İshak Efendi, Âkil Efendizâde

In Modern English

He was from Amasya. He was the son of Âkil Mehmed Efendi of Kayseri. After studying under his father, in 1254 [1838-39], on his father's death, he became müderris of the Kasım Bey Madrasa at Hakala together with his brother İsmâil Efendi. After giving public lessons in Amasya he died in 1270 [1853-54]. He was a scholar and preacher.

Notes and Research

Old Words in the Text

• tahsîl: studying, getting an education
• peder: father
• vefât: death
• müderris: madrasa professor
• ders-i âm: giving public lessons open to everyone
• vâiz: preacher; an official who advises the public and gives religious talks in a mosque

Where Hakala Is

Hakala is the old name of today's village of Yolpınar, in the Suluova district of Amasya. According to a study of Amasya waqf records, a zawiya was founded here in 764 [1362-63] by Seyyid Necmeddin Yahya of the Rifâ'î order; this information rests on Hüsameddin's book. In the land survey register of 1576, one of the five neighbourhoods of the village of Hakala bears the name "Zawiya". The zawiya appears to be attached to the Akdağ nahiye. The waqf documents record that when Seyyid Mehmed, the zawiya's custodian, died he was succeeded by his son Seyyid Mustafa, but that a man named Seyyid Ömer from outside interfered; the revenue from Hakala itself and from a few villages such as Köçeköy, Güllialas and Çapan remained for a long time in the hands of the zawiya's custodians. The same archive records also contain an entry on the zawiya's office of bevvâb (doorkeeper). Hakala was, in the Ottoman period, one of the villages of Amasya in which a tradition of zawiyas and waqfs was seen. The same study of the zawiyas of Amasya counts Hakala among the villages where zawiyas are frequently mentioned.

No detail could be found in the sources read about the Kasım Bey Madrasa mentioned in the entry. Its founder, year of founding and present condition could not be verified. In that case only this can be said: in the year 1254 there was a madrasa at Hakala, and the post of müderris in this madrasa was given to two brothers.

An Inheritance from the Father: The Müderrisship of Two Brothers

The point that stands out in the entry is the passing of the post from father to sons. On the death of Âkil Mehmed Efendi (1254 [1838-39]), his two sons, İshak and İsmâil, together took the müderrisship of the same madrasa. In the Ottoman scholarly class the müderrisship was normally obtained by registering in the kazasker's register, waiting one's turn, passing an examination and receiving a berat; candidates from scholarly families were granted the "mevâlîzâde" privilege. The brothers' succeeding their father could be an example of a müderrisship staying within a family in waqf madrasas; but since Hüsameddin does not write the terms of this madrasa's waqf deed, it is not possible to say so with certainty.

Preacher and Dersiâm

Besides his müderrisship in the madrasa, İshak Efendi gave public lessons in Amasya. A dersiâm is a scholar who has obtained an icazet and passed the examination and who teaches the public in a mosque. That the same person is also called a preacher shows that he passed on his knowledge both to students and to the mosque congregation. That his father was from Kayseri shows that among the scholars of Amasya there were also scholars who had come from other cities and settled.

The Madrasas of Amasya

The madrasa tradition in Amasya is very old. The summary of a study of the müderrises of Amasya according to the Meşihat archive says that more than forty madrasas existed in the city; in the Seljuk period madrasas such as the Halifet Gazi, the Gökmedrese, the Alaca Yahya and the Ata Bey were built, and in the Ottoman period, when the city was called the "city of princes", these institutions were preserved. The same summary also stresses that, although some academic studies have been made on the madrasas of Amasya, independent studies on their müderrises remain insufficient. Hüsameddin's book records by name the müderrises who served in village madrasas such as the Kasım Bey Madrasa at Hakala as well as in the madrasas of the centre.

Bibliography

Primary sources

• Abdîzâde Hüseyin Hüsâmeddîn Yasar, Amasya Tarihi, Amasya Belediyesi Kültür Yayınları, 2022, vol. 7, p. 287–287. amasya.bel.tr
• Hasan Telli, "Meşihat arşivi'ne göre Amasya müderrisleri", Afyon Kocatepe Üniversitesi, 2024 (summary), https://acikerisim.aku.edu.tr/xmlui/handle/11630/12210

Academic studies

• Murat Alandağlı, "Hurufat Kayıtlarında Amasya Zaviyeleri", Turkish Studies, 19/1 (2024), p. 1–27.

Other sources

• "Dersiam", https://www.biyografiler.com/bilgi/dersiam