Charitable Acts Of A Fatwa Authority: Waqf Activities Of Gedizli Mehmed Efendi

Year 2020, Volume: 19 Issue: 1, 339 - 368, 30.06.2020

Talip Ayar

https://doi.org/10.14395/hititilahiyat.670606

Abstract

Abstract

Mehmed Efendi (d. 1253/1837) from Gediz was one of
the religious scholars within his family tree. He spent his earlier life period
to complete his educational life and after graduating from formal schools he
undertook various significant positions in ilmiyye (the Ottoman religious
administration). Mehmed Efendi extended his interest out of scholar efforts
such as joining charity and public services. For this purpose, he found a waqf
(a  charity organization) institution in
1212/1797. The base wakfiyah (first establishment documents) and zeyl waqfiyah
(additional establishments’ documents) indicate that the waqf consists of a
madrasah (school), library and several other properties generating income for
the waqf services. Since Mehmed Efendi was born and raised in     In this context, it is learned from his
charter of a waqf dated 1212/1797, that he built a madrasa in Gediz, where he
was born and raised and gave some income-generating resources to the
foundation. Mehmed Efendi continued his charitable attitude until the last
moment of his life. This is evident in the foundation charter dated 1245/1830,
1247/1832 and 1249/1833. As a matter of fact, in addition to the madrasa he had
built, he incorporated his house into the foundation along with its add-ons and
land. He then donated his cash savings. This time Mehmet Efendi, who was not
satisfied with these, expanded the area of the madrasa he had built before and
built a library and continued his charitable activities by providing books. In
this respect, the scope and content of the Mehmed Efendi Foundation will be
discussed. The charitable and charitable activities of Mehmed Efendi will be
examined based on four charters belonging to the foundation.

Summary

Mehmed Efendi (d. 1253/1837) from Gediz, is one of
the notable figures of Ottoman scholars that cannot be ignored. The environment
in which he was born and raised contributed greatly to this position. Since his
childhood, he has been in scholarly surroundings and educated himself in other
fields besides religious studies. After successfully completing his education,
he took his place as a professor within the scholarly class Mehmed Efendi, who gained important experiences
with the tasks he carried out in more than one madrasa, undertook not only the
professorship but also the duties of a qadi (judge) and fatwa authority. With
his gradually increasing knowledge, he has written many books. It is possible
to have information about his life, personality, collection, works, services,
fatwas, the period he lived in the light of fatwas, his social life and his
Sufi approach can be learned from the works he left behind and the studies
carried out by researchers today. As far as we can determine, Mehmed Efendi's
waqf activities, which are not subject to research, will be revealed in this
article and thus we will try to contribute to the existing information about
him.

Mehmed Efendi's charitable activities are learned
from the endowment/waqfiya documents that are part of the waqf he
established. Waqfiya’s are documents that identify what has been donated
to the waqf, how they will be managed, where and to whom the revenues will be
spent, who will manage the foundation, who is eligible for duties at the waqf
and their rights. In this context, one base waqfiya and three zeyl
waqfiya’s were identified by the waqf Mehmed Efendi established. The base
waqfiya refers to 7 Muharram 1212/2 July 1797. As for zeyl waqfiya’s;
the first one is dated 5 Shawwal 1245/30 March 1830; second on 1
Shaban 1247/5 January 1832; third on 1 Muharram 1249/21 May 1833.

The base waqfiya of Mehmed Efendi’s
waqf dated 7 Muharram 1212/2 July 1797 was arranged in accordance with the
waqf’s general template. It is
seen in the base waqfiya that as the founder of the waqf, his
first charity was to build a madrasa and taking steps to generate income in
order to keep it alive. In
addition, it is also possible to learn from the waqfiya regarding who
will undertake a teaching position and how much they will earn, how much fees
will be paid for the expenses of the madrasa, and the management and
supervision of the foundation.

The first zeyl
waqfiya dated on 5 Shawwal 1245/30 March 1830 constitutes the donation
of Mehmed Efendi’s own house. Under the condition that he and his wife are
allowed to stay at home while they were alive. After their death, it was stated
that said property would be rented out to generate income. It is also stated in the waqfiya that the
income obtained from the rent is reflected in the wages of the waqf employees
and spent on the expenses of the madrasa.

The second zeyl waqfiya dated on 1 Shaban 1247/5 January
1832 further expanded the scope of previous waqfiya’s. This time the
subject of the donation was cash money. Mehmed Efendi gave 20,000 kuruş
of cash and pointed out in the waqfiya regarding how to manage and spend
it. From the income obtained, additions were made to the earnings of the
officials who had been paid to as per the previous waqfiya. Unlike past
practices, Mehmed Efendi has also allocated a share of the waqf’s income to
those undertaking duties outside his own waqf.

The last and the most comprehensive of the waqfiya’s
is the third zeyl waqfiya. The third zeyl waqfiya
dated on 1 Muharram 1249/21 May 1833 was prepared in more detail than the
previous waqfiya’s and more people were added to the list of wage
earners from the waqf. For example, the rate at which the revenues of the waqf
should be evaluated to the detailed information on how to compensate for the
loss when a book is lost from the library is given. Moreover, about how the
education staff of Mehmed Efendi waqf and people outside the waqf who have to
receive income should pray to the foundation founder and his family. It is
thought that Mehmed Efendi's progressive age and the loss of all his children
were instrumental in the intensification of the charity items and prayer
requests in this foundation, which was written about four years before Mehmed
Efendi's death.

The management,
supervision, education and service staff all carried out duties within the waqf
established by Mehmed Efendi. These individuals who worked in the
administration of the waqf, the madrasa and its library were paid a fee from
the waqf’s revenues in return for their services. Furthermore, when the income
and expense table of the waqf is examined, we can easily say that Mehmed Efendi
has spent his property and financial resources on the waqf. However, after the
death of himself and his wife, it is observed that the waqf was not well managed.
Indeed, when the historical development of the waqf is followed, it is
noteworthy that the waqf, which has been serving for nearly a century, has
become increasingly distant from its former glory, especially after their
death.

Keywords

Islamic History, Gediz, Mehmed Efendi, Waqf, Endowment/Waqfiya, Madrasa

Bir Fetvâ Emininin Hayratı: Gedizli Mehmed Efendi’nin Vakıf Faaliyetleri

Abstract

Gedizli Mehmed Efendi (ö. 1253/1837), ilmiyeye mensup bir ailede dünyaya
gelmiştir. Küçük yaştan itibaren eğitim hayatına özen göstermiş ve tahsil
süreçlerini başarıyla tamamladıktan sonra Osmanlı ilmiye sahasında farklı
görevler üstlenmiştir. Üstlendiği görevler arasında müderrislik, nâiblik,
kadılık ve fetvâ eminliği yer almaktadır. Ayrıca Mehmed Efendi’nin kendi
yazdığı ve istinsah ettiği çok sayıda eseri bulunmaktadır. Mehmed Efendi,
ilmiye alanında sergilediği çabanın benzerini hayır ve iyilik faaliyetlerinde
de göstermiştir. Kurumsal anlamda ilk hayrî faaliyetini, kurmuş olduğu vakıfla
hayata geçirmiştir. Bu bağlamda doğup büyüdüğü Gediz kasabasında medrese inşâ
ettirdiği ve vakfa gelir getirici bir takım kaynaklar vakfettiği 1212/1797
tarihli esas vakfiyesinden öğrenilmektedir. Mehmed Efendi, hayırsever
tavrını hayatının son anına kadar sürdürmüştür. Zira o, hayır yapma imkân ve
gücüne sahip olduğu her fırsatta, kurduğu vakfı zenginleştirmeye çalışmıştır. Esas
vakfiyeye ek olarak hazırlanan 1245/1830, 1247/1832 ve 1249/1833 tarihli zeyl
vakfiyelerde bu durum açıkça görülmektedir. Nitekim inşâ ettirdiği
medreseye ilave olarak, eklentileri ve arsasıyla birlikte evini vakfa dâhil
etmiştir. Ardından nakit birikimini vakfetmiştir. Bunlarla da yetinmeyen Mehmed
Efendi bu kez, daha önce yaptırmış olduğu medresenin alanını genişleterek
kütüphane yaptırmış ve kitap vakfetmek sûretiyle hayır faaliyetlerini
sürdürmüştür. Bu itibarla çalışmada, Mehmed Efendi vakfının kapsam ve içeriği
ele alınacaktır. Vakfa ait dört adet vakfiye esas alınıp Mehmed Efendi’nin
hayır ve iyilik faaliyetleri incelenecektir.

Keywords

İslam Tarihi, Gediz, Mehmed Efendi, vakıf, vakfiye, medrese

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