Miskâlî Efendi

Miskâlî Efendi, whose real name was Muhammed, was one of the saints of Bursa and passed away in the Hijri year 1017 (1608 CE). According to the sources, in his youth he was occupied with playing music, but later he turned to the path of Sufism and strove to discipline his lower self. It is related that during this period of spiritual struggle he ate and drank extremely little, sometimes contenting himself with a few crumbs of bread, and at times even went for days without eating anything at all. He advanced along the Naqshbandi path by attending the discourses of Shaykh Şâmî Efendi. It is related that he played an important role in improving the condition of the people of Mudanya and was a means of turning the local populace toward worship and obedience. He attached no value to the goods and comforts of the world, and he would refuse and turn down offers of assistance coming from wealthy people. The sources also relate a karama (miracle) attributed to him: a person named Mustafa Efendi recounted that in his dream Miskâlî Efendi woke him up saying, "Get up from here, O heedless one!", and when he awoke, a piece of stone fell from the ceiling exactly onto the spot where his head had been. This account appears in the sources as a narration pointing to his spiritual state.