Elmalılı Muhammed Hamdi Yazır

Interpreter (b. 1878, Elmalı / Antalya - d. 27 May 1942, İstanbul). He was one of the elitist Islamic scholars had been risen in the last periods of the Ottomans and the early periods of the Turkish Republic. He attended his primary and secondary school educations and completed the introduction of the Islamic knowledge in Elmalı and came to the İstanbul in 1895. He took lectures and permissions from Kayserili Hamdi Efendi in İstanbul Beyazıt Madrasah Muslim School. Because his lecturer was known as the "Büyük Hamdi Efendi" (Great Hamdi Efendi), he was known as "Küçük Hamdi Efendi" (Little Hamdi Efendi).     He finished the School of Judges with a first student degree in 1905 and starting from this date to Second Constitutional Monarchy Period, he gave various lectures in Bayezid Mosque, Süleymaniye Madrasah Muslim School, School of Politics and School of Judges. He has charged a duty in the Correspondence Office of Sheikh-ul-islam. He promoted to lecturer in 1908. He selected as Antalya Deputy of the Ottoman Constitional Assembly after the deceleration of Second Constitutional Monarchy Period. He wrote fatwa about the necessity of withdrew the throne of Abdülhamit II. In that period, he served as member and president of the Supreme Council of Consultation of Sheikh-ul-islam (1918), the Minister of the Government Department in Control of Estates in Mortmain of the Damad Ferid Paşa Government for two times (1919) and as Senator. He served in the science department of Committee of Union and Progress.     When the Republic was established, he was sentenced of death in absentia, because of serving in the cabinets of Damat Ferit Paşa and of being responsible about the decisions of the government. But he was acquitted in Ankara Independence Courts. After that, he returned to İstanbul and retired in the obscurity, he only dealt with completing his works.  He wrote an expanded  Hukuk Kamusu (Dictionary of Law) with the encouragement of Prince Abbas Halim Paşa and his famous Kur'an Tefsiri (Interpretation of Koran) which was suggested him to write.  His grave is in Sahrayı Cedid Graveyard. His articles were published in the reviews Beyânul-Hak, Sırat-ı Müstakim ve Sebilürreşad.

WORKS:

İrşâdu'Ahlaf fi Ahkâmi'l-Evkaf (Text Book of School of Politics, 1911), Tahlil-i Tarih-i Felsefe-Metâlib ve Mezahib-Maba'de't-Tabia ve Felsefe-i İlahiyye (Study of History of Philosophy and Divine Philosophy, translation From: Paul Janet-Gabriel Seailles, 1926, in Latin Letters, 1978), Hak Dini Kur'an Dili-Yeni Mealli Türkçe Tefsir (The Religion of God, the Language of Koran and New Turkish Interpretation, 9 Volume, 1935-39).

REFERENCE: Ebül’ulâ Mardin / Huzûr Dersleri (1966), İsmail Kara / Türkiye’de İslâmcılık Düşüncesi (c. 1, s. 407-436, 1986), İsmet Ersöz / Elmalılı Mehmed Hamdi Yazır ve Hak Dini Kur’an Dili (doktora tezi, Selçuk Üniversitesi SBE, 1986), Vehbi Vakkasoğlu / Elmalılı Muhammed Hamdi Yazır (Tercüman, 29 Nisan-2 Mayıs 1987), Elmalılı Muhammed Hamdi Yazır Sempozyumu (tebliğler, 1993), Yusuf Şevki Yavuz / TDV İslâm Ansiklopedisi (c. 11, 1995, s. 57-62), Vehbi Vakkasoğlu / Osmanlıdan Cumhuriyete İslâm Âlimleri (2002), İhsan Işık / Türkiye Yazarlar Ansiklopedisi (2001, 2004) – Encyclopedia of Turkish Authors (2005) - Resimli ve Metin Örnekli Türkiye Edebiyatçılar ve Kültür Adamları Ansiklopedisi (2006, gen. 2. bas. 2007) – Ünlü Bilim Adamları (Türkiye Ünlüleri Ansiklopedisi, C. 2, 2013) - Encyclopedia of Turkey’s Famous People (2013).