Hattât-ı meşhûr es-Seyyid İbrâhim Paşa bin Mehmed Çelebi birâderi es-Seyyid Ali Çelebi mahdûmudur. Küçük yaşında İstanbul’a gidip amcası nezdinde tahsîl-i ilim ve ma’rifet ve ibtidâ Hâlid Erzurumî’den, ba’dehû amcasından hutût-ı mütenevvi’ayı ahz etdi.
İmâm-ı Sultânî Amasyalı Hacı Evliyâ Mehmed Efendi’nin dâmâdı Abdurrahman Efendi’ye dâmâd olup Dîvân-ı Hümâyun Kalemi’ne girdi. Bir taraftan şâkirdâna ta’lim-i hutût ederek iştihâr etdi. Diğer taraftan Dîvân-ı Hümâyûn kâtibi oldu.
Ancak pek şişmân olduğundan terakkî edemeyip “Cihât-ı Vakfiye Defteri”nde mezkûr olduğu üzere 1085’de vefât etdi. “Sicill-i Osmânî”de 1084’de vefâtı [140] mezkûrdur. Kendi imzâsı İsmâil bin Ali en-Nefisî dir. Bazen İsmâil en-Nefisî el-Amasî diye imzâ kordu. Hâfız Osmân Efendi’nin üstâdı olan bir hattât-ı meşhûr idi.
Müstakîmzâde Süleyman Saadeddîn Efendi “Tuhfetü’l-Hattâtin”de diyor ki: “Seyyid İsmâil-şehrîdir.¹²² Nefisîzâde demekle şehîrdir. Sabıkü’z-zikir Nefeszâde Seyyid İbrâhim Efendi’nin akrabâsındandır.
نفس شمرده زدن ذكر أهل عرفانست¹²³
mefhûmu üzere medâr-ı küllîsi haps-i nefes olan hüsn-i hatt-ı enfes tahsîl eylemeye tâlip ve Nesîh’de Hâlid-i Erzurumî’den tâ’lim ile ahz-ı izin ve nefes edib vâdi-i şeyhânede yegâne idi.
“Hatta Hâfız Osmân Efendi’ye ba’del-izin üstâd-ı sânî olup tavr-ı Şeyh’e takarrüb tarîkini bunlardan ahz eylemişdir. Eğer azm ü şikemi olmayip zîr-i meşki zânûları üzere vaz ile âzmayiş-i hatt-ı verziş eylemek mümkün olsaydı âsârı Şeyh Hamdullah merhûmun yâdigârından adem-i temyîz nâçâr idi. Neciba kavli üzere (nağm 1090) sâlinde enfâs-ı ma’dûdesini itmâm ve habs-i nefes ile gavvâs-ı bahr-ı vuslat-ı rabbü’l-enâm oldu.” [141]
Fakat “Cihât Defteri”nde Hacı Evliyâ Mehmed Efendi’nin vakfına dâmâdı Abdurrahman Efendi, ba’dehû bunun dâmâdı es-Seyyid İsmâil Efendi ve 1085’de vefâtıyla mahdûmu es-Seyyid el-Hâc İbrâhim Efendi mütevellî olduğu mazbût olduğuna göre es-Seyyid İsmâil Efendi’nin 1090’da vefâtı tahmîn tarîkiyle olsa gerektir.
In Modern English
He was the son of Seyyid Ali Çelebi, brother of the famous calligrapher Seyyid İbrâhim Pasha, who was the son of Mehmed Çelebi. He went to Istanbul at a young age and studied with his uncle. He took the various scripts of the art of calligraphy first from Hâlid Erzurumî and then from his uncle.
He became son-in-law to Abdurrahman Efendi, who was son-in-law of Hacı Evliyâ Mehmed Efendi of Amasya, imam of the Sultan, and entered the Chancery of the Imperial Divan. On one hand he gained renown by teaching writing to pupils; on the other he became a scribe of the Imperial Divan.
But because he was very stout he could not rise; as recorded in the "Cihât-ı Vakfiye Defteri" he died in 1085 [1674-75]. In the "Sicill-i Osmânî" his death is recorded as 1084 [1673-74]. His own signature is "İsmâil bin Ali en-Nefisî". Sometimes he signed "İsmâil en-Nefisî el-Amasî". He was a famous calligrapher, the teacher of Hâfız Osman Efendi.
Müstakimzâde Süleyman Saadeddîn Efendi says in the "Tuhfetü'l-Hattâtîn": "Seyyid İsmâil is known as 'şehrî'. He is famous by the name Nefîsîzâde. He is a relative of the previously mentioned Nefeszâde Seyyid İbrâhim Efendi.
The Persian hemistich meaning "Counting breaths is the dhikr of the people of gnosis"
According to the meaning of this hemistich, he was eager to learn fine and exquisite writing, whose whole support is the holding of the breath; having studied the naskh script with Hâlid-i Erzurumî and received his licence and breath, he was unique on the path of the Sheikh (in the manner of Sheikh Hamdullah).
"Indeed, after licensing Hâfız Osman Efendi he became his second teacher, and Hâfız Osman took from them the way of drawing close to the Sheikh's manner. Had he not had a belly and paunch, and had it been possible to practise writing with the writing board laid on his knees, it would inevitably have been impossible to tell his works from the keepsakes of the late Sheikh Hamdullah. According to Necîbâ's words (nağm: 1090), in that year he completed his counted breaths and, by holding the breath, became a diver in the sea of union with the Lord of mankind."
But since the "Cihât Defteri" records that the waqf of Hacı Evliyâ Mehmed Efendi was administered first by his son-in-law Abdurrahman Efendi, then by the latter's son-in-law Seyyid İsmâil Efendi, and, on his death in 1085, by his son Seyyid Hacı İbrâhim Efendi, Seyyid İsmâil Efendi's death in 1090 [1679] must have been stated by way of estimate.
Notes and Research
Old Words in the Text
- hattât: calligrapher, artist of fine writing
- hutût-ı mütenevvi'a: various kinds of script
- dâmâd: son-in-law
- Dîvân-ı Hümâyun Kalemi: the writing office of the state's central divan
- şâkirdân: pupils
- ta'lim-i hutût: teaching writing
- mütevellî: administrator of a waqf
- nesih: a legible script used for the Quran and for books
- ahz-ı izin: receiving a licence (icazet), permission to teach writing
- haps-i nefes: holding the breath; according to the text, the whole support of fine writing
- vâdi-i şeyhâne: the Sheikh's way; according to the text, the writing manner of Sheikh Hamdullah
- üstâd-ı sânî: second teacher
- zîr-i meşk: the board used as a support for writing practice
- mazbût: recorded, entered in the register
- şehrî: of the city, an Istanbulite
His Place among Calligraphers
According to an encyclopedia entry, Nefeszâde Seyyid İsmâil Efendi practised the six scripts (aklâm-ı sitte) with Hâlid Erzurûmî and received his licence, and was regarded as the only representative of the Sheikh Hamdullah manner of his day. Hâfız Osman, who had completed his calligraphy training and received a licence from Suyolcuzâde Mustafa Eyyûbî, became curious about the Sheikh Hamdullah manner, resumed studying with Nefeszâde and built his own style on that foundation. Hüsameddin's phrase "a famous calligrapher who was the teacher of Hâfız Osman Efendi" agrees with this. Müstakimzâde's remark that his writing would be indistinguishable from Sheikh Hamdullah's if his belly had not been large and he could have set the writing board comfortably on his knees is in the same entry; that is, the personal detail Hüsameddin passes on appears in the calligraphy historian's own account.
Among his surviving works, three Qurans in naskh, one Quran section (the first juz, written jointly with Hâfız Osman) and a sülüs-naskh practice sheet have been identified. Among his pupils, besides Hâfız Osman, are counted Âhenî Mehmed Çelebi, Ahmed Nâdî, Bedâvîzâde Süleyman, Eyyûbzâde Mehmed and others.
On the Date of Death
Three dates are in play. Hüsameddin gives 1085 (1674-75) on the strength of the waqf register and 1084 (1673-74) on the strength of the "Sicill-i Osmânî"; the 1090 (1679) reported by Müstakimzâde rests, according to Hüsameddin, only on estimate, since the waqf record shows that İsmâil died in 1085 and that the stewardship passed to his son. The encyclopedia entry adopts 1090 (1679) and adds that his grave is unknown. Which is correct cannot be settled with these sources.
From Amasya or from Istanbul?
The encyclopedia entry says Nefeszâde İsmâil Efendi was born in Istanbul; Hüsameddin calls him from Amasya and in his footnote says that Müstakimzâde's word "şehrî" (Istanbulite) comes from his habit of presenting provincials as Istanbulites, and that by residence he was of Istanbul but by birth of Amasya. The two accounts differ on his place of birth. In the same footnote Hüsameddin also says that the name "Nefeszâde" is how it is said in common speech, the correct form being "Nefîszâde", and that his ancestor was Nefîs Çelebi.
Kinship with Nefeszâde İbrâhim
Müstakimzâde, whom Hüsameddin cites, counts İsmâil a relative of Nefeszâde Seyyid İbrâhim Efendi. An encyclopedia entry on Nefeszâde İbrâhim, author of Gülzâr-ı Savâb, one of the basic works on the art of calligraphy, says that he was from Istanbul and that his father was the müderris and calligrapher Mustafa Nefeszâde of Amasya, of the line of Hz. Hasan and Hüseyin. Suyolcuzâde writes that İsmâil was the son of İbrâhim, author of Gülzâr-ı Savâb, whereas Müstakimzâde states that there was only a kinship between them. Whether the uncle Hüsameddin calls "Seyyid İbrâhim Pasha" is the same person as this İbrâhim Efendi is not explained in the sources read.
Could Not Be Verified
No information was found in other sources on Hacı Evliyâ Mehmed Efendi, his son-in-law Abdurrahman Efendi, İsmâil Efendi's post as a scribe in the Imperial Divan, or the "Cihât-ı Vakfiye Defteri". A detailed biography of Hâlid Erzurûmî was not read for this work.
Bibliography
- Abdîzâde Hüseyin Hüsâmeddîn Yasar, Amasya Tarihi, Amasya Belediyesi Kültür Yayınları, 2022, vol. 7, p. 306–307. amasya.bel.tr