Seyyid Medeni Mehmet Nuri Efendi | |
|---|---|
 Mehmed VI prays withShaykh al-IslāmNuri Efendi andGrand VizierAhmed Tevfik Pasha before leaving Istanbul, 17 November 1922. | |
| Personal life | |
| Born | (1859-11-24)November 24, 1859 |
| Died | July 29, 1927(1927-07-29) (aged 67) İhsaniye, Üsküdar, Istanbul, Turkey |
| Nationality | Ottoman |
| Spouse | Şerife Hatice Fehime Hanım |
| Children | Three daughters, one son |
| Parent(s) | el-Hajji es-Seyyid Tarsusizade Osman Kamil Efendi, Fındıkzade Şerife Hatice Hanım |
| Main interest(s) | Islamic jurisprudence, Quranic studies |
| Occupation | Islamic scholar, qadi (judge), Sheikh-ul-Islam |
| Religious life | |
| Religion | Islam |
| Denomination | Sunni |
| Jurisprudence | Hanafi |
Seyyid Medeni Mehmed Nuri Efendi (24 November 1859 – 29 July 1927)[1] was anIslamic scholar,qadi (judge), and the lastSheikh al-Islam of theOttoman Empire.[2][3][4]
Medeni Mehmed Nuri was born on November 24, 1859, in theSultantepe neighborhood ofÜsküdar district,Istanbul. His father wasel-Hajjies-Seyyid Tarsusizade Osman Kamil Efendi of Istanbul and lived in the city between 1821 and 1896.[4] He was the head of the "Tetkikat-ı Shar'iyye Council" when he died and was military ranked inAnatolia andRumelia.[5] Medeni Mehmed Nuri's mother was Fındıkzade (Fındıkgil) Sherife Hatija Hanım. Nuri Efendi grew up in theVefa district of Istanbul, started his primary education with his father, graduated from the Şehzade and Fatih Mosquemadrasas and "Mekteb-i Nüvvab", and became an Istanbul professor.[3][4] He rose over time and received the Mahreç rank.[2]
At the age of 22, he started to work with a ru'us salary and gradually rose in various institutions of theOttoman legal system becoming theqadi (judge) ofEgypt in 1912. Between March 1912 and August 1915, he lived inCairo and served as the judge of Egypt. Later he was appointed as the central qadi of theAdana province. He also served as theMinister of Evkaf.[2][5][6]
Nuri Efendi was appointed as aShaykh al-Islam on September 26, 1920, when the government resigned, and was appointed as Sheik al-Islam again on November 4, 1920, when the lastOttoman cabinet was established. He was staunchly against the division of the office of theCaliph and insisted that the office did not just represent the Ottomans but of all Muslims in the world.[7] When theGrand National Assembly of Turkeyabolished the Sultanate on November 1, 1922, he resigned together with the last Ottoman government and the office of Shaykh al-Islam ended in its Ottoman form. The post continued in the form of head of theDiyanet (Directorate of Religious Affairs) in the newly formedRepublic of Turkey. He was not counted as one of the150 personae non gratae of Turkey, but his pension was not paid because he had been in the cabinet ofDamat Ferit Pasha.[5]
He was the father of three daughters and a son with his wife Şerife Hatice Fehime Hanım. Medeni Mehmet Nuri Efendi died on 29 July 1927 inIhsaniye, Üsküdar, Istanbul.[2][5][6][3][8]
