Dursun Nuri Feyzi Güven (Çalekli Hacı Dursun Efendi)

A scholar and public lecturer (dersiâm) who trained hundreds of students in the eastern Black Sea region; he is known as Çalekli Dursun Efendi.

He was born in 1883. He was the grandson of Abdülaziz Efendi and the son of Yâkub Efendi. He came to be known by this name because his family, which had migrated from Van, settled at Büyükköy in the district of Of in Trabzon.

He began memorising the Qur'an at seven and completed it at nine with Ahmed Efendi of Hemşin. He then studied Arabic with Karakaş Ahmed Efendi, the religious sciences with Tayyib Zühdü Efendi, and the science of inheritance shares with Velizâde Hasan Hilmi Efendi. In 1922 he graduated from the Theology and Philosophy branch of the Süleymaniye Medrese and gained the title of dersiâm.

In Sufism he attached himself to Ferşad Efendi and entered the Nakşibendî path. He received investiture from Vizena Ahmed Efendi; in 1957 he also became a deputy of Ali Haydar Efendi.

After working in the Office of the Şeyhülislâm he served as a regimental imam. In 1925 he took over the directorship of the İmam-Hatip School opened at Of. From 1939 he began teaching at the medrese unofficially.

He died on 22 February 1977 in his village.

His Circle of Influence — He trained hundreds of students. Among them are counted the scholar of Qur'anic readings Mehmet Rüştü Âşıkkutlu, Remzi Yavuz, who served in the Presidency of Religious Affairs, Osman Niyazi Atay, Hüseyin Hatipoğlu, Hüsnü Lostar and Kâmil Küçük.

His Works — Münkızü'l-felâsife (Mecca 1949), Tevhid ve İşrâk (Istanbul 1920), Ahlâk ve İnanç Öğütleri (Giresun 1956), Âhiret Hakikatleri ve Dirilmek Hikmetleri (Trabzon 1970) and Muhtârü'l-ehâdîs Tercümesi (Istanbul 1964).