Sheikh Abu'l-Wafa, whose given name was Muslihuddin Mustafa, was born in Konya during the Karamanid period and completed his education in Edirne. He became a disciple of Abdüllatif al-Qudsi, a leading khalifa of the Zeyniyye order, and founded its Vefaiyye branch. Under the patronage of Sultan Mehmed the Conqueror he settled in Istanbul, where the sultan built him a mosque and bathhouse in the district now known as Vefa. Beyond the religious and rational sciences, he was deeply learned in music, astronomy and mathematics. Many statesmen, scholars, poets and calligraphers became his disciples. He died in 896/1491 and was buried in his tomb in the cemetery of the mosque built in his name.