Mustafa Fehmi Efendi

Mustafa Fehmi Efendi was born in Ödemiş in 1853 as the son of the merchant Hacı Abdullah Ağa. After his first education at the Şakir Efendi Madrasa in Ödemiş, he came to Istanbul and studied with leading scholars of the period. He received ijazahs from Muhyiddin Efendi and Tikveşli Yusuf Ziyaeddin Efendi.

He began his career as a teacher and became a dersiâm at Fatih Mosque. A dersiâm was a scholar authorized to give public lessons in the major mosques of Istanbul. Mustafa Fehmi Efendi also served in the Fetvahâne, the fatwa office of the Şeyhülislam, and taught in the Bayezid Madrasa.

His scholarly work extended into legal education as well. He gave Mecelle lessons at the Law School and became one of the late Ottoman figures who linked classical fiqh learning with modern legal instruction. After the Second Constitutional Period, he served for two years as undersecretary of the Meşihat and was also granted the rank of Anatolian Kazasker.

Mustafa Fehmi Efendi took part in the Huzur Dersleri as a mukarrir in 1909-1910. These were Qur’anic commentary sessions held before the sultan during Ramadan, and the mukarrir was the scholar who presented the lesson. His works include Hulâsatü’l-Muhtareyn and Medhal-i Fıkh.

He died in 1328 in the Rumi calendar, corresponding to 1912, and was buried in the Fatih Mosque Cemetery.