâlî's commentary on the creed (akaid)
- halûk: of fine character
- natûk: a fine speaker, eloquent
Eşref Abdurrahman Efendi
The source on which the text rests is the Merzifon müderris Abdurrahman Eşref Efendi. Eşref Efendi was the son of Şerefeddin Ali of Merzifon and died in 1151 (1738-39). It is stated that he wrote about one hundred and fifty works. In 1728 he wrote in Turkish the work titled Tezkiretü'l-hikem fî tabakâti'l-ümem. He is also known to have compiled a biographical dictionary of scholars of Amasya and its surroundings up to about 1100-1140. Hüsameddin quotes in quotation marks this praise the student wrote for his teacher; the biography is thus supported by the words of a contemporary who knew the teacher.
Madrasas in Merzifon
In Merzifon there are madrasas such as the Çelebi Sultan Mehmed Madrasa and the Merzifonlu Kara Mustafa Pasha Madrasa; according to the waqf deed (1678) of the Kara Mustafa Pasha Complex, the madrasa had fifteen student rooms. Which of these the "Medrese-i Sultâniye" in the entry is cannot be understood from the text. No record apart from Hüsameddin was found about the teaching circle of "Kara Müderris Ahmed Efendi" in Köprü or about "Ma'kûl Mehmed Efendi" himself.
Footnote
According to Hüsameddin's footnote, İbrâhim Efendi's sons are Mehmed, Ahmed and Abdurrahman Efendi; Ahmed Efendi's son İbrâhim Efendi was also among the scholars.
Bibliography
Primary sources
- Abdîzâde Hüseyin Hüsâmeddîn Yasar, Amasya Tarihi, Amasya Belediyesi Kültür Yayınları, 2022, vol. 6, p. 47–47. amasya.bel.tr
Academic studies
Other sources