Merzifonludur. Mehmed Efendi’nin mahdûmu olup müfessir-i meşhûr Abdü’n-nebî Nâbî, Abdullah Vecîh Efendilerden ikmâl-i tahsîl edib ders-i âm oldu. Dârü’s-selâm Mahallesi’nde ikâmet ve Sultân Bâyezîd Câmiinde tedrîs-i ulûma muvâzabet etdi.
1204’de Kâşifiyye müderrisi olarak ba’de’l-icâze Çeribaşı Câmii şerîfinde “Tefsîr-i Beyzâvî” tedrîsine mübâşeret edib yıllarca okuttu. 1224’de medreseden haksız yere azledildiyse de 1225’de sâniyen müderris olup 1229’da yine ref’ edildi.
Bu gibi tebeddülâta bakmayıp “Beyzâvî” tedrîsine devam etdi. [195] Ancak 1232’de cereyân eden Yeniçeri-Talebe vak’asına karışdığı söylenmekle 1233’de Mustafa Vâzıh Efendiyle beraber Limni’ye gönderildi. 1234 senesi evâilinde avdet etdi.
Yine dersine devam ederek hüsn-i beyânı sâyesinde talebesi ve cemâat-ı müstemiası çoğaldığından Sultân Bâyezîd Câmiinde “Tefsîr-i Beyzâvî” tedrîsine devam edib 1237 senesi recebinde hatme ve icâzete muvaffak olarak be-nâm oldu.
Hayfâ ki, 1239’da cereyân eden ikinci Yeniçeri-Talebe vak’asına yine karışdığı anlaşılmakla birçok rüfekâsıyla beraber Sivas’a kaldırıldı. Üç mâh sonra avdet edib 1240 senesi muharreminde üçüncü Yeniçeri-Talebe vak’asında şehîden vefât etdi.
Âlim, fâzıl, ulûm-ı şer’iyyede mütebahhir, fakîh, müfessir, muhaddis, hüsn-i beyâna muvaffak, gâyet müteşerrî, mutasallib, hadîdü’l-mizâc bir zât idi. Hânesi garbında vâki’ mezâristânın köşesinde medfûndur. Mahdûmu Sâdullah Efendi ulemâdan ve bunun mahdûmu Abdülhalîm Ağa [196] mazınneden bir meczûb-ı nakş olup 1325 senesi zilka’desinin yirmi dördüncü Pazarertesi günü dâr-ı kudse irtihâl etdi.
In Modern English
He is from Merzifon. He is the son of Mehmed Efendi. After completing his studies under the famous Qur'an commentators Abdünnebi Nâbî and Abdullah Vecîh Efendi, he became a public teacher (ders-i âm). He lived in the Dârüsselâm quarter and kept teaching the sciences in the Mosque of Sultan Bâyezîd.
In 1204 [1789-90], as müderris of the Kâşifiyye, he began, after receiving the licence (icazet), to teach the "Tafsir of Beyzâvî" in the Çeribaşı Mosque, and taught it for years. Although in 1224 [1809-10] he was unjustly dismissed from the madrasa, he became müderris a second time in 1225 [1810-11], and in 1229 [1813-14] he was again removed.
Paying no heed to such changes, he continued teaching the "Beyzâvî". But because he was said to have been involved in the Janissary-Student incident of 1232 [1816-17], he was sent to Limni in 1233 [1817-18] together with Mustafa Vâzıh Efendi. He returned early in 1234 [1818-19].
He resumed his teaching, and since his students and the congregation listening to him grew in number thanks to his fine eloquence, he continued the "Tafsir of Beyzâvî" in the Mosque of Sultan Bâyezîd and in Receb 1237 [1822] became renowned by completing the book and granting licences.
Sadly, when it became clear that he had again been involved in the second Janissary-Student incident of 1239 [1823-24], he was sent to Sivas together with many of his companions. After three months he returned, and in Muharrem 1240 [1824] he died as a martyr in the third Janissary-Student incident.
He was a scholar, a man of merit, deeply versed in the religious sciences, a jurist, a commentator, a hadith scholar, gifted in expression, very strict in his adherence to the sharia, firm and harsh in temperament. He is buried at the corner of the graveyard west of his house. His son Sâdullah Efendi was among the scholars; the latter's son Abdülhalîm Ağa, a man in a state of rapture (meczup), passed away on the twenty-fourth day of Zilkade 1325, a Monday [1907].
Notes and Research
Old Words in the Text
- müfessir: a scholar who interprets the Qur'an and writes commentary
- Tefsîr-i Beyzâvî: Beyzâvî's commentary on the Qur'an, one of the basic works taught in madrasas
- ba'de'l-icâze: after receiving the licence
- azl, ref': dismissal from a post
- sâniyen: for the second time
- hatme ve icâzet: finishing the teaching of a book and giving students a certificate of authorisation
- rüfekâ: companions
- mutasallib: strict, rigid in religion
- hadîdü'l-mizâc: of a sharp, quick-tempered nature
- meczûb: one carried away in a state of spiritual rapture; the exact meaning of "mazınneden bir meczûb-ı nakş" in the text could not be verified
- dâr-ı kuds'e irtihâl: passing to the next world
The Janissary-Student Incidents
A madrasa student is called a softa; in the last century of the Ottoman state the softas often took part in political and social movements in crowded centres such as Istanbul. When the Janissary Corps was abolished in 1826, madrasa students who were at odds with the janissaries stood with the sultan under the lead of the neighbourhood imams. No detail was found in the sources we read on the three "Janissary-Student" incidents of 1232, 1239 and 1240 that Hüsameddin mentions, or on İsmâil Efendi's exile to Limni and Sivas; this information could not be verified.
Places
The text does not say where the Mosque of Sultan Bâyezîd, the Çeribaşı Mosque, the Dârüsselâm quarter and the Kâşifiyye Madrasa were. The exile to Limni and the janissary-student incidents suggest an Istanbul setting, but this is an inference; it should not be confused with the Bayezid Complex in Amasya. Our searches found no information on the Kâşifiyye Madrasa or on the commentator Abdünnebi Nâbî. No information was found in other sources on this scholar.
Bibliography
Primary sources
- Abdîzâde Hüseyin Hüsâmeddîn Yasar, Amasya Tarihi, Amasya Belediyesi Kültür Yayınları, 2022, vol. 7, p. 323–323. amasya.bel.tr
Academic studies