İlyas Efendi

Priştineli el-Hac İlyas Efendi, whose exact date of birth could not be determined, was born as the eldest son of Murad b. Süleyman Sipahi, one of the well-known residents of Pristina.

He later continued his scholarly career in Istanbul and became one of the dersiâms of Fatih Mosque.

İlyas Efendi’s name also appears in the records of the Huzur Dersleri. In the 1880s, he was among the scholars who participated in the Qur’anic commentary sessions held before the sultan and known as the Huzur Dersleri.

A Huzur Dersi presentation attributed to him on verse 156 of Sūrat al-A‘rāf is registered in the Turkish Manuscripts collection of the Istanbul University Library.

Priştineli el-Hac İlyas Efendi died on the “Gurre-i Rajab,” that is, 1 Rajab 1307 (21 February 1890), and was buried in the Fatih Mosque Cemetery.