Khidr Dede (Muq'ad Khidr Dede)

An Ottoman Sufi of the Bayramiyya. While shepherding in the Mihalich (Karacabey) region his feet froze, leaving him lame — hence the byname "Muq'ad (crippled) Khidr Dede". He came to Bursa and is said to have lived as a recluse near the old minaret by the Grand Mosque. According to the account considered reliable, his chain reaches Haji Bayram Wali through Akbiyik Sultan (d. 860/1456); some sources presenting him directly as Haji Bayram's khalifa are chronologically doubtful. His chief significance is that he directed the young Uftade — regarded as the founder of the Jalwatiyya — and trained him for about eight years; through this bond the Jalwatiyya is counted a branch of the Bayramiyya. The report that he granted Uftade formal successorship is treated with caution, since Uftade was about eighteen at his death; the prevailing view is that Uftade completed his path in the Uwaysi manner. He died around 918/1512 (some sources: 913/1507) in Bursa; his grave lies at Üçkuzular above the Pınarbaşı Cemetery. (Sources: TDV Encyclopedia of Islam, "Üftâde" and "Celvetiyye"; Visit Bursa.)