Nasuhi Mehmed Efendi

Founder of the Nasuhiyya branch of the Khalwati-Shabani order; builder and pir of the Nasuhi Tekke at Doğancılar in Üsküdar.

He was born at Toygartepesi in Üsküdar, near the Bulgurlu Mosque; the sources give his birth date differently (see Multiple Views). He was the son of Nasuhi Bey, of a family of sayyids belonging to the sipahi class; his given name was Mehmed, and he became known by his father's name. After his childhood he began his studies in the Kefçe Dede quarter of Üsküdar, where his family had moved.

In his youth, while occupied with learning, he was drawn to Sufism and became a disciple of Shaykh Karabaş Veli, pir of the Karabashi branch of the Shabaniyya, who guided disciples in his lodge beside the Atik Valide Mosque in Üsküdar; he entered retreat in the cell the shaykh assigned him in the lodge. It is recorded that when his father learned that his son had become the disciple of a shaykh he did not know, he came to the lodge at once, but on seeing Karabaş Veli and perceiving his spiritual perfection he consented to his son's staying there. He was about twenty-five when he completed his spiritual journey.

At his master's command he went to Mudurnu and began teaching the religious sciences and guiding the people at the Sun'ullah Efendi Zawiya. In the years 1679-1683, when his shaykh Karabaş Veli was in exile on Lemnos, he visited him there several times; Niyazi-i Mısri was also in exile on Lemnos at the time. Nasuhi says that he served them both, that Mısri prayed for him because of his service, and that he always felt the blessing of that prayer upon him. In 1096 (1685), leaving his deputy Abdullah Rüşdü in his place, he returned to Üsküdar with his shaykh's permission. Shortly afterwards Karabaş Veli placed his own crown (tac-ı şerif) on him and left Istanbul for the pilgrimage, and died in Cairo in 1097 (1686).

At that time Mehmed Nasuhi was continuing his guidance in the Çakırcı Hasan Paşa and Süleyman Paşa mosques at Doğancılar in Üsküdar, and construction of a lodge for him was begun at Doğancılar; when the pasha who had begun it lacked the means to continue, his expenses were repaid to him and the lodge was completed by Mehmed Nasuhi in 1099 (1688), being opened on the Night of Power of the same year (25 July 1688) in a ceremony attended by Gavsi Ahmed Dede, shaykh of the Galata Mevlevihane. From then on Nasuhi continued his guidance in his own lodge. In 1117 (1705) Ahmed III appointed him preacher (kürsü şeyhi) of the Eyüp Sultan Mosque. Because of certain words attributed to him he was exiled to Kastamonu in 1126 (1714), and two years later was permitted to return to Istanbul; his followers interpreted this exile as a spiritual summons from the order's pir, Şaban-ı Veli of Kastamonu. It is recorded that besides the obligatory and sunna worship he attached great importance to retreat, the forty-day seclusion (erbain) and i'tikaf; that in 1108 (1696) he completed ten forty-day seclusions in succession; that for fear of the doubtful he gave up most permissible things; and that he was fond of growing roses, the roses he grew being called "Nasuhi roses".

He died on 17 Ramadan 1130 (14 August 1718) and was buried in the graveyard of his lodge. Two of the chronograms composed on his death are: "Alas, my shaykh Nasuhi"; "At his last breath Nasuhi said 'O Truth' and set out for eternity." After his death his son Ali Alaeddin Efendi (d. 1165/1752) became shaykh of the lodge; the shaykhship, passing from father to son, was then held by Shaykh Mehmed Fazlullah Efendi (d. 1218/1803), Shaykh Abdurrahman Mehmed Şemseddin Efendi (d. 1249/1833), Shaykh Muhyiddin Efendi (d. 1315/1897) and Shaykh Ahmed Keramüddin Efendi (d. 1934). This lineage, known as the Nasuhizades, became one of the most influential shaykhly families of Istanbul.

His Circle of Influence — His initiatic chain reaches, through his shaykh Karabaş Veli, the pir of the Khalwati-Shabani order, Şaban-ı Veli; the Nasuhiyya branch named after him is attributed to him. From the Nasuhiyya arose the Çerkeşiyya, attributed to Çerkeşi Mustafa Efendi, and from the Çerkeşiyya the Haliliyya, attributed to Halil Efendi of Gerede, and the Kuşadaviyya (İbrahimiyya), attributed to İbrahim Efendi of Kuşadası; thus the Khalwati-Shabani order has come down to the present through the chain of Mehmed Nasuhi. The Mi'raciyye, one of the major works of religious music, composed by Kutbü'n-nayi Osman Dede, shaykh of the Galata Mevlevihane, came into being at his wish and recommendation; the Arabic section sung at its opening, called the tevşih, is by Nasuhi Efendi, and the Mi'raciyye was first performed at the Nasuhi lodge. Two hagiographies (menakıbname) were written about him, one by his follower Senai and one by his grandson Ahmed Keramüddin Efendi.

His Works — ① al-Risala al-Rushdiyya fi al-tariqa al-Muhammadiyya: a treatise on the manners of the path written for his deputy Abdullah Rüşdü of Mudurnu, also containing information on his life; it was translated into Turkish by Mahmud Rebii. ② Waridat-i Qudsiyya: contains 180 letters he sent to his disciple İbrahim Ağa, steward of the Enderun; also known as Mektubat or Muraselat-ı Pir. ③ Divançe: contains forty-seven poems. ④ Şerh-i Gazel-i Niyazi-i Mısri: an Arabic commentary on a ghazal of Niyazi-i Mısri. ⑤ Tafsir: reported to contain the commentary of eleven suras; Ömer Nasuhi Bilmen says he saw it in the lodge's library; the library was transferred to the Süleymaniye Library in 1995, but the work was not found there. He is also recorded as the author of Risalat al-waladiyya, Risalat al-Fakhriyya, Majmu'at al-ahadith and Shu'ab al-iman.

His Tomb and Complex — The lodge stands on Tunusbağı Street at Doğancılar in Üsküdar and is the asitane and seat of the pir of the Nasuhiyya branch of the Shabaniyya within the Khalwatiyya. Some time after his death a tomb was built over his grave. In the time of the fifth shaykh, Shaykh Mehmed Muhyiddin Efendi, Sultan Abdülmecid had the mosque-tevhidhane, tomb and harem sections rebuilt; these largely wooden buildings burned in 1274 (1857-58), and in 1280 (1863-64) Ebubekir Rüstem Paşa restored the lodge in masonry in its final form. After the closure of the lodges (1925) the mosque-tevhidhane was used as a mosque, and the tomb was kept closed to visitors for a long time. The tomb holds ten wooden cenotaphs belonging to Nasuhi Efendi, his wife and his descendants; his cenotaph is larger than the others, enclosed by a grille of vertical brass rods and emphasised by an eight-pointed star-shaped ceiling medallion directly above it. On the window of supplication (niyaz penceresi) is written a couplet by the Shabani shaykh Mustafa Zekai: "It is the station of the saints, the source of grace and opening / Enter with courtesy, O Sufi, this is the lodge of Nasuhi." The recitation of the Mi'raciyye at the lodge on the first Sunday after the Night of the Ascension, with cold milk, sherbet and sugar in a small dish distributed to the listeners, is a tradition peculiar to this lodge.