Süleyman Hilmi Tunahan, (1888 – 16 September 1959), was a 20th-century
Islamic scholar
In Islam, the ''ulama'' (; ar, علماء ', singular ', "scholar", literally "the learned ones", also spelled ''ulema''; feminine: ''alimah'' ingularand ''aalimath'' lural are the guardians, transmitters, and interpreters of religious ...
born in the small
Ottoman village of Ferhatlar, also known a
Varatlarand today Delchevo in the
Razgrad Province,
Bulgaria
Bulgaria (; bg, България, Bǎlgariya), officially the Republic of Bulgaria,, ) is a country in Southeast Europe. It is situated on the eastern flank of the Balkans, and is bordered by Romania to the north, Serbia and North Mac ...
. Süleyman later became a
Sufi Master in the tradition of the
Naqshbandi
The Naqshbandi ( fa, نقشبندی)), Neqshebendi ( ku, نهقشهبهندی), and Nakşibendi (in Turkish) is a major Sunni order of Sufism. Its name is derived from Baha-ud-Din Naqshband Bukhari. Naqshbandi masters trace their ...
Order.
Biography
Süleyman's father, Osman, was a ''
hafız'' ("one who has memorized the whole Qur'an") and a renowned Islamic teacher of his time. Osman had finished his education in
Istanbul
Istanbul ( , ; tr, İstanbul ), formerly known as Constantinople ( grc-gre, Κωνσταντινούπολις; la, Constantinopolis), is the List of largest cities and towns in Turkey, largest city in Turkey, serving as the country's economic, ...
before becoming a professor at the well-known Satirli
Madrasah
Madrasa (, also , ; Arabic: مدرسة , pl. , ) is the Arabic word for any type of educational institution, secular or religious (of any religion), whether for elementary instruction or higher learning. The word is variously transliterated '' ...
(theological school attached to a mosque) in Silistre. Süleyman's ancestors include Idris who was appointed by
Mehmet II
Mehmed II ( ota, محمد ثانى, translit=Meḥmed-i s̱ānī; tr, II. Mehmed, ; 30 March 14323 May 1481), commonly known as Mehmed the Conqueror ( ota, ابو الفتح, Ebū'l-fetḥ, lit=the Father of Conquest, links=no; tr, Fâtih Su ...
(r. 1451–81) as the "Tuna Khan". The young Süleyman was educated at Silistra Middle School and the Satirli Madrasah. Afterwards he went to Istanbul to finish his studies, enrolling in the Sahn Madrasah where he took lessons from
Bafra
Bafra is a district of Samsun Province of Turkey. It is a settlement located from the Black Sea, in the fertile delta of the Kızılırmak River. The Bafra Plain is famous in Turkey for its rich soil and high quality tobacco growing conditions. ...
born Ahmet Hamdi. He graduated in 1916 as
valedictorian
Valedictorian is an academic title for the highest-performing student of a graduating class of an academic institution.
The valedictorian is commonly determined by a numerical formula, generally an academic institution's grade point average (GPA) ...
of his class then enrolled at the Süleymaniye Mosque Madrasah in Medresetü'l-Mütehassisin where he studied the ''
tafsir
Tafsir ( ar, تفسير, tafsīr ) refers to exegesis, usually of the Quran. An author of a ''tafsir'' is a ' ( ar, مُفسّر; plural: ar, مفسّرون, mufassirūn). A Quranic ''tafsir'' attempts to provide elucidation, explanation, in ...
'' (commentary on the ''
Quran
The Quran (, ; Standard Arabic: , Quranic Arabic: , , 'the recitation'), also romanized Qur'an or Koran, is the central religious text of Islam, believed by Muslims to be a revelation from God. It is organized in 114 chapters (pl.: , sing.: ...
'') and ''
hadith
Ḥadīth ( or ; ar, حديث, , , , , , , literally "talk" or "discourse") or Athar ( ar, أثر, , literally "remnant"/"effect") refers to what the majority of Muslims believe to be a record of the words, actions, and the silent approval ...
'' (narrations concerning the words and deeds of
Muhammad
Muhammad ( ar, مُحَمَّد; 570 – 8 June 632 CE) was an Arab religious, social, and political leader and the founder of Islam. According to Islamic doctrine, he was a prophet divinely inspired to preach and confirm the monot ...
). Süleyman graduated again as valedictorian from Medresetü'l-Mütehassisin in 1919 and in the same year graduated from Medresetü'l-Kuzat law school, coming first in exams. On informing his father of this ranking he was told: "I didn't send you to Istanbul to go to hell", reminding him of Muhammad's saying: "Two out of three (unrighteous) judges will go to hell." Süleyman explained that his goal was not to become a judge but to learn both religious and common knowledge. He then began work as an Islamic teacher in Istanbul until its ''madrasah''s were closed whereupon he was assigned to work as an Islamic preacher. For some time he preached Islamic sermons in Istanbul's large Ottoman era Selatin mosques such as
Sultan Ahmed,
Süleymaniye,
Şehzâdebaşı,
Yeni and
Piyale Pasha mosques. While working as an Islamic preacher he also taught Muslim children, first in his own home then in
madrasahs after they received government permission to reopen in 1946–1947. Süleyman also started to teach the principles of Islam. Many of his students graduated from the madrasas and received permission from the
Diyanet İşleri Başkanlığı (Presidency of Religious Affairs) to work as
mufti
A Mufti (; ar, مفتي) is an Islamic jurist qualified to issue a nonbinding opinion ('' fatwa'') on a point of Islamic law (''sharia''). The act of issuing fatwas is called ''iftāʾ''. Muftis and their ''fatwas'' played an important rol ...
s ''(officials learned in Islamic law who is in charge of Islamic affairs for a province or district),''
imam
Imam (; ar, إمام '; plural: ') is an Islamic leadership position. For Sunni Muslims, Imam is most commonly used as the title of a worship leader of a mosque. In this context, imams may lead Islamic worship services, lead prayers, se ...
s ''(prayer leaders),''
muezzin
The muezzin ( ar, مُؤَذِّن) is the person who proclaims the call to the daily prayer (ṣalāt) five times a day ( Fajr prayer, Zuhr prayer, Asr prayer, Maghrib prayer and Isha prayer) at a mosque. The muezzin plays an important ro ...
s ''(individuals who call five times a day to announce prayers),'' Islamic preachers and madrasah teachers.
[Vakkasoğlu, Vehbi (2003) ''Maneviyat Dünyamıza İz Bırakanlar,'' Nesil Yayınları, Ekim, ]
Süleyman's practice of Islam followed the ''
Hanafi
The Hanafi school ( ar, حَنَفِية, translit=Ḥanafiyah; also called Hanafite in English), Hanafism, or the Hanafi fiqh, is the oldest and one of the four traditional major Sunni schools ( maddhab) of Islamic Law (Fiqh). It is named ...
'' (school of Islamic law), while his firm belief in God stemmed from the ''
Maturidi
Māturīdī theology or Māturīdism ( ar, الماتريدية: ''al-Māturīdiyyah'') is one of the main Sunnī schools of Islamic theology, founded by the Persian Muslim scholar, Ḥanafī jurist, reformer (''Mujaddid''), and scholastic th ...
''
school of Islam. He told his students that: "They should hold tight to the creed of Ahl al-Sunnah wa'l Jama'ah". Süleyman died in
Kısıklı,
Üsküdar
Üsküdar () is a large and densely populated district of Istanbul, Turkey, on the Anatolian shore of the Bosphorus. It is bordered to the north by Beykoz, to the east by Ümraniye, to the southeast by Ataşehir and to the south by Kadıköy ...
, Istanbul on 16 September 1959. He is buried in
Karacaahmet Cemetery
The Karacaahmet Cemetery ( tr, Karacaahmet Mezarlığı) is a 700-year-old historic cemetery, located in Üsküdar, the Asian side of Istanbul. Karacaahmet cemetery is the oldest and largest in Istanbul at , and the largest burial ground in Tur ...
.
Süleyman’s silsila
His
Naqshbandiyyah silsila
Silsila ( ar, سِلْسِلَة) is an Arabic word meaning ''chain'', ''link'', ''connection'' often used in various senses of lineage. In particular, it may be translated as "spiritual genealogy" where one Sufi Master transfers his ''khi ...
goes back to ''
Khwaja Shah Ahmed Sā‘īd Fāruqī
Mujaddid
A ''mujaddid'' ( ar, مجدد), is an Islamic term for one who brings "renewal" ( ar, تجديد, translit= tajdid, label=none) to the religion. According to the popular Muslim tradition, it refers to a person who appears at the turn of every ...
ī.''
References
External links
United American Muslim Org
{{DEFAULTSORT:Tunahan, Suleyman Hilmi
Hanafis
Maturidis
Turkish educators
1959 deaths
1888 births
Ottoman Sunni Muslims
People from Razgrad Province
Turkish Muslims
20th-century Muslim scholars of Islam
Ottoman Sufis
Turkish Sufis
Bulgarian Turks in Turkey