Şeyh Ahmed Efendi

Şeyh Ahmed Efendi is one of the saints who flourished in Anatolia during the time of the Ottomans, and he belonged to the path of Emîr Sultan. His father was a man named Abdurrahmân Efendi. His date of birth is unknown; he died in Bursa in 1529 (AH 935). He received his education according to the method of his era, attended the gatherings of learned and saintly figures, and—especially deepening himself in the sciences of tafsir and fiqh—became both a scholar and an exalted saint. He preached and gave counsel to the people in Yenişehir of Rumelia, went to the Hijaz to perform the duty of the hajj, and visited the noble grave of our Prophet. According to the sources, while going on the hajj together with his father, when the time of prayer arrived at the Maqâm Ibrâhim, a person who suddenly appeared became imam and led the prayer; after the prayer, Ahmed Efendi shook hands with this person and asked for his prayer, and later expressed his joy by saying that he had been honored with meeting the qutb of the age. After returning from the hajj, upon the death of his father Abdurrahmân Efendi, he took his place at the lodge of Emîr Sultan, and for five years trained students and explained to the people the commandments and prohibitions of Islam. Before his death, he left his student İbrâhim Efendi as his successor (caliph) in his place. Tall, fair-complexioned and of slender body, Ahmed Efendi attached no importance to worldly possessions, worshipped much, and occupied himself with asceticism and spiritual struggle. He kept up his litanies (virds) regardless of travel, winter or rain, slept very little at night, and spent most of his days fasting. His sermons were very moving; when he ascended the pulpit, many of the congregation would weep.