Fahreddin-i Acemi | |
|---|---|
| Personal life | |
| Born | |
| Died | |
| Main interest(s) | Fiqh, Hadith |
| Notable work(s) |
|
| Religious life | |
| Religion | Islam |
| Denomination | Sunni |
| Jurisprudence | Hanafi |
| Senior posting | |
Influenced
| |
Fahreddin-i Acemi orFahreddin Acemî orMolla Fakhr al-Dīn al-‘Ajamī[1] was a 15th-centuryOttomanIslamic scholar andShaykh al-Islam.
Little clear information is available about Fahreddin's life. His given name may have been Ibrahim Razi.[2] He studied, possibly underSeyyid Şerif, in anAcem orAjam land (aPersian-speaking country), thus hisnisbaAcemî or‘Ajamī.[3]
Fahreddin came to the Ottoman Empire possibly during reign ofMehmed I. At some point he came toBursa and becamemuid (teaching assistant) of Mehmed Şah (son ofMolla Fenari) at theSultan Madrasa (themadrasa of Mehmed I). He received hislicense inhadith fromBurhaneddin Haydar Herevi. At some point, he becamemufti, probably during the reign ofMurad II, possibly in 1431 or 1440-41 (but no latter than 1444).[4]
As mufti, Fahreddin is said to have played an important role in reducingHurufi influence in the Ottoman Empire. Possibly in the year 1444, a Hurufi, possibly Ali ul Ala, seems to have become influential withSultanMehmed II. When avizier named Mahmud (possibly Kassabzade Mahmud Bey orGrand Vezir Mahmud Paşa) expressed his concerns to Fahreddin, they devised a plan to deal with the threat to orthodoxy. Fahreddin hid himself in a place where the Hurufi and his followers would be speaking--either the sultan's palace or Mahmud Paşa's house--so that he could hear for himself their ideas. After listening, Fahreddin came out of hiding, told them their errors, and then condemned them harshly in the presence of the sultan. Fahreddin then went to theÜç Şerefeli Mosque, where he either debated the Hurufis before the public or preached a sermon against them from theminbar of the mosque. He issued afatwa calling for theirdeath by burning. He is said to have been so eager to fan the flames that hisbeard caught fire.[5][6][7]
Fahreddin may have taught at theDârülhadîs Madrasa inEdirne. His students may have included Hocazade, andMolla Arab may have been hismuid.[8]
Fahreddin built a smallmosque (mescit) and a madrasa in Edirne. Neither is extant now.[9]
Fahreddin died maybe in 1460-61, maybe in 1465-66, or maybe on December 20, 1468.[10] He is buried outside themihrab of the Dârülhadîs Mosque in Edirne.[11]
