Köprülüdür. İmâm-ı sâlis-i Sultânî Köprülü Halil Efendi bin Mehmed Efendi’nin mahdûmudur. Küçük yaşında İstanbul’a gidip pederinin ve amcasının sâye-i ikbâlinde tahsîl-i ulûm ederek Rûmeli Kazaskeri İsmetî Mehmed [154] Efendi’den mülâzım ve 1100’de müderris oldu.
Yıllarca tedrîs-i ulûm ederek medâris-i mutâdeyi devredip kibâr-ı müderrisînden oldukda iki defa Amasya kadısı, 1123 senesi muharreminde Medine-i Münevvere mollası oldu. Bundan sonra 1127 cumâdelâhiresinde Halep ve 1135 zilka’desinde bâ-hatt-ı hümâyun Şam mollası oldu.
1136 senesi zilhiccesinde ma’zûlen İstanbul’a gelip 1138 senesi cumâdelâhiresinde vefât etdi. Ok Meydanı’nda medfûndur. Âlim, âbid, ta’bîr-i menâmda yegâne olup Muabbir demekle meşhûr olmuşdu.
1137’de emlâk ve akârâtını vakfederek peder ve vâlidesiyle kendisinin ruhlarına ihdâ edilmek üzere eczâ-yı şerîfe vezâifi tahsîs edib tevliyeti kendisinden iki sene evvel vefât eden mahdûmu İshak Efendi evlâdına şart eyledi.
In Modern English
He was a man of Köprü. He was the son of Köprülü Halil Efendi, third imam of the sultan (imâm-ı sâlis-i Sultânî), son of Mehmed Efendi. He went to Istanbul at a young age and studied under the protection of his father and his uncle; he became a candidate (mülâzım) through Mehmed Efendi İsmetî, Kazasker of Rumelia, and in 1100 [1688-89] became a müderris.
He taught for years; when, having gone through the customary madrasas in turn, he was counted among the senior müderrises, he served twice as kadı of Amasya, and in Muharram 1123 [1711] became molla of Medina. After that, in Jumada al-Akhira 1127 [1715], he became molla of Aleppo, and in Dhu'l-Qa'da 1135 [1723], by the sultan's own hand, molla of Damascus.
Dismissed in Dhu'l-Hijja 1136 [1724], he came to Istanbul and died in Jumada al-Akhira 1138 [1726]. He is buried at Ok Meydanı. A scholar and devout man, he was unique in the interpretation of dreams and was famous as Muabbir (dream interpreter).
In 1137 [1724-25] he endowed his properties and revenue-yielding buildings as a waqf, setting aside posts and stipends for the recitation of parts of the Qur'an to be dedicated to the souls of his father, his mother and himself; he stipulated the trusteeship for the children of his son İshak Efendi, who had died two years before him.
Notes and Research
Old Words in the Text
- imâm-ı sâlis-i Sultânî: the third imam of the sultan
- mahdûm: son
- sâye-i ikbâl: the shade of fortune and standing, protection
- mülâzım: candidate for a professorship, a trainee under a great scholar
- Rûmeli Kazaskeri: head of the army judges; one of the top posts of the learned class
- medâris-i mutâde: the customary steps of the madrasas
- kibâr-ı müderrisîn: senior müderrises
- molla: first-class kadı of a major city
- bâ-hatt-ı hümâyun: by the sultan's own handwriting (approval)
- ma'zûlen: having been dismissed
- ta'bîr-i menâm: dream interpretation
- emlâk ve akârât: properties and revenue-yielding buildings
- eczâ-yı şerîfe vezâifi: posts and stipends set up for the recitation of parts of the Qur'an
- tevliyet: waqf trusteeship
The Köprülü Nisba
The entry does not say plainly which place the nisba "Köprülü" points to. There was a Köprü district in the sanjak of Amasya (today's Vezirköprü district of Samsun); Fâzıl Mustafa Paşa, son of Köprülü Mehmed Paşa, was born "in the Köprü district of Amasya." İsmâil Efendi's two terms as kadı of Amasya may be connected with this region; but no source draws such a link, and it is mentioned here only as a possibility.
The Title of Molla and the Ranks of the Judiciary
In the Ottoman state, molla was a title generally given to great scholars who had reached the rank of mevleviyet after being müderrises, and to first-class kadıs appointed to a mevleviyet above 300 akçe; for kadıs outside Istanbul expressions such as "molla of Edirne" or "molla of Egypt" were used. The expressions "molla of Medina," "molla of Aleppo" and "molla of Damascus" that Hüsameddin gives fit this usage: İsmâil Efendi served as such a kadı at Medina in 1123 (1711), at Aleppo in 1127 (1715) and at Damascus in 1135 (1723). It is understood that the Damascus post, which the text calls "bâ-hatt-ı hümâyun," was conferred by the sultan's own handwriting.
The Title of Third Imam
Being the "third imam" among the sultan's imams indicates a particular rank in the sultan's religious service. It is known that Mehmed Efendi, who became the third imam in 1670 (1081) because Mehmed IV liked his voice and began to be called "imâm-ı sultânî," was born in the district of Lâdik, attached to the sanjak of Amasya. No source draws a link between this Mehmed Efendi and the Mehmed Efendi named as the father of Köprülü Halil Efendi; only the similarity of title and region stands out.
Ok Meydanı
Ok Meydanı, where İsmâil Efendi is buried, is a neighborhood in Istanbul attached to the districts of Kâğıthane and Şişli and takes its name from the archery ground and archery lodge built by Mehmed II. No detail about his grave in this neighborhood was found in the sources read.
What the Search Could Not Find
Searches on Köprülü Halil Efendi, Mehmed Efendi İsmetî, Kazasker of Rumelia, and İsmâil Efendi's practice of dream interpretation found no information. No other source with information on this person was found.
Bibliography
Primary sources
- Abdîzâde Hüseyin Hüsâmeddîn Yasar, Amasya Tarihi, Amasya Belediyesi Kültür Yayınları, 2022, vol. 7, p. 311–311. amasya.bel.tr
Academic studies
Other sources