Muhammed Hamdi Yazir
Encyclopedia
Muhammed Hamdi Yazır also known as Elmalılı Hamdi Yazır and Elmalılı (1878, Antalya
- 27 May 1942, İstanbul
) was a Turkish
theologian
, logician, Qur'an translator, Qur'anic exegesis scholar, Islamc legal academic, philosopher and encyclopedist.
district of Antalya
province, then in the Ottoman Empire
, and now in Turkey
. He is nicknamed after his birthplace: Elmalılı. Elmalılı means "from Elmalı" or "born in Elmalı" in Turkish. His father, Hoca Numan Efendi, who is also a scholar of Islam, was from the Yazır village of Gölhisar
district of Burdur
province, then in the Ottoman Empire
, and now in Turkey
. He is from Yazir sub-brunch of Oghuz
brunch of Turkish nation
. Hoca Numan Efendi -father of Yazir- went to Elmalı district of Antalya for education when he was a child and settled there. Hoca Numan Efendi worked as a head clerk
of lawsuit
of the district. Yazır's mother Fatma Hanım was the daughter of Esad Efendi, who was a scholar of Islam living in Elmalı.
which was the capital city of Ottoman Empire
at that time. He completed his university education in Bayezid Madrasah. Then he competed posterrior education in Mekteb-i Nuvvab and became a Qadi (judge). He also received Islamic calligraphy
courses from Sami Efendi and Bakkal Arif Efendi. He learned Arabic, Persian
, and French
during his education. His was as fluent in French as in Arabic. He translated some French books to Turkish
.
and started lecturing in Mekteb-i Mülkiye
, Medreset-ul-Vaizin and Süleymaniye Madrasah. He gave "judgement of estates in mortmain" courses in Mekteb-i Mülkiye, logic
courses in Süleymaniye Madrasah and fiqh (Islamic jurisprudence) in Medreset-ul-Vaizin (madrasah of preachers). He also served in the Darü'l-Hikmeti'l-İslâmiye (high council of consultation working for Sheikh ul-Islam). After a while he became the president of the council.
, Committee of Union and Progress
prepared a coup against the Sultan Abdul Hamid II
. Yazir wrote the symbolic fatwa
for the termination of the reign of Abdul Hamid II
. He became a member of the senate of the Ottoman Parliament for Antalya
. He strongly opposed Committee of Union and Progress
which hold a nationalist and militarist position.
When the republic was founded he was giving logic courses in Medrese-t-ül Mütehassisin (a postgraduate school). When Kemal
's government abolished the madrasahs he withdrew into solitude. He studied for 20 years in solitude. He died of cardiac deficiency on 27 May 1942 in Erenköy district of Istanbul
(Al-Fatiha). He is buried in Sahrayı Cedit Mezarlığı (Sahrayı Cedit Cemetery) in Kadıköy in İstanbul.
Antalya
Antalya is a city on the Mediterranean coast of southwestern Turkey. With a population 1,001,318 as of 2010. It is the eighth most populous city in Turkey and country's biggest international sea resort.- History :...
- 27 May 1942, İstanbul
Istanbul
Istanbul , historically known as Byzantium and Constantinople , is the largest city of Turkey. Istanbul metropolitan province had 13.26 million people living in it as of December, 2010, which is 18% of Turkey's population and the 3rd largest metropolitan area in Europe after London and...
) was a Turkish
Turkey
Turkey , known officially as the Republic of Turkey , is a Eurasian country located in Western Asia and in East Thrace in Southeastern Europe...
theologian
Theology
Theology is the systematic and rational study of religion and its influences and of the nature of religious truths, or the learned profession acquired by completing specialized training in religious studies, usually at a university or school of divinity or seminary.-Definition:Augustine of Hippo...
, logician, Qur'an translator, Qur'anic exegesis scholar, Islamc legal academic, philosopher and encyclopedist.
Early life
He was born in 1878, in ElmalıElmali
Elmalı is a town and district in Antalya Province, the Mediterranean region of Turkey. It lies about inland, near the town of Korkuteli and west of the city of Antalya...
district of Antalya
Antalya
Antalya is a city on the Mediterranean coast of southwestern Turkey. With a population 1,001,318 as of 2010. It is the eighth most populous city in Turkey and country's biggest international sea resort.- History :...
province, then in the Ottoman Empire
Ottoman Empire
The Ottoman EmpireIt was usually referred to as the "Ottoman Empire", the "Turkish Empire", the "Ottoman Caliphate" or more commonly "Turkey" by its contemporaries...
, and now in Turkey
Turkey
Turkey , known officially as the Republic of Turkey , is a Eurasian country located in Western Asia and in East Thrace in Southeastern Europe...
. He is nicknamed after his birthplace: Elmalılı. Elmalılı means "from Elmalı" or "born in Elmalı" in Turkish. His father, Hoca Numan Efendi, who is also a scholar of Islam, was from the Yazır village of Gölhisar
Gölhisar
Gölhisar is a town and district of Burdur Province in the Mediterranean region of Turkey....
district of Burdur
Burdur
Burdur , is a city southwestern Turkey and the seat of the Burdur Province of Turkey. It is located at , on the shore of Lake Burdur...
province, then in the Ottoman Empire
Ottoman Empire
The Ottoman EmpireIt was usually referred to as the "Ottoman Empire", the "Turkish Empire", the "Ottoman Caliphate" or more commonly "Turkey" by its contemporaries...
, and now in Turkey
Turkey
Turkey , known officially as the Republic of Turkey , is a Eurasian country located in Western Asia and in East Thrace in Southeastern Europe...
. He is from Yazir sub-brunch of Oghuz
Oghuz Turks
The Turkomen also known as Oghuz Turks were a historical Turkic tribal confederation in Central Asia during the early medieval Turkic expansion....
brunch of Turkish nation
Turkish people
Turkish people, also known as the "Turks" , are an ethnic group primarily living in Turkey and in the former lands of the Ottoman Empire where Turkish minorities had been established in Bulgaria, Cyprus, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Georgia, Greece, Kosovo, Macedonia, and Romania...
. Hoca Numan Efendi -father of Yazir- went to Elmalı district of Antalya for education when he was a child and settled there. Hoca Numan Efendi worked as a head clerk
Law clerk
A law clerk or a judicial clerk is a person who provides assistance to a judge in researching issues before the court and in writing opinions. Law clerks are not court clerks or courtroom deputies, who are administrative staff for the court. Most law clerks are recent law school graduates who...
of lawsuit
Lawsuit
A lawsuit or "suit in law" is a civil action brought in a court of law in which a plaintiff, a party who claims to have incurred loss as a result of a defendant's actions, demands a legal or equitable remedy. The defendant is required to respond to the plaintiff's complaint...
of the district. Yazır's mother Fatma Hanım was the daughter of Esad Efendi, who was a scholar of Islam living in Elmalı.
Education
After completing primary and secondary education in Elmalı, for studying Islam sciences, in 1885, Yazır went to İstanbulIstanbul
Istanbul , historically known as Byzantium and Constantinople , is the largest city of Turkey. Istanbul metropolitan province had 13.26 million people living in it as of December, 2010, which is 18% of Turkey's population and the 3rd largest metropolitan area in Europe after London and...
which was the capital city of Ottoman Empire
Ottoman Empire
The Ottoman EmpireIt was usually referred to as the "Ottoman Empire", the "Turkish Empire", the "Ottoman Caliphate" or more commonly "Turkey" by its contemporaries...
at that time. He completed his university education in Bayezid Madrasah. Then he competed posterrior education in Mekteb-i Nuvvab and became a Qadi (judge). He also received Islamic calligraphy
Islamic calligraphy
Islamic calligraphy, colloquially known as Perso-Arabic calligraphy, is the artistic practice of handwriting, or calligraphy, and by extension, of bookmaking, in the lands sharing a common Islamic cultural heritage. This art form is based on the Arabic script, which for a long time was used by all...
courses from Sami Efendi and Bakkal Arif Efendi. He learned Arabic, Persian
Persian language
Persian is an Iranian language within the Indo-Iranian branch of the Indo-European languages. It is primarily spoken in Iran, Afghanistan, Tajikistan and countries which historically came under Persian influence...
, and French
French language
French is a Romance language spoken as a first language in France, the Romandy region in Switzerland, Wallonia and Brussels in Belgium, Monaco, the regions of Quebec and Acadia in Canada, and by various communities elsewhere. Second-language speakers of French are distributed throughout many parts...
during his education. His was as fluent in French as in Arabic. He translated some French books to Turkish
Turkish language
Turkish is a language spoken as a native language by over 83 million people worldwide, making it the most commonly spoken of the Turkic languages. Its speakers are located predominantly in Turkey and Northern Cyprus with smaller groups in Iraq, Greece, Bulgaria, the Republic of Macedonia, Kosovo,...
.
Career
Muhammed Hamdi Yazır became a Qadi (judge) via competed his education in Mekteb-i Nuvvab. He worked as a full time academic in Bayezid Madrasah from 1905 to 1908. Then, he get in the service of Sheikh ul-IslamSheikh ul-Islam
Shaykh al-Islām is a title of superior authority in the issues of Islam....
and started lecturing in Mekteb-i Mülkiye
Mekteb-i Mülkiye
Mekteb-i Mülkiye, established on February 12, 1859 in Istanbul, was a vocational high school in the Ottoman Empire. Following the foundation of the Republic, the school moved in 1936 to Cebeci quarter in Ankara. On December 4, 1938, the school was renamed "School of Political Sciences"...
, Medreset-ul-Vaizin and Süleymaniye Madrasah. He gave "judgement of estates in mortmain" courses in Mekteb-i Mülkiye, logic
Logic
In philosophy, Logic is the formal systematic study of the principles of valid inference and correct reasoning. Logic is used in most intellectual activities, but is studied primarily in the disciplines of philosophy, mathematics, semantics, and computer science...
courses in Süleymaniye Madrasah and fiqh (Islamic jurisprudence) in Medreset-ul-Vaizin (madrasah of preachers). He also served in the Darü'l-Hikmeti'l-İslâmiye (high council of consultation working for Sheikh ul-Islam). After a while he became the president of the council.
Political life
When he was working in service of Sheikh ul-IslamSheikh ul-Islam
Shaykh al-Islām is a title of superior authority in the issues of Islam....
, Committee of Union and Progress
Committee of Union and Progress
The Committee of Union and Progress began as a secret society established as the "Committee of Ottoman Union" in 1889 by the medical students İbrahim Temo, Abdullah Cevdet, İshak Sükuti and Ali Hüseyinzade...
prepared a coup against the Sultan Abdul Hamid II
Abdul Hamid II
His Imperial Majesty, The Sultan Abdülhamid II, Emperor of the Ottomans, Caliph of the Faithful was the 34th sultan of the Ottoman Empire...
. Yazir wrote the symbolic fatwa
Fatwa
A fatwā in the Islamic faith is a juristic ruling concerning Islamic law issued by an Islamic scholar. In Sunni Islam any fatwā is non-binding, whereas in Shia Islam it could be considered by an individual as binding, depending on his or her relation to the scholar. The person who issues a fatwā...
for the termination of the reign of Abdul Hamid II
Abdul Hamid II
His Imperial Majesty, The Sultan Abdülhamid II, Emperor of the Ottomans, Caliph of the Faithful was the 34th sultan of the Ottoman Empire...
. He became a member of the senate of the Ottoman Parliament for Antalya
Antalya
Antalya is a city on the Mediterranean coast of southwestern Turkey. With a population 1,001,318 as of 2010. It is the eighth most populous city in Turkey and country's biggest international sea resort.- History :...
. He strongly opposed Committee of Union and Progress
Committee of Union and Progress
The Committee of Union and Progress began as a secret society established as the "Committee of Ottoman Union" in 1889 by the medical students İbrahim Temo, Abdullah Cevdet, İshak Sükuti and Ali Hüseyinzade...
which hold a nationalist and militarist position.
When the republic was founded he was giving logic courses in Medrese-t-ül Mütehassisin (a postgraduate school). When Kemal
Kemal
Kemal may refer to:People* Kemal , a common Turkish name** Mustafa Kemal Atatürk, founder of the Republic of Turkey** Yaşar Kemal, Turkish writerPlaces* Kemalpaşa, Izmir Province, Turkey* Mustafakemalpaşa, Bursa Province, TurkeySee also...
's government abolished the madrasahs he withdrew into solitude. He studied for 20 years in solitude. He died of cardiac deficiency on 27 May 1942 in Erenköy district of Istanbul
Istanbul
Istanbul , historically known as Byzantium and Constantinople , is the largest city of Turkey. Istanbul metropolitan province had 13.26 million people living in it as of December, 2010, which is 18% of Turkey's population and the 3rd largest metropolitan area in Europe after London and...
(Al-Fatiha). He is buried in Sahrayı Cedit Mezarlığı (Sahrayı Cedit Cemetery) in Kadıköy in İstanbul.
Works
Muhammed Hamdi Yazır worked on logic, philosophy, Islamic jurisprudence, and Islamic theology. In his philosophical works he opposed Western opinion that human mind is enough for reaching absolut truth. He hold the position that faith and mind togather are capable of comprehending truth. He worked on Qur'anic exegesis in Maturidi context. He also worked on a dictionary of law. Additionally he translated western papers into Turkish.Writings by Muhammed Hamdi Yazır
- Hak Dini Kur'an Dili. (1935).(Qur'anic exegesis and translation of Qur'an in Turkish)
- Tahlil-i Tarih-i Felsefe-Metâlib ve Mezahib-Maba'de't-Tabia ve Felsefe-i İlahiyye (Turkish translation of Histoire de la philosophie of Paul JanetPaul JanetPaul Janet was a French philosopher and writer.-Biography:Born in Paris, he became professor of moral philosophy at Bourges and Strasbourg , and of logic at the lycée Louis-le-Grand, Paris...
and Gabriel Seailles) - İrşadü'l Ahlâf fî Ahkâmi'l-Evkâf (A textbook on judgement of estates in mortmain for university students)
- Beyânul-Hak (various articles in the journals of Sırat-ı Müstakim and Sebilürreşad)
- Elmalılı Küçük Hamdi (Various articles in Beyânül-Hak and Sebîlürreşad (scholarly journals))
- Usûl-i Fıkıh (an unpublished book on Islamic jurisprudence)
- Sûrî mantık (an unpublished book on ologic)
- Hukuk Kâmusu (an unfinished dictionary of law)
- Divan (an unfinished book)