Hadrat Hasan Hilmi al-Qastamoni QS

HASAN HILMI EFFENDI OF KASTAMONU QS
(1824-1911)

(Translated from Hulya Yilmaz, Dunden Bugune Gumusanevi Mektebi, Istanbul: Seha 1997)

The first deputy of Ahmed Ziyauddîn Gumush-khanewi, the thirty-third link of the golden chain of spirituality, Shaikh Hasan Hilmi Effendi was born in Azdavay township of Kastamonu, Turkey in 1240H/1824 CE. Due to his place of birth, he was known as "Kastamonî."  His father, Abdullah Effendi, was one of awliya despite the fact that he had no formal education. According to Hasan Hilmi Effendi, on a Friday, Abdullah Effendi got sick unexpectedly and told his children: "Please give me a bath at once.  I will return to my Lord today.  I would like to go to Him clean." After the Friday Prayer, he said good-bye to his friends and asked for their blessings.  Soon afterwards, he passed away.

Hasan Hilmi Effendi had medium height, luminous face, white beard, wheat complexion, straight handsome nose, separated eyebrows, and hazel eyes.  He would wear a white turban with a Naqshi crown, long dress, and a cloak.  He resembled Hadrat Abubakr RA; he was gentle as his name suggested, and he had taqwa.

Hasan Hilmi Effendi started school in Kastamonu.  He took courses on recitation and grammar of Arabic from the prominent scholars in the locality.  When he reached eighteen, his father sent him to Istanbul.  He was admitted to Mahmud Pasha Madrasa where he met Shaikh Ahmed Ziyauddîn Gumush-khanewi.  It was the beginning of a spiritual journey together that would last over fifty years.

Hasan Hilmi Effendi attended the courses offered by Buyuk Hazim Effendi of Nevshehir and received diploma on Tafsîr, Fiqh, Hadith and Hikmah.  He volunteered to be the muedhdhin of the Fatma Sultan Mosque, which was an abandoned place not used for any purpose.  Soon he restored the mosque and opened for service.  Afterwards, he was appointed as the muedhdhin of the mosque.  He moved out of the Madrasa yet he kept his contact.  He visited Shaikh Ahmed Ziyauddîn Gumush-khanewi often.

Meanwhile, a deputy of Hadrat Mawlânâ Khalid-i Baghdadî QS, Shaikh Ahmed ibn-i Sulayman al-Arwâdî KS, visited Istanbul and initiated Hadrat Gumush-khanewi to the tariqa. Hasan Hilmi Effendi, too, wanted to be initiated to the tariqa.  He consulted with Hadrat Gumush-khanewi and, upon the advice, he took the hand of Abdulfattah al-Ukarî KS who was also a deputy of Hadrat Mawlânâ Khalid-i Baghdadî QS.  Both Hadrat Gumush-khanewi and Hasan Hilmi Effendi attended the hadith lectures of Shaikh Ahmed ibn-i Sulayman al-Arwâdî KS at Hagia Sofia.
After the death of Abdulfettah Effendi in 1864, Hasan Hilmi Effendi took the hand of Hadrat Gumush-khanewi who was authorized by Hadrat Arwâdî QS.  Hasan Hilmi Effendi continued taking hadith lectures from Hadrat Gumush-khanewi and received his diploma in the field of Hadith.  He also completed his spiritual training under the guidance of Hadrat Gumush-khanewi and became his deputy.

Hasan Hilmi Effendi performed Hajj with Hadrat Gumush-khanewi in 1863. After the second pilgrimage, Hadrat Gumush-khanewi stays in Egypt and Tanta for three years, so Hasan Hilmi Effendi carries out the guidance duty at the Gumush-khanewi Dargah in Istanbul on behalf of his shaikh.  After returning to Istanbul, Hadrat Gumush-khanewi sent Hasan Hilmi Effendi to Geyve to spread the tariqa in Izmit-Adapazari region.  Hasan Hilmi Effendi built a Madrasa there and taught Hadith along with his guidance work in the tariqa.

When Hadrat Gumush-khanewi grew old and weak, unable to carry out the guidance work at the Dargah, he called Hasan Hilmi Effendi to Istanbul and asked him to assume the responsibilities of the Dargah.  Afterwards, Hadrat Gumush-khanewi conducted the Friday discourses and Khatme-i Khawajagan, only until his death in 1893.

Hasan Hilmi Effendi presided the Dargah for 18 years and taught Hadith through out these years.  He would complete the book Ramuz al-Ahadith twice a year in his discourses.

Hasan Hilmi Effendi raised hundreds of students among which are Muhammad Zahîd al-Kawtharî and Mehmed Hulusi Effendi of Ezine.  He also left fifty-six deputies in the tariqa.  Among his deputies are Eyyub Sabri Effendi of Amasya, Kâtib Mustafa Feyzî Effendi, Ahmed Effendi of Bolvadin, Ali Riza Effendi of Kayseri, and Yusuf Bahri Effendi of Geyve.

In 1896, Hasan Hilmi Effendi went for the pilgrimage leaving Ismail Najatî Efendi in charge at the Dargah.  In Madina, he stayed with Hafiz Ahmed Ziyauddîn Effendi who was a disciple of Shaikh Gumush-khanewi.  He also performed khalwet in the Mosque of the Prophet for eighteen days.
As he grew old and weak, he appointed Ismail Najati Effendi of Safranbolu as his proxy to carry out the guidance duty at the Dargah.  In his deathbed, he handed in his will to his disciples and told them: "The time for me to return to the Most Merciful has arrived.  As you pray for my health, it gets disturbing for me.  This soul wants to return to his Lord.  Please stop praying for my health."  His last word was "Allah!"  He closed his eyes on Thursday, February 10, 1911.  His grave is located in the graveyard of Suleymaniye Mosque.
 
One of the deputies of Hasan Hilmi Effendi, Katib Mustafa Fevzi Effendi, wrote a book titled Menakib-i Haseniyye fi Ahwâlis-Seniyye.  In this book, he wrote about the life, manners, journeys and miracles of his shaikh in a poetic way.  The same person also wrote the following lines to indicate the year of Hasan Hilmi Effendi's death:
 
Ah Jenab-i Hilmi-i Kutb-i zamân,
Oldu bugün mûjib-i da'veti rahmân!

O honorable Hilmi, the pole of the time,
Accepted today the call of the Merciful!
(1329 H)

One of the deputies of Hadrat Gumush-khanewi, Mustafa Fevzi ibn-i Numan, wrote a book titled Hediyyetul Khàlidîn.  In the book, he wrote the following lines about Hasan Hilmi Effendi QS:
 
Yüzonalti khalife var didimdi,
Mahallinde ani zikreyledimdi.

I had said there were 116 deputies
And I had mentioned about him

Teberrük eyledim ta'dâd-i esmâ,
Diyem bir bir yolinca hayy-ü mevtâ.

I listed their names with courtesy
one by one in the order--live or dead

Hasan Hilmi ki sheyh-i pür hayâdir;
Vekil-i Hazret-i Ahmed Ziyâ'dir.

Hasan Hilmi was exteremly modest
A deputy of Hadrat Ahmed Ziyâ

O nûr-i ayn-i ihvân-i kirâmdir,
Shiraze bend-i sadât-i izâmdir.

He was the light of the eyes of the disciples
The headband of the respectable lineage

Odur mürshidlerin shâhi bu demde,
Anun misli yaturlar hep ademde.

He was the king of the guides at the time,
Those who were like him are all dead.

O dürr-i tâj-i ashâb-i tüqâdir,
O shems-i envâr-i ehl-i nüqâdir.

He is the pearl of the crown of the people of taqwa
He is the sun of the lights of the people of nuqa

Muhakkak kıdve-i cümle müridan,
Odur şüphe idilmez kâmil insan.

Verily he was a role model for the disciples
No doubt, he was a perfect human.

Tevazu-pîşedir zât-ı kerîmi,
Gel inkâra koma nefs-i leîmi.

He was also quite humble
Do not let the despicable nafs deny it.

Ani Ahmed Ziyâ koydi yerine,
Ana her kim ezâ itse, yeri ne?..

Ahmed Ziya placed him in the stage
Nobdy has a reason to disturb him.

Ani inkâr ider mi hiç mürîdan,
Ana kem söyleyen hiç olmaz ihvân.

The disciples would not disobey him
Nor use improper words for him.

Katib Mustafa Fevzi Effendi wrote the following in his book Menakib-i Haseniyye about the death of his shaikh Hasan Hilmi Effendi:
 
Hazret'in Vefâtı Beyânına Dair:
Bizleri yaktın, kavurdun neyledin!

About the death of the Hadrat:
Your death is so bitter and painful for us

Biz bu hali görmeyiz zannetmişiz.
Biz ne firkatli zamana yetmişiz!

We never thought we would see that
What a bitter time that we lived

Bu ne firkat bu ne dehşettir bugün,
Bendegânın hep yetim oldu bütün.

What a cry, what an awe is it today
All in your service became orphans.

Bu vedâ-ı eyâmimi ey nur ayn,
Elvedâ artık sönsün hûr-ı ayn.

This is the day of departure, o light of the eye
Good-bye, let the flame of the eye diminish

Sen gidersin sevgili Sübhânına,
Bir vasiyyet var mı hiç ihvânına.

You return to your Almighty Lord
Did you leave a will for your disciples?

Vermek istersen mübarek canını,
Kimlere terk eyledin ihvânını!

You wanted to give up your life
To whom did you leave your disciples?

Çünkü duymuş bunları ol bestegir,
Çeşmini açmış heme pîr-i münîr.

Şöyle ferman eylemiş pîr-i celîl,
Hakk'a vuslattır meramım müstakil.

Durmak olmaz gitmeye söz vermişim,
Şimdi râh-ı rıhlete ben girmişim.

Söyleyin ihvânıma benden selâm,
Ben helâl ettim hukuku bit-temâm.

Hakkını anlar bana etsün helâl,
Etmesünler ağlayıp kesb-i melâl.

Onları ben şeyhe teslim eyledim,
Nice kim hâl-i hayatta söyledim.

Bunları zât-ı reşîde söyledi,
Bu sözü takrir ederken ağladı.

Eylemiş te'sir ona ism-i celâl,
Zâhir olmuş alem-i tur-i misâl.

Şöyle nakletti bize ol Fâzıla,
Nakşedildi ol nidâ levh-i dile.

Öyle "Allah!" lafzını hiç duymadım.
Lezzet-i mânây-ı lafza doymadım.

O nidâya olmuşum hayreten sâr,
Ömrüm oldukça o lezzet pâyidâr.
 
BIBLIOGRAPHY

Ahmed Ziyaüddin Gümüşhanevî, Râmûzül-Ehâdîs, Terc. Abdülaziz Bekkîne, c. 1, s. 9, ts.
Aykut, Said, "Kastamonulu Hasan Hilmi Efendi", Allah Dostları, c. 9, s. 295-299, Istanbul 1996.
Feridüddin Attar, Tezkiretü'l-Evliyâ, Haz. M.Z.K., s. 321-332, Istanbul 1983
Kara, Mustafa, "Ahmed Ziyaüddin Gümüşhânevî'nin Halifeleri," Ahmed Ziyaüddin Gümüşhànevî Sempozyum Bildirileri içinde, Haz. Necdet Yılmaz, s. 122-123, Istanbul 1992.