Bir Fetvâ Emininin Hayratı: Gedizli Mehmed Efendi’nin Vakıf Faaliyetleri
Charitable Acts Of A Fatwa Authority: Waqf Activities Of Gedizli Mehmed Efendi
Yazar: Ayar, Talip
Dergi: Hitit Üniversitesi İlahiyat Fakültesi Dergisi, Vol. 19 No. 1, 2020
Anahtar kelimeler: Islamic History,Gediz,Mehmed Efendi,Waqf,Endowment/Waqfiya,Madrasa ; İslam Tarihi,Gediz,Mehmed Efendi,vakıf,vakfiye,medrese

Gedizli Mehmed Efendi (ö. 1253/1837), ilmiyeye mensup bir ailede dünyayagelmiştir. Küçük yaştan itibaren eğitim hayatına özen göstermiş ve tahsilsüreçlerini başarıyla tamamladıktan sonra Osmanlı ilmiye sahasında farklıgörevler üstlenmiştir. Üstlendiği görevler arasında müderrislik, nâiblik,kadılık ve fetvâ eminliği yer almaktadır. Ayrıca Mehmed Efendi’nin kendiyazdığı ve istinsah ettiği çok sayıda eseri bulunmaktadır. Mehmed Efendi,ilmiye alanında sergilediği çabanın benzerini hayır ve iyilik faaliyetlerindede göstermiştir. Kurumsal anlamda ilk hayrî faaliyetini, kurmuş olduğu vakıflahayata geçirmiştir. Bu bağlamda doğup büyüdüğü Gediz kasabasında medrese inşâettirdiği ve vakfa gelir getirici bir takım kaynaklar vakfettiği 1212/1797tarihli esas vakfiyesinden öğrenilmektedir. Mehmed Efendi, hayırsevertavrını hayatının son anına kadar sürdürmüştür. Zira o, hayır yapma imkân vegücüne sahip olduğu her fırsatta, kurduğu vakfı zenginleştirmeye çalışmıştır. Esasvakfiyeye ek olarak hazırlanan 1245/1830, 1247/1832 ve 1249/1833 tarihli zeylvakfiyelerde bu durum açıkça görülmektedir. Nitekim inşâ ettirdiğimedreseye ilave olarak, eklentileri ve arsasıyla birlikte evini vakfa dâhiletmiştir. Ardından nakit birikimini vakfetmiştir. Bunlarla da yetinmeyen MehmedEfendi bu kez, daha önce yaptırmış olduğu medresenin alanını genişleterekkütüphane yaptırmış ve kitap vakfetmek sûretiyle hayır faaliyetlerinisürdürmüştür. Bu itibarla çalışmada, Mehmed Efendi vakfının kapsam ve içeriğiele alınacaktır. Vakfa ait dört adet vakfiye esas alınıp Mehmed Efendi’ninhayır ve iyilik faaliyetleri incelenecektir.

AbstractMehmed Efendi (d. 1253/1837) from Gediz was one ofthe religious scholars within his family tree. He spent his earlier life periodto complete his educational life and after graduating from formal schools heundertook various significant positions in ilmiyye (the Ottoman religiousadministration). Mehmed Efendi extended his interest out of scholar effortssuch as joining charity and public services. For this purpose, he found a waqf(a  charity organization) institution in1212/1797. The base wakfiyah (first establishment documents) and zeyl waqfiyah(additional establishments’ documents) indicate that the waqf consists of amadrasah (school), library and several other properties generating income forthe waqf services. Since Mehmed Efendi was born and raised in     In this context, it is learned from hischarter of a waqf dated 1212/1797, that he built a madrasa in Gediz, where hewas born and raised and gave some income-generating resources to thefoundation. Mehmed Efendi continued his charitable attitude until the lastmoment 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 hadbuilt, he incorporated his house into the foundation along with its add-ons andland. He then donated his cash savings. This time Mehmet Efendi, who was notsatisfied with these, expanded the area of the madrasa he had built before andbuilt a library and continued his charitable activities by providing books. Inthis respect, the scope and content of the Mehmed Efendi Foundation will bediscussed. The charitable and charitable activities of Mehmed Efendi will beexamined based on four charters belonging to the foundation.SummaryMehmed Efendi (d. 1253/1837) from Gediz, is one ofthe notable figures of Ottoman scholars that cannot be ignored. The environmentin which he was born and raised contributed greatly to this position. Since hischildhood, he has been in scholarly surroundings and educated himself in otherfields besides religious studies. After successfully completing his education,he took his place as a professor within the scholarly class Mehmed Efendi, who gained important experienceswith the tasks he carried out in more than one madrasa, undertook not only theprofessorship but also the duties of a qadi (judge) and fatwa authority. Withhis gradually increasing knowledge, he has written many books. It is possibleto have information about his life, personality, collection, works, services,fatwas, the period he lived in the light of fatwas, his social life and hisSufi approach can be learned from the works he left behind and the studiescarried out by researchers today. As far as we can determine, Mehmed Efendi'swaqf activities, which are not subject to research, will be revealed in thisarticle and thus we will try to contribute to the existing information abouthim. Mehmed Efendi's charitable activities are learnedfrom the endowment/waqfiya documents that are part of the waqf heestablished. Waqfiya’s are documents that identify what has been donatedto the waqf, how they will be managed, where and to whom the revenues will bespent, who will manage the foundation, who is eligible for duties at the waqfand their rights. In this context, one base waqfiya and three zeylwaqfiya’s were identified by the waqf Mehmed Efendi established. The basewaqfiya 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 1Shaban 1247/5 January 1832; third on 1 Muharram 1249/21 May 1833.The base waqfiya of Mehmed Efendi’swaqf dated 7 Muharram 1212/2 July 1797 was arranged in accordance with thewaqf’s general template. It isseen in the base waqfiya that as the founder of the waqf, hisfirst charity was to build a madrasa and taking steps to generate income inorder to keep it alive. Inaddition, it is also possible to learn from the waqfiya regarding whowill undertake a teaching position and how much they will earn, how much feeswill be paid for the expenses of the madrasa, and the management andsupervision of the foundation.The first zeylwaqfiya dated on 5 Shawwal 1245/30 March 1830 constitutes the donationof Mehmed Efendi’s own house. Under the condition that he and his wife areallowed to stay at home while they were alive. After their death, it was statedthat said property would be rented out to generate income. It is also stated in the waqfiya that theincome obtained from the rent is reflected in the wages of the waqf employeesand spent on the expenses of the madrasa.The second zeyl waqfiya dated on 1 Shaban 1247/5 January1832 further expanded the scope of previous waqfiya’s. This time thesubject of the donation was cash money. Mehmed Efendi gave 20,000 kuruşof cash and pointed out in the waqfiya regarding how to manage and spendit. From the income obtained, additions were made to the earnings of theofficials who had been paid to as per the previous waqfiya. Unlike pastpractices, Mehmed Efendi has also allocated a share of the waqf’s income tothose undertaking duties outside his own waqf.The last and the most comprehensive of the waqfiya’sis the third zeyl waqfiya. The third zeyl waqfiyadated on 1 Muharram 1249/21 May 1833 was prepared in more detail than theprevious waqfiya’s and more people were added to the list of wageearners from the waqf. For example, the rate at which the revenues of the waqfshould be evaluated to the detailed information on how to compensate for theloss when a book is lost from the library is given. Moreover, about how theeducation staff of Mehmed Efendi waqf and people outside the waqf who have toreceive income should pray to the foundation founder and his family. It isthought that Mehmed Efendi's progressive age and the loss of all his childrenwere instrumental in the intensification of the charity items and prayerrequests in this foundation, which was written about four years before MehmedEfendi's death.The management,supervision, education and service staff all carried out duties within the waqfestablished by Mehmed Efendi. These individuals who worked in theadministration of the waqf, the madrasa and its library were paid a fee fromthe waqf’s revenues in return for their services. Furthermore, when the incomeand expense table of the waqf is examined, we can easily say that Mehmed Efendihas spent his property and financial resources on the waqf. However, after thedeath 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 isnoteworthy that the waqf, which has been serving for nearly a century, hasbecome increasingly distant from its former glory, especially after theirdeath.