Mehmed Said Efendi

Gürcü el-Hac Hâfız Mehmed Said Efendi was born in Batum in 1851 as the son of Ahmed Şâkir Efendi. He received his first education from his father and came to Istanbul in 1873 to advance his madrasa studies. In 1883 he completed his education around Fatih Mosque and received ijazah.

Mehmed Said Efendi was one of the Fatih dersiâms and among the teachers authorized to grant ijazah. The title “Üstadü’l-küll” was a strong expression used for his broad student circle and scholarly authority. He established a lesson circle at Fatih Mosque and served not only in the classical madrasa sciences but also in modern higher education institutions such as the Darülfünun.

In 1903 he was appointed teacher of tafsir in the Department of Higher Religious Sciences of the Darülfünun. This duty at the Darülfünun is a notable example of the link late Ottoman higher religious education established with teachers of madrasa background.

He also served as a member of the Council for the Examination of Works at the Bâb-ı Fetvâ. This body was one of the councils around the Meşihat concerned with examining religious works before publication and evaluating their suitability.

Gürcü el-Hac Hâfız Mehmed Said Efendi died on Monday, 1 Dhu al-Hijja 1330, corresponding to 11 November 1912, and was buried in the Fatih Mosque Cemetery.