Saints

Somuncu Baba (Shaykh Hamid-i Veli)

(q.s.)

A Sufi; he is also known as Şeyh Hamîdüddin Aksarâyî and Hamîd-i Velî . His real name was Abdullah. Most of the sources take him to have been from Kayseri; some claim Aksaray as his birthplace. It is related that his ancestors migrated from Turkestan. He received his first Sufi training from his father Şeyh Şemseddin Mûsâ; he then studied the religious sciences at Damascus. He attached himself to the Safavid circle and was trained under Alâeddin Erdebîlî (d. 832/1429), the grandson of Safiyyüddîn-i Erdebîlî. Having completed his spiritual journey at the Ardabil lodge, he settled in Bursa. In his first years at Bursa he lived modestly, selling bread in the streets and calling out "loaves, O believers!" . The epithet Somuncu Baba (the bread-seller father) comes from this. At the opening of the Ulucami, Emîr Sultan presented him to Sultan Bayezid I to deliver the Friday sermon. It is related that his commentary on the Sûrat al-Fâtiha resolved difficulties that had challenged even Molla Fenârî. He died in 815 (1412); in the last period of his life he had settled at Aksaray. His Circle of Influence — His most important student is Hacı Bayrâm-ı Velî , the founder of the Bayramiyye. Among his other disciples are counted Şeyh Şücâüddin Karamânî, Şeyh Muzaffer Lârendevî and Molla Fenârî. His Works — Three treatises are attributed to him; but because the manuscripts are of late date, their attribution to him is disputed. His Tomb and Complex — The traditional sources place his grave at Aksaray. Some modern scholarship argues for the district of Darende in Malatya; against this, the source states that the nisba Aksarâyî and the sources of the period support Aksaray .

Shanizade Mehmed Ataullah Efendi

An Ottoman court historian (vak'anüvis), physician and author; a scholar who played a decisive part in the entry of modern Western medicine into the Ottoman Empire. He was born around 1184 (1770) at Istanbul. He came from a distinguished scholarly family: his father Hacı Mehmed Sâdık Efendi was a respected jurist who served as judge of Medina. The family name derives from Tarakçı (comb maker), later Persianised into Şânî . After entering the learned profession he studied at the Halıcıoğlu Engineering School and the Süleymaniye Medical Medrese. He had command of several languages: Arabic, Persian, Italian, French, Greek and especially Latin . After the Greek uprising of 1821 his name came up for the post of translator of the Imperial Council. His scholarly career advanced through various medrese posts; in 1816 he became judge of Eyüp. In 1819, following the death of Âsım Efendi, he was personally appointed vak'anüvis by Sultan Mahmud II. During the purges of the Janissaries in 1826 he was persecuted for his membership of the Beşiktaş Scientific Society and was accused of Bektashi affiliation. He was exiled to Tire in June 1826 and died there two months later, on 5 August 1826. His Circle of Influence — He played a decisive part in the entry of modern Western medicine into the Ottoman lands; the terminological innovations he introduced influenced the medical dictionary of 1873. In historical writing he used, alongside official documents, European newspapers , producing — in the words of the source — a modern-minded Ottoman history closer to contemporary approaches . His Works — 1. Târîh-i Şânîzâde. It records events from Mahmud II's accession in 1808 down to September 1821. 2. Hamse-i Şânîzâde. A medical corpus in five parts: Mir'âtü'l-ebdân — the first modern anatomy textbook , with 56 anatomical illustrations; Usûlü't-tabîa — the first book of physiology in Turkey; Mi'yârü'l-etıbbâ — a guide to practical medicine; Kānûnü'l-cerrâhîn — a surgical manual (printed at Cairo in 1828); Mîzânü'l-edviye — pharmacology, surviving only in manuscript. His Tomb and Complex — He died at Tire; his gravestone eventually reached the Tire Museum after the relocation of the cemetery in 1916.

Ibn Malak (Firishteoglu, Abd al-Latif)

A Hanafî jurist and lexicographer; a professor who taught for many years at Tire. He took the epithet İbn Firişte from his father; in some sources his father's name appears as Abdülaziz and in others as Firişte. According to Seyyid Bey he was originally from Turkestan , and his father came to Anatolia at the invitation of the Aydınoğulları. He came from a family of the learned class. He lived at Tire and taught for many years at the medrese of Aydınoğlu Mehmed Bey; the medrese became famous under his name. He also taught the sons of Mehmed Bey. During Timur's arrival at Tire he met the renowned scholar Seyyid Şerîf el-Cürcânî and won his esteem. He died after 821 (1418). His Works — 1. Şerhu Menâri'l-envâr. A commentary on the principles of jurisprudence. 2. Mebâriku'l-ezhâr. A commentary on hadith. 3. Şerhu Mecmai'l-bahreyn. A commentary on jurisprudence. 4. Firişteoğlu Lugatı. An Arabic-Turkish dictionary. 5. Şerhu'l-Vikāye and other works.

Shihab al-Din al-Sivasi (al-Ayasuluqi)

One of the sheikhs of the Zeyniyye order and a commentator on the Qur'an; one of the rare authors to have commented upon the whole of the Qur'an. He was brought to Sivas as a slave at a young age and received his education there. Because he passed the years of his youth in Sivas he is known by the nisba Sivâsî ; because he spent the later part of his life at Ayasuluk in İzmir he is also known as Ayasuluğî . He turned to Sufism through Sheikh Mehmed Efendi of Ayasuluk, the deputy of Zeynüddin el-Hâfî, founder of the Zeyniyye order. He passed the last period of his life at Ayasuluk and died there. Although the date of his death is disputed, the year 860 (1456) is the accepted one. His Poetry and Sufi Line — His Sufi line is bound to the Zeyniyye. His place in learning, however, is determined by his work as a commentator: he is among the rare authors to have commented upon the whole of the Qur'an. In his approach to exegesis the side of dirâya (reasoned interpretation) predominates; the source records, on the other hand, that the side of transmission remains weak in his work. The atlas conveys this assessment as it stands; softening the source's criticism would run counter to transparency (principle 6). His Works — 1. Uyûnü't-tefâsîr. His commentary covering the whole of the Qur'an. 2. A commentary on Sûrat al-Kahf. 3. Risâletü'n-necât min şerri's-sıfât. 4. Cezzâbü'l-kulûb ilâ tarîkı'l-mahbûb. 5. Riyâzü'l-ezhâr fî cilâi'l-ebsâr. 6. Şerh ale'l-Ferâizi's-Sirâciyye. 7. Şerhu'l-Misbâh. His Tomb and Complex — His tomb is in the district of Selçuk in İzmir.

Imam Birgivi (Mehmed b. Pir Ali al-Birgivi)

An Ottoman scholar, professor and author; the writer of et-Tarîkatü'l-Muhammediyye . He was born on 27 March 1523 at Balıkesir. His given name was Takıyyüddin Mehmed; after settling at Birgi he became famous as Birgivî Mehmed Efendi . He received his first education from his father Pîr Ali; he then went to Istanbul and studied at the Haseki Medrese. Among his teachers are counted Ahîzâde Mehmed Efendi and Abdurrahman Efendi, known as Kızıl Molla. In the reign of Süleyman the Magnificent he served as kassâm-ı askerî (military commissioner of estates) at Edirne. He afterwards began teaching at Birgi and passed the greater part of the rest of his life there, teaching and writing. He died in 981 (1573). His Circle of Influence — His works maintained a high scholarly level while entering directly into the social questions of his age; this stance influenced later Ottoman reformist movements, among them the Kadızâdeliler . His books on grammar and ethics were taught in the medreses for centuries. His Poetry and Sufi Line — What distinguishes his line is his open opposition to certain practices that had become widespread in his day: the unlawful construction of graves and tombs, cash endowments , and corruption among officials. He wrote refutations of the rulings of Şeyhülislâm Ebüssuûd Efendi permitting cash waqfs; es-Seyfü's-sârim stands first among them. His Works — Grammar: el-Avâmil , İzhâr , Kifâyetü'l-mübtedî . Ethics and Sufism: et-Tarîkatü'l-Muhammediyye , his most famous work. Jurisprudence: Vasiyetnâme , a Turkish handbook of law and practice. Hadith: Risâle fî usûli'l-hadîs and el-Erbaûn . He also wrote es-Seyfü's-sârim and the treatises connected with it in the debate over cash endowments.

Ahi Sharafaddin (Ahi Sharafaddin Mehmed)

One of the akhi notables of Ankara; his tomb stands beside the mosque that bears his name, popularly also known as the Arslanhane Mosque. The source records his death as 751 (1350-51) . Ahî Şerafeddin's father and uncle were, according to what most researchers accept, the two akhi brothers Hüsâmeddin and Hasan , who had the mosque repaired when it fell into ruin towards the end of the thirteenth century; the mihrab too is accepted to have been made at that time. The mosque stands in the Ahî Şerafeddin quarter on the Atpazarı slope, and is popularly also called the Arslanhane Mosque because many lion statues once stood before and around it. The first inscription on its wooden pulpit states that it was built in 689 (1290) by the akhi brethren in the time of the Seljuk sultan Mes'ûd b. Keykâvus (Mesud II). Outside the mosque are a burial enclosure and the tomb of Ahî Şerafeddin. Limit of this record: This record rests not on an article devoted to the man himself but on the article about the mosque that bears his name. The source gives no more about the person of Ahî Şerafeddin than the three pieces of information above (the year of his death, the identity of his father and uncle, and the site of his tomb). The architectural description of the mosque is rich; but that description has not been carried over here, because it belongs to the building , and has been left to the place record. To fill a person's record with the description of a building would be to make the record appear deeper than it is.

Merkez Efendi (Musa Muslihuddin)

A Halvetî-Sünbülî sheikh; the figure to whom one of the best known places of visitation in Istanbul belongs. He was probably born in 868 (1463) in the village of Sarı Mahmudlu in Denizli. His real name was Mûsâ and his epithet Muslihuddin. After studying fifteen years at Bursa he went to Istanbul. At first he wished to become a disciple of Habîb Karamânî, but was not accepted. He thereupon attached himself to Mirza Baba, the sheikh of the Mirza Baba lodge, and married his daughter. His joining the lodge came about when Sünbül Efendi entered his room in a dream and gave him the epithet Merkez . It is stated that he received the title Merkez from Sünbül Efendi's compliment: "You are … the centre of this circle of ours…" . He was sent to Manisa by Hafsa Sultan and served at the complex there. On the death of Sünbül Efendi in 936 (1529) he succeeded him at the Koca Mustafa Paşa lodge. He formed a close relationship with Süleyman the Magnificent and in 943 (1537) was appointed sheikh of the army . He married Şah Sultan, the daughter of Selim I; Ahmed Çelebi was born of this marriage. From his first marriage he had children named Derviş Çelebi, Ali Çelebi and Ümmü Hatun. He died in 959 (1552). His Circle of Influence — He founded lodges and dervish houses at Eyüp, Davutpaşa, Yenikapı and Tire. One of his prominent deputies was his son Ahmed Çelebi. His Works — He left no composed work; there are hymns written under the pen name Merkezî . His Tomb and Complex — He was buried outside Mevlânâkapı beside the lodge that bears his name. His tomb is one of the important places of visitation in Istanbul.

Aziz Mahmud Hüdayi

Mahmud b. Fadlullah al-Uskudari

He is the pîr (founding master) of the Celvetiyye order, one of the most widely influential Ottoman Sufis, and a major voice of Turkish tekke poetry. His given name was Mahmûd, son of Fazlullah b. Mahmûd; the pen-name "Hüdâyî" was bestowed on him by his master Üftâde, while the epithet "Azîz" (saintly) before his name arose from the reverence of the people. He was born in 948/1541 in Şereflikoçhisar. After his first schooling he went to Istanbul and entered the Küçük Ayasofya Madrasa; upon completing his studies he became the muîd (assistant) of his teacher Nâzırzâde Ramazan Efendi. While studying tafsîr, hadîth and fiqh he also attended the gatherings of Nûreddinzâde Muslihuddin Efendi, the Halvetî shaykh of the Küçük Ayasofya Mosque — so his contact with Sufism reaches back to his madrasa years. When his teacher was appointed professor at the Selimiye Madrasa in Edirne and then judge (kadı) in Egypt and Damascus, he kept Hüdâyî at his side. While in Egypt, Hüdâyî received "usûl-i esmâ" training from Kerîmüddin el-Halvetî of the Demirtaşiyye branch of the Halvetiyye. Returning from Egypt in 1573, he was appointed professor at the Ferhâdiye Madrasa in Bursa and deputy judge at the Câmi-i Atîk court. In the third year after his arrival in Bursa his teacher died. The depth of that loss led him to leave his official posts and to become a disciple of Muhyiddin Üftâde, whose sermons and gatherings he had already been attending (984/1576). Üftâde asked him to renounce first his property, then his office; and, to break his pride, to sell liver on a pole through the streets of Bursa while still dressed in his judge's robes. Hüdâyî hesitated at none of it. Under strict spiritual discipline he completed his seyr ü sülûk in about three years. Üftâde appointed him deputy (halife) to Sivrihisar; he could stay only about six months and returned to Bursa to see his master. When Üftâde died he crossed to Rumelia; after some time in Thrace and the Balkans he came to Istanbul. Through the intercession of Şeyhülislâm Hoca Sâdeddin Efendi he served eight years as shaykh of the Küçük Ayasofya lodge, while also preaching at the Fâtih Mosque and teaching tafsîr and hadîth. In 1589 he purchased the site in Üsküdar where the Hüdâyî lodge stands today, moving his residence near the Rum Mehmed Paşa Mosque so as to follow the construction closely. The lodge was completed in 1595 and served at the same time as a tevhidhâne; in 1007/1598-99 its own founder turned it into a mosque by adding a minbar. In 1599 he gave up preaching at the Fâtih Mosque and began Thursday sermons at the Mihrimah Sultan (İskele) Mosque in Üsküdar. At the opening of the Sultan Ahmed Mosque (1616) it was he who delivered the first Friday sermon, and he agreed to preach there on the first Monday of every month; TEİS records that he also attended the foundation ceremony (1018/1609) together with Sultan Ahmed I and the şeyhülislâm. During his Üsküdar years he had a retreat cell (çilehâne) and a bath built in Bulgurlu; the village of Bulgurlu where the retreat stood, the Ilısuluk fields and part of Gaziler hill were registered in his name by an imperial decree of Ahmed I. He died in Safer 1038 (October 1628) in Üsküdar. He had eleven children, six of them daughters; his line continued through his daughters Ümmügülsüm (d. 1641), Zeyneb (d. 1642) and Fatma Zehrâ (d. 1675). The chronogram poems written for his death are numerous enough to fill a small divan. Circle of Influence Hüdâyî's influence reached from the common people to the palace. He wrote letters of counsel to sultans such as Murad III, Ahmed I and Osman II; he girded Murad IV with the sword of state; he joined Ferhad Paşa's Tabriz campaign. Evliya Çelebi relates that seven sultans kissed his hand and that he gave the pledge (irâdet) to 170,000 disciples. His lodge overflowed with people of every rank: Grand Vizier Halil Paşa of Kayseri, Dilâver Paşa, Hoca Sâdeddin Efendi, Sun'ullah Efendi, Şeyhülislâm Hocazâde Esad Efendi, Okçuzâde Mehmed Şâhî Efendi, Sarı Abdullah Efendi, Nev'îzâde Atâî and Olanlar Şeyhi İbrâhim Efendi were among its affiliates or regulars. It is related that at his death he had close to sixty deputies. Through him and his deputies the Celvetiyye left a deep mark on the religious and Sufi life of Anatolia and the Balkans; his lodge became one of Istanbul's foremost centres of Sufism and culture, producing many scholars, shaykhs and musicians. The most famous author of that lodge's tradition is İsmâil Hakkı of Bursa, author of Rûhu'l-beyân; he quotes Hüdâyî often and, comparing him with Mahmûd of Ghazna, says: "Two Mahmûds came to this world / one the famous Mahmûd of Ghazna / the other the Mahmûd of inner meaning." That histories and bibliographies of his own time and after refer to him with titles such as "kutbü'l-aktâb" (pole of poles), "sâhib-i zamân" and "mürşid-i kâmil" shows that his fame outlived him. Poetry and Sufi Line Belonging to popular Sufi literature, Hüdâyî wrote plain, aphoristic tekke poems; his poems, mostly in the ilâhî (hymn) form, are numerous enough to form a divan. He used sometimes syllabic and sometimes aruz metre. He adhered to the doctrine of the unity of being (vahdet-i vücûd) as systematised by Ibn al-'Arabî, and this is plain in his works, poems and letters — the TDV author notes that it is hard to claim he treated that doctrine as deeply as Yûnus Emre, yet he versified the vast spirit of Sufism with sincere expression. Some of his hymns were set to music by himself, others by his admirers and affiliates; these compositions were sung in the lodges for centuries and became inseparable from the gatherings of dhikr. Many Sufi poets wrote imitations (nazîre) of his Yûnus-style hymns. His verses on devotion to his master sum up this line: "The nightingale of the garden of love is Hazret-i Üftâde / the physician of grieving lovers is Hazret-i Üftâde." The Celvetiyye he founded divided into four branches — Selâmiyye, Hakkıyye, Fenâiyye and Hâşimiyye; in the years just before the closure of the lodges there were about thirty tekkes of these branches in Istanbul. Works He left around thirty works in Arabic and Turkish, writing most in Arabic in keeping with the convention of his age. Chief among the Arabic works: Nefâisü'l-mecâlis — a Sufi commentary on selected verses; its best and oldest copy in the Süleymaniye Library, Şehid Ali Paşa 172-174 Câmiu'l-fezâil ve kâmiu'r-rezâil — scholarly, practical and moral virtues; oldest copy Köprülü Library 1853/3; translated into Turkish by H. Kâmil Yılmaz as "İlim Amel ve Seyr ü Sülûk", Istanbul 1988 Miftâhu's-salât ve mirkātü'n-necât — the merits and wisdom of the ritual prayer, also citing Ibn al-'Arabî and Suhrawardî; oldest copy 1010/1601, Murad Molla Library 1314/4 Hulâsatü'l-ahbâr fî ahvâli'n-nebiyyi'l-muhtâr — creation, being and the Muhammadan reality; oldest copy 1037/1627, Hacı Selim Ağa Library, Hüdâî Efendi 258 Habbetü'l-mahabbe — love of God, the Prophet and the Ahl al-Bayt; translated by Ahmed Remzi Akyürek as "Mahbûbü'l-ahibbe", published in modern letters by Rasim Deniz, Kayseri 1982 Keşfü'l-kınâ' an vechi's-semâ' — a defence of the lawfulness of semâ; 1016/1607 copy in the Köprülü Library 1583/7; Yılmaz's translation in MÜİFD no. 4 [1986], pp. 273-284 Besides these he wrote Hayâtü'l-ervâh ve necâtü'l-eşbâh, el-Fethu'l-ilâhî, Tecelliyât, et-Tarîkatü'l-Muhammediyye, Fethu'l-bâb ve ref'u'l-hicâb and el-Mecâlisü'l-va'zıyye. The Vâkıât, composed of the notes he took at his master Üftâde's gatherings, is generally attributed to him as well. Chief among the Turkish works: Divan — Dîvân-ı İlâhiyyât; some 255 hymns together with quatrains and fragments — published separately by Kemaleddin Şenocak and Ziver Tezeren, Istanbul 1970 and 1986 Necâtü'l-garîk fi'l-cem' ve't-tefrîk — the terms cem' and fark in verse Tarîkatnâme — the etiquette of the Celvetiyye Mektûbât — 152 Turkish letters, most to Murad III, and some twenty-two Arabic ones; Süleymaniye Library, Fâtih 2572 Nesâih ve Mevâiz — 237 folios in forty-three chapters; the only known copy in the Hacı Selim Ağa Library, Hüdâî Efendi 266 Mi'râciyye — Hüdâî Efendi 262 The first three Turkish works were printed as "Külliyyât-ı Hazret-i Hüdâyî" (Istanbul 1287), and Mehmed Gülşen Efendi (d. 1925), one of the last shaykhs of the Hüdâyî âsitâne, reissued the same collection with a fuller biography and the addition of et-Tarîkatü'l-Muhammediyye (Istanbul 1338). The many copies of his works in Istanbul libraries, and the commentaries and glosses written on many of them by Celvetîs and members of other orders, attest how widely they were embraced. Tomb and Complex The complex founded between 997 and 1003 (1589-1595) at Doğancılar in Üsküdar, in the Ahmet Çelebi quarter, became the âsitâne and "house of the pîr" of the Celvetiyye; Ottoman sources call it "Hazret-i Hüdâyî Âsitânesi" and "Pîşvâ-yı Tarîkat-ı Aliyye-i Celvetiyye", among other names. In the fire of 1266/1850 every building except the tomb was lost, and the complex was rebuilt by Sultan Abdülmecid in 1272/1855-56. At the centre of the tomb's rectangular chamber rises a wooden dome resting on four marble columns, divided on the inside into thirteen segments like the crest of the Celvetî cap; beneath it stands the pîr's wooden sarcophagus enclosed by gilded iron screens, surrounded by ten sarcophagi of his children and one grandchild. Above the chamber door is an Arabic inscription in ta'lîk script giving the date of his death (1038/1628), and around the upper walls runs a thuluth frieze of Sûrat al-Mulk from the pen of the calligrapher Mahmud Celâleddin. From his death until 1925 the tomb was visited collectively by members of the Celvetiyye on the eves of religious festivals, led by the shaykh of the âsitâne; it has kept to this day its standing among the most frequented saints' tombs in Istanbul. His prayer for his affiliates, lovers and the visitors of his tomb — "that they not drown at sea, that they not see poverty at the end of their lives, and that they not depart before their faith is secured" — placed his tomb among the most visited in Istanbul after Eyüp Sultan, Sünbül Efendi and Yahyâ Efendi.

Atashbaz-i Wali (Yusuf b. Izzeddin)

Whose real name was Yûsuf b. Izzeddin, Âteşbâz-ı Velî was the cook of the lodge of Mevlânâ Celâleddîn-i Rûmî and a venerated figure in the Mevlevî tradition. According to legend, when the kitchen ran out of firewood, at Mevlânâ's playful remark he cooked the food with flames issuing from his feet; his epithet "âteşbâz" (one who plays with fire) derives from this account. In Mevlevî lodges the kitchen hearth was named after him as the "station of Âteşbâz-ı Velî," and he was remembered with respect in the blessings recited after meals. He died in 684 (1285), and his tomb, built in the Seljuk architectural style, stands near Aşkan hill on the Meram road in Konya. It is regarded as the first shrine in the world raised for a cook.

Shams-i Tabrizi

Shams al-Din Muhammad b. Ali al-Tabrizi

The Sufi after whose companionship the course of Mevlânâ Celâleddîn-i Rûmî's life changed; the mystic whom the Mevlevî tradition regards as the "sun of truth". He was born around 582 (1186) in Tabriz. His full name was Muhammed b. Ali b. Melikdâd Tebrîzî. His father, Ali b. Melikdâd (also called Melik Dâvûd), was a cloth merchant who came from the town of Bezer in Khorasan and settled in Tabriz. In his youth he followed a hidden spiritual path; he was trained by the sheikh Ebû Bekr-i Selebâf, who lived in asceticism near Tabriz and earned his living by weaving baskets. The sources record that he remained about fourteen years in Selebâf's service before setting out on his travels. Before meeting Mevlânâ he led a life of extensive travel reaching Baghdad, Damascus, Aleppo, Kayseri, Aksaray, Sivas, Erzurum and Erzincan; he met the renowned scholars and Sufis of his age, foremost among them Evhadüddîn-i Kirmânî, Burhâneddin Muhakkık-ı Tirmizî and, in Damascus, Ibn al-'Arabî. According to the sources he occupied himself for fourteen months in Aleppo with seclusion and spiritual exercise before turning towards Anatolia. The sources differ as to whether their first encounter with Mevlânâ took place in Damascus or in Aleppo. According to one account Mevlânâ, seeing Şems in a merchant's dress, addressed him: "O appraiser of the world and of meanings!" , and at these words Şems fell into spiritual absorption. The decisive meeting was the second: according to Eflâkî, Şems arrived in Konya on 26 Jumada II 642 (29 November 1244), lodged at a caravanserai and put to Mevlânâ a question comparing the Prophet Muhammad with Bâyezîd-i Bistâmî. Mevlânâ's answer, concerning the endlessness of the Prophet's spiritual thirst, affected Şems profoundly. After this encounter the two companions entered a retreat of three months in the house of Selâhaddîn-i Zerkûb; during this period, passed in fasting and samâ', Mevlânâ abandoned his duties of teaching and preaching and spent all his time with Şems. This aroused hostility among the scholars and people of Konya, who saw themselves deprived of Mevlânâ's public ministry. Under pressure from the townspeople Şems left Konya in 643 (1245-46) for Damascus; it is related that Mevlânâ sent letters after him in Arabic and Persian verse. Returning after about a year, Şems married Kimyâ Hatun, Mevlânâ's adopted daughter. Seven days after Kimyâ Hatun's death he disappeared a second time, in Sha'bân 644 (December 1246), returning again to Damascus; Mevlânâ sent Sultan Veled after him with a delegation, and Şems was found at Cebelisâlihiyye, where Ibn al-'Arabî also resided, and brought back to Konya. On 8 Sha'bân 645 (8 December 1247) he disappeared altogether. More than one account exists of his fate; these are given below in the Multiple Viewpoints section. His Circle of Influence — No chain of succession and no independent order traces back to Şems; his relationship with Mevlânâ has been understood as a companionship between two spiritual peers, transcending the conventional master-disciple structure. His influence, on the other hand, pervades the whole Mevlevî tradition: Mevlânâ's Dîvân-ı Kebîr is filled with poems praising Şems with titles such as shams al-haqq wa'd-dîn and nûr-i mutlak , and the divan is known by his name. After Şems's disappearance Mevlânâ entered deeper spiritual states, and his greatest work, the Mesnevî , was written after this period. Sultan Veled records that Mevlânâ found the ma'nâ of Şems in Selâhaddîn-i Zerkûb, the two spiritual stations merging "like milk mingling with sugar" . His Poetry and Sufi Line — At the centre of Şems's line stand divine love and love of the human being; he sees the path as a way to be understood together with the sharia and the reality, counts melâmet (blame-bearing) a spiritual station, and lives samâ' as a state — it was he who taught Mevlânâ the known form of samâ'. He rejects bare knowledge: according to the source, having tasted the companionship of God's friends he erased all his learning from his notebook, stripped himself of the rational and transmitted sciences, and preferred the realm of tecrîd , tefrîd and tevhid . He subjected the sheikhs and scholars he met to a severe examination of their sincerity; it was the fruit of this attitude that, seeing Mevlânâ's spiritual maturity, he bound himself to him by companionship rather than by discipleship. His Works — Şems's teaching lives in the collection called Makālât-ı Şems-i Tebrîzî ; the work is also known as Hırka-i Şems and Esrâr-ı Şemseddîn-i Tebrîzî . It is stated that this collection of his sayings, conversations and anecdotes may have been compiled by Sultan Veled or by Mevlânâ himself. Its oldest manuscript is in the Library of the Mevlânâ Museum in Konya (no. 2154). Translations by Mehmet Nuri Gençosman into Turkish and by William Chittick into English (2004) have been published. His Tomb and Complex — The place of his grave is not certain. Eflâkî relates that his body was thrown into a well and later recovered by Sultan Veled and buried near Emîr Bedreddin; the shrine in Konya rests on this account. Other sources place his grave in Tabriz, in Khoy (Iran) or in Multan (Pakistan). The source states that no historical record establishes his final resting place.

Mawlana Jalal al-Din al-Rumi

Mawlana Jalal al-Din Muhammad b. Baha al-Din Walad

The Sufi and poet regarded as the pîr of the Mevlevî order; the author of the Mesnevî . He was born on 6 Rabî' I 604 (30 September 1207) at Balkh. His father was the renowned scholar Bahâeddin Veled, known by the title Sultânülulemâ . According to the sources the family set out westward when the cities of Khorasan were invaded by the Mongols in 1220. They passed through such great cities as Samarkand, Nishapur and Baghdad; it is related that Ferîdüddin Attâr met the young Mevlânâ at Nishapur. The family settled at Konya around 1221. Bahâeddin Veled taught at the Altınapa Medrese until his death in 1231; after his father's death the twenty-four-year-old Mevlânâ took over his teaching chair. After his father he attached himself to Seyyid Burhâneddin Muhakkık-ı Tirmizî and received spiritual training in his care for nine years. This was followed by his encounter with Şems-i Tebrîzî , which changed his life and his output at the root: Şems came to Konya on 26 Jumada II 642 (29 November 1244). Mevlânâ abandoned his teaching duties and passed his time in his company; upon the complaints of the disciples and the rumours that spread, Şems suddenly left the city . Mevlânâ wrote letters after him asking him to return. After his second disappearance around 645 (1247), conflicting reports were transmitted that he had been killed or that he had vanished mysteriously, and the place of his grave has remained disputed. After the death of Seyyid Burhâneddin the closenesses he formed were, in order, with the goldsmith Selâhaddîn-i Zerkûb and with Hüsâmeddin Çelebi . The Mesnevî began to be written in the period of calm that followed the deep grief over the loss of Şems, at the encouragement of Hüsâmeddin Çelebi . He died on 5 Jumada II 672 (17 December 1273). He had asked that there be no mourning at his funeral and had called the day of death şeb-i arûs (the wedding night); death, for him, is union with the Divine. It is related that people of every religion attended his funeral. His Circle of Influence — The founding of the Mevlevî order is attributed to him; the one who arranged its institutional structure as an etiquette and an organisation was, after his death, his son Sultan Veled . Sultan Veled succeeded Hüsâmeddin Çelebi as khalîfa after the latter's ten years as postnishin. His Poetry and Sufi Line — At the centre of his line stands divine love : for him the intellect alone does not suffice for the transformation of the human being; divine love is necessary. He advocates tolerance; he sees the apparent duality as in essence a unity. The phrase "I am of this quarter" in a famous quatrain of his gives voice to a human brotherhood that transcends ethnic boundaries. His Works — 1. Dîvân-ı Kebîr. It consists of ghazals and quatrains; it is also known as the Dîvân-ı Şems-i Tebrîzî and amounts to over forty thousand verses. 2. Mesnevî. His most important work; in six books, about twenty-five thousand couplets, encompassing the Sufi teaching in its whole breadth. 3. Fîhi mâ fîh. A compilation of his discourses. 4. Mecâlis-i Seb'a. The sermons and guidance he gave in seven sessions, later made into a book. 5. Mektûbât. The letters he wrote to various people on various occasions. His Tomb and Complex — His tomb at Konya is known by the turquoise dome above it and has become a great place of visitation.

Veli Şemseddîn

One of the saints of Bursa

Veli Şemseddîn was one of the saints of Bursa, and the name of his father was Mûsâ. On the path of Sufism, he was brought up as a student of Hoca Hasan Efendi, one of the caliphs (halife) of His Holiness Emir Sultan. In the sources he is mentioned as a virtuous person who was a knower of God (ârif), a worshipper (âbid), an ascetic (zâhid), possessed of scrupulous piety (verâ), and who acted upon his knowledge. He spent his life in preaching and giving counsel, and by this means he enabled many people to benefit from him. The author of the Şakâyık-ı Nu'mâniyye relates that he saw a book written in his own handwriting; that in this book there were subtle meanings concerning the exegesis (tefsîr) and interpretation (te'vîl) of the Holy Qur'an and concerning the sayings of the great masters of Sufism; and from this he concludes that he was a scholar possessing both exoteric and esoteric sciences. According to a legend attributed to him in the sources, he gave the glad tidings that a child who had been neglected by his father would in the future reach very high ranks; it is related that this sign later came to pass, and that the person in question (Hocazâde) rose to the offices of Imperial Tutor (Muallim-i Sultânî) and military judge (kâdıasker). Veli Şemseddîn had a masjid built in Bursa and, passing away in 1470 (AH 875), was buried beside this masjid. The masjid he had built later came to be known by the name of the Velî Şemseddîn masjid. It is also stated in the sources that there is a grave attributed to him in Balıkesir as well.

Vânî Mehmed Efendi

The Sovereign's sheikh (Hünkâr sheikh), a sayyid

Vânî Mehmed Efendi, known as the Sovereign's sheikh (Hünkâr sheikh), was a sayyid descended from the lineage of our Prophet. He was originally from the town of Hoşab (Güzelsu) in Van; his father was Vânî Bistâm Efendi; his date of birth is not known in the sources. He began his first education in Van, then traveled through the principal centers of learning of the East such as Gence (Ganja), Karabağ (Karabakh), and Tebriz (Tabriz); he learned the Sufi knowledge of the Halvetî (Khalwatî) path from Nûreddîn Şirvânî. He gained depth in the sciences of exegesis (tefsîr), hadith, jurisprudence (fıkıh), and history, and excelled in literature and rhetoric (belâgat). Settling in Erzurum, he gave sermons and counsel in the mosques. When he became known there, his name reached Istanbul thanks to his conversations with the grand vizier Köprülüzâde Fâzıl Ahmed Paşa. By the order of Pâdişâh Mehmed Han IV he was summoned to Istanbul; he became the tutor of the sultan (the Hünkâr sheikh) and the first pulpit preacher of the New Mosque (Yeni Câmii), and he also served as tutor to Şehzâde (Prince) Mustafa. His sermons received great esteem; he was known for his asceticism and piety. It is related in the sources that he took part, together with the Şeyhülislâm, during the interrogation of Sabatay Sevi (Sabbatai Zevi), who claimed to be the Messiah, at a council convened in Edirne. In 1683 he joined the Second Vienna Campaign under the command of Merzifonlu Kara Mustafa Paşa as the army sheikh; after the campaign he was sent to the village of Kestel near Bursa. On the Bosphorus he had a mosque and a madrasa built at Vaniköy, which is called by his name, and in Kestel as well he had a large mosque and a school built. He authored works such as Arâis-ül-Kur'ân and Hülâsât-üt-Tefâsîr. He passed away in 1685 (AH 1096) in the village of Kestel, and was buried there at the entrance of the mosque that he himself had had built.

Üftâdezâde Kutub İbrâhim Efendi

One of the saints of Bursa, the grandson of Üftâde

Üftâdezâde Kutub İbrâhim Efendi was one of the saints who lived in Bursa, and was the grandson of the great saint His Holiness Üftâde. He was born in 1606 (AH 1015). His father, Mustafa Efendi, served as sheikh at the lodge (dergâh) of his grandfather Üftâde, and passed away in 1608. Kutub İbrâhim Efendi attained maturity on the path of Sufism in the conversations of Azîz Mahmûd Hüdâyî, and received the caliphate (hilâfet) from him. According to the narration, one day his grandfather Üftâde told Hüdâyî that one of his own descendants would become his student and would attain the secret of truth (hakikat) through him, thus foretelling that his grandson would reach this station. It is also related that when Kutub İbrâhim Efendi, having received the caliphate, was returning to Bursa and asked Hüdâyî when he might come to visit, Hüdâyî replied: 'We have waited until this time for your service.' When he arrived in Bursa in 1628, he received the news of the passing of Azîz Mahmûd Hüdâyî. Thereafter he occupied himself for more than fifty years with raising students at his grandfather's lodge (zâviye), and he expounded the right path to people. It is related in the sources that years after his passing, when the tomb-keeper (türbedâr) and the mosque imam saw him in their dreams, his grave was opened, a pleasant fragrance spread from within, and his shroud was found undecayed. He passed away in 1678 (AH 1089); in accordance with his testament he was buried outside the tomb of His Holiness Üftâde. A chronogram was composed for his death with the verse: 'The Pole of the Age departed to Paradise in [one thousand and] eighty-nine.'

Üftâde

One of the saints of Bursa, the teacher of Azîz Mahmûd Hüdâyî

A Sufi and poet of Bursa, regarded as the pîr of the Celvetî way. His name was Mehmed, his cognomen Muhyiddin; he is known by the pen-name "Üftâde" used in his poems. "Üftâde" means "fallen, lovelorn", and the name stayed with him after a warning received in a dream. He was born in the Araplar quarter of Bursa. Although the sources give his date of birth as 895 (1490), a phrase in the Vâkıât of his disciple Azîz Mahmûd Hüdâyî indicates that he was born around 900 (1495). His father is recorded as having come from Manyas and settled in Bursa. In childhood he became a disciple of Muk'ad Hızır Dede, one of the Bayramî shaykhs, and at his encouragement began his studies; he served him for about eight years until his master's death in 918 (1512). With his beautiful voice he called the adhân at the Great Mosque of Bursa and at the Doğan Bey Mosque. Because he had accepted a salary of a few akçe he was warned in a dream, "You have fallen (become üftâde) from your rank," and THE VERY NEXT DAY he gave up calling the adhân. Thereafter he made his living by silk-making and button-making and by copying manuscripts, while continuing his duties as imam and muezzin without pay, as a volunteer. This choice is the key to his life: he drew his livelihood from the work of his hands and kept religious service separate from wages. Around the age of thirty-five he began to preach and guide. The people followed his sermons at the Doğan Bey Mosque, the Namazgâh Mosque and elsewhere with great interest. While continuing his guidance at the mosque and lodge he had built in the Pınarbaşı Kuzgunluk quarter on the slopes of Uludağ, he was appointed between 1529 and 1536 as preacher (hatip) of the Emîr Sultan Mosque. He said that he accepted this office upon a spiritual sign from Emîr Sultan, and he held it until his death. His mosque, completed in 985 (1577) in the Yerkapı district, and his lodge have survived to the present through successive repairs and alterations. He died on 12 Cemâziyelevvel 988 (25 June 1580). His two sons, Mehmed and Mustafa, succeeded him in turn as shaykhs of his lodge. His most famous deputy is Azîz Mahmûd Hüdâyî, who became his disciple in 984 (1576), in the last years of his life; the notes Hüdâyî kept over three years, known as the Vâkıât, have carried Üftâde's teaching down to our day. TEİS lists among his most famous deputies Üftâdezâde Şeyh Mehmed Efendi (994/1586), Muabbir Veli Dede (1010/1601), Üftâdezâde Şeyh Mustafa Efendi (1017/1608) and Hüdâyî; it is also among the narrations that he willed the succession to his son Mehmed Efendi although he was younger than his brothers. His Chain and the Celvetiyye His initiatic chain reaches Hacı Bayrâm-ı Velî through Hızır Dede and Akbıyık Sultan. Although the Celvetiyye order is attributed to Azîz Mahmûd Hüdâyî, it is Üftâde who made CELVET the basis of the method of wayfaring; for this reason the TDV author says "it may also be said that he is the pîr of the Celvetiyye". İsmâil Hakkı of Bursa, himself a Celvetî shaykh, describes this development with the metaphor of the moon: the Celvetiyye was a CRESCENT in the time of İbrâhim Zâhid-i Geylânî, a HALF MOON in Üftâde's day, and a FULL MOON in Hüdâyî's (Silsile-i Celvetiyye, p. 63). His Asceticism and His Meeting with Süleyman the Magnificent Among his most marked traits are asceticism and piety; besides avoiding what is forbidden he declined even some permitted things. It is related that Sultan Süleyman the Magnificent, who at one time forbade him to speak of the Mesnevî and the Fusûsü'l-hikem in his sermons, later invited him to Istanbul and showed him honour; and when he saw that Üftâde would not accept a village or two that he wished to endow upon his lodge, he told his viziers that some shaykhs are seekers of the world (tâlib-i dünyâ) but Üftâde is one who has left the world (târik-i dünyâ). His Poetry He wrote gnostic poems in a plain language in the manner of Yûnus Emre; his poems drew great interest in lodge circles and some were set to music as hymns and sung. His divan was printed by Mehmed Tâhir of Bursa (Istanbul 1328), and there are three further editions in the Latin script (Mustafa Bahadıroğlu, "Celvetiyye'nin Pîri Hz. Üftâde ve Divanı", Bursa 1995; "Üftâde Divanı", Bursa 2000 and Istanbul 2011). His divan, containing fifty poems mostly in aruz and some in syllabic metre, was translated into French by Paul Ballanfat as "Le divan Hazret-i Pir Üftâde" (Paris 2002), and Angela Culme-Seymour rendered that French translation into English as "The Nightingale in the Garden of Lover" (Oxford 2005). Ali Örfî Efendi wrote a commentary titled "Şerh-i Nutk-ı Üftâde" on his poem beginning "Yine dûş oldu gönül yârin cemâl-i şem'ine". TEİS records that his poetry contains both a gnostic idiom rich in Arabic and Persian words and a plain speech accessible to ordinary people, and that its themes turn on loving God, becoming worthy of beholding His beauty, and devotion to the path. The Vâkiât Beginning on 1 Zilkade 984 (20 January 1577), Azîz Mahmûd Hüdâyî recorded his master's words in Arabic throughout the three years of his wayfaring, completing the work on Friday 9 Şevval 987 (29 November 1579), a month before receiving his licence and leaving Bursa. At the beginning of the book known as Vâkıât-ı Hüdâyî (Vâkıât-ı Üftâde) stands a phrase meaning "lofty words more precious than refined gold, which passed during the wayfaring between his eminence the shaykh and this poor one". İsmâil Hakkı of Bursa's words — "the sayings of Shaykh Üftâde which his eminence Hüdâyî compiled, famed under the name Vâkıât" — show that this title was given to the work later. The book, regarded as the PRIMARY SOURCE for Üftâde's views and for the Celvetiyye order, survives in the author's own copy in two volumes of one hundred (100) folios each in the Hacı Selim Ağa Library in Üsküdar (Hüdâî Efendi, nos. 249-250). Mehmed Muizzüddin Celvetî, thought to have been one of Hüdâyî's disciples, translated parts of the work into Turkish during the shaykh's lifetime (Süleymaniye Library, Mihrişah Sultan, no. 253/6). His Lodge Built on the slopes of Uludağ on a steeply sloping site running from south to north, over a total of 2,507 m², the lodge amounts to a complex comprising a mosque, a semâhâne, a harem, a selâmlık, a retreat cell (çilehâne) and a fountain. Üftâde's grandson, the fourth shaykh Kutub İbrâhim Efendi, renewed the lodge with additional buildings in 1081 (1670) and fortified its surroundings. Its present form bears the characteristics of the reigns of Selim III and Mahmud II. On the renewed portion of the fountain known as the "Hû Fountain" on the western wall of the mosque are inscribed the date 974 (1566) and the Qur'anic verse concerning water (al-Anbiyâ 21/30). In the retreat cell are displayed objects once used in the lodge and attributed to Üftâde and Azîz Mahmûd Hüdâyî. The selâmlık section has now been demolished and a road passes over it; extensive restorations have been carried out in recent years in the harem, the retreat cell and other sections.

Üç Kuzular (The Three Lambs)

Saintly dervishes who came from Bukhara

Üç Kuzular (The Three Lambs) is a community made up of three persons who are mentioned in the sources as saintly dervishes who came from Bukhara to Bursa. The names of these three persons are Sheikh Safiyyüddîn, Sheikh Muhammed, and Açıkbaş Sheikh Ali. According to what is related, all three of them would mostly attend the conversation assemblies of His Holiness Emir Sultan and would benefit from his knowledge and wisdom. Although detailed information about their lives is not found in the sources, it is related that throughout their lives they lived together and did not part from one another. This togetherness continued even after their passing; all three were buried in the same place. It is stated that their tombs are located in the Üçkuzular quarter in Bursa, and that this is a place of visitation. There is no detailed legend or account of miracles attributed to them in the sources; rather, they are remembered as saintly dervishes who were brought up around Emir Sultan, lived together, and passed away together. The fact that the quarter where they were buried is called by their name may be regarded as a reflection of the mark they left on the spiritual geography of Bursa.

Tokatlı Hayreddin Efendi

One of the saints of Bursa

Tokatlı Hayreddin Efendi is one of the saints of Bursa. His father was from Tokat and married in Edirne, and Hayreddin Efendi was born in Edirne. His date of birth is not stated in the source, and he died in Bursa in 1608 (AH 1017). After studying for a while, he went to Bursa, where he served as a muîd—that is, an assistant müderris (instructor)—at the Murâdiye Medrese. He became a student of Şeyh Osman Efendi, the successor (caliph) of Şâbân Efendi of Kastamonu, and was trained on the path of Sufism. Later he received an ijâza from Karamânî Efendi, the successor of Yiğitbaşı Efendi, one of the great saints of the Halvetiyye path, and became his successor. In Bursa he resided in the Murâdiye quarter near the Bahri Dede Lodge (Zâviye), occupying himself with obedience and worship; he continued to attend the gatherings of Kâsım Efendi in İnegöl and received an ijâza from this figure as well. After this, for a long time he guided people at the lodge next to the Ahmed Paşa Fenârî Mosque in Bursa, taught them Islam, and was a means for their adherence to the religion. He died while continuing this service. According to the sources, when his coffin was taken from his lodge and being carried to the Câmi-i kebîr (Grand Mosque), he himself was seen, staff in hand, following his own coffin behind the congregation.

Tezveren Dede

One of the saints of Bursa

Tezveren Dede is one of the saints of Bursa. It is stated on the source page that there is no information about his life or the period in which he lived. It is recorded that his tomb is in the Kuzgunluk quarter of Bursa and that it is visited today. Apart from this, the source contains no information about his date of birth and death, his family, his scholarly or spiritual life, his students, or any legend attributed to him.

Tâcüddîn İbrâhim Karamânî

One of the Anatolian saints

The name of this figure, one of the Anatolian saints, is İbrâhim bin Bahşî, and his epithet is Tâcüddîn. His date of birth is unknown, and he died in Bursa in 1467 (AH 872). He was originally from the village of Demirciler in Manavgat; his father was known as Fakîh Bahşî. He carried out his education in Eğridir, learning the exoteric sciences of his time from Pîrî Halîfe, the son-in-law of the Şeyhülislâm. When Pîrî Halîfe heard that his own teacher had settled in Konya, he took Tâcüddîn İbrâhim along with him to visit him; thus Tâcüddîn İbrâhim found himself in the service and company of Abdüllatîf Makdisî and attained his favor. When Pîrî Halîfe asked permission to return to Eğridir, upon his teacher Abdüllatîf Makdisî's request that they leave Tâcüddîn İbrâhim with him, Tâcüddîn İbrâhim did not part from his teacher, and later, when his teacher settled in Bursa, he went there together with him. Owing to this devotion he attained spiritual ranks and rose to the station of training students. After the death of Abdüllatîf Makdisî in 1461 (AH 866), he took his place and enjoined good and forbade evil among the people; he purchased the surroundings of his teacher's grave and had a lodge, a mosque and a bathhouse built there. According to the sources, one of those who loved him, Bostancı Dede, relates that one day they could not find him at his lodge and, after a long search, found him occupied with worship on a mountain within a forest; Çanakçı Dede, for his part, relates that one night he carried a hundred and ten vessels of food to his students, which shows that many people there learned knowledge and good manners. Veliyyüddînzâde Ahmed Paşa praised him, calling him the trustee of the treasury of spiritual secrets and the ornament of the garden of lights.

Şeyh Ahmed Efendi

One of the Anatolian saints of the Ottoman period

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.

Süleymân Çelebi

Author of the Mevlid, poet and Sufi mystic

Süleymân Çelebi is a figure known as the author of the famous Mevlid ode written in Turkish. He was born in Bursa. Although there is no definite record of his date of birth, it has been concluded that he was born in 1351 (AH 752), based on the information that he completed his Mevlid in 1409 (AH 812) at the age of sixty and that he died in 1422 (AH 825). He was the son of Ahmed Pasha, one of the viziers of Sultan Murad Han the First, and the grandson of Şeyh Mahmûd Efendi. He received his education in Bursa from the leading scholars of his time. During the reign of Sultan Yıldırım Bâyezîd, he served as imam of the Imperial Council (Dîvân-ı hümâyûn); he then became imam of the mosque built by the sultan, and was later appointed chief imam of the Ulu Câmi (Grand Mosque). According to the sources, during his time as imam, a Persian preacher made an erroneous interpretation claiming that there was no difference of superiority among the prophets, and this was corrected by one of the congregation on the basis of the Quranic verses; this event deeply affected Süleymân Çelebi, and following it he composed his famous Mevlid-i Şerîf. In his work he expounded the creed of the Ahl al-Sunna and explained the virtues of our Prophet. The Mevlid consists of the sections of munâcaat (supplication), velâdet (birth), risâlet (prophethood), mîraç (ascension), rıhlet (departure) and duâ (prayer). Beginning his words with the name of Allah the Exalted, the author relates the transmission of the light from Adam (peace be upon him) down to our Prophet, the moment of his birth, and the event of the mîraç. The work was arranged in the aruz meter, in the form of an ode; with its plain, mature language possessing compositional integrity, it has been admired even by the divan poets.

Rüstem Halîfe Bursevî

One of the saints (evliyâ) of Bursa, a person of miraculous gifts (karāma)

Rüstem Halîfe Bursevî was from the district of Göynük in the province of Bolu and is among the saints who lived in Bursa; the year of his birth is unknown. He is remembered as a man belonging to the path of Sufism and possessing miraculous gifts (karāma). Rüstem Halîfe, who was at first occupied with trade, later became a student of Shaykh Hacı Halîfe of Kastamonu and entered the path of Sufism. He was someone who ate and drank little, was content with little, lived constantly in a state of spiritual austerity (riyāza), and occupied himself ceaselessly with reciting the Qurʾān. According to what is related in the sources, in a legend recounted by Lâmiî Çelebi, Rüstem Halîfe, who suffered from pain in his eyes, met a young man; it was understood that this young man was Khidr (peace be upon him). The young man advised him to recite the Muʿawwizatayn sūras in the last two rakʿas of the emphasized supererogatory (sunna muʾakkada) prayers, whereupon Rüstem Halîfe was cured. He passed away in 1511 (AH 917). His grave is in Bursa, within the citadel, at Orta Pazar, in the vicinity of the Nakkâş Ali Mosque, beside the grave of Osman Çelebi.

Pîr Emir Sultan

One of the saints (walīs) of Anatolia

Pîr Emir Sultan, whose real name was Mehmed, is among the saints of Anatolia; his place and year of birth, as well as his place and year of death, are unknown. Coming from the region of Bukhara, he settled in Bursa in 1495 (AH 900) and declared that he was a relative of Emir Sultan. A lodge (dergâh) was built for him in the Mûsâ Baba quarter, and there he began to train students. According to what is related in the sources, many wonders (karāmāt) attributed to him are recounted. In one of them, when his guests asked where they could perform ablution, Pîr Emir pointed with his staff to the western side of the mosque; although those who came there found no water at first, after he said "follow me" they saw water flowing. Again it is related that the feet of a soldier who entered his tomb and stepped upon the grave while uttering evil words withered, and the area was declared forbidden to those soldiers. In another account, it is conveyed that a warden who disrespected the grave saw Pîr Emir in his dream and was warned, and passed away shortly afterward. It is also among the things related that, while the imam of the mosque was sleeping with his feet stretched out toward the tomb, in his dream a person turned his feet around and warned him. After his death he was buried in the garden of his own tomb.

Muslihuddîn Tavîl

Ottoman scholar and walī (saint)

Muslihuddîn Tavîl is among the Ottoman scholars and saints. He was born in Küre, in the district of Kastamonu; the year of his birth is unknown, and he passed away in the early sixteenth century. After studying the rational and transmitted sciences under the scholars of his time, he turned to Sufism. Becoming a student of Shaykh İlâhî, he received spiritual blessing (fayd) from him and attained high stations on the path of Sufism. He sent a letter to Sultan Bayezid II, admonishing him concerning oppression and innovations (bidʿa). According to what is related in the sources, in a recollection conveyed in Taşköprüzâde's work the Shaqāʾiq, it is recounted that the imposing appearance of Muslihuddîn Tavîl left a lasting impression upon a person who had seen him in childhood. After his death he was buried in Bursa, beside the grave of Shaykh Tâceddîn Efendi.