Mehmed Muhyiddin Uftade RA ( 1490- 1580) : Ottoman Jalveti Sufi Master
*HAZRAT MEHMED MUHYIDDIN UFTADE* (quddisa sirruhu)
The Maqam of one of the great figures of *Ottoman Sufism* at the height of the Empire, Hazrat Mehmed Muhyiddin Uftade (1490-1580). He was born and lived in Bursa, a hugely important spiritual centre at the time of the Ottoman Empire, Shaykh Uftade was the founder of one of its main dervish Sufi orders, the Jelvetiyye order, his famous disciple is considered to be one of the Patron Saints of the Bosphorus, Hazrat Aziz Mahmud Hudayi (quddisa sirruhu).
*Shrine* located in Kavaklı Mah., Üftade Sk., Bursa, Turkey.
Hz Uftade is the name by which Mehmed is usually known. In fact, it designates a surname that was revealed during a vision, following an episode which was to mark the path of his future life. Uftade is a Persian word meaning "fallen", "perished", "ruined". The story of the way in which he adopted the name is as follows;
In his youth, Hazrat Mehmed (Uftade) had been chosen to perform the call to prayer in the great mosque of Bursa, The Ulu-Cami, his call to prayer was so beautiful that people gathered to hear it and some fell into ecstacy. One day he was offered a sum of money to compensate him for his service. But the same night Hazrat Mehmed had a vision, during which it was said to him: "You have fallen (Uftade) from your station" ; following which he immediately returned the money that he had imprudently accepted. It is thus that after having used the name Muhyiddin, he abandoned it to use the name Uftade.
This story was to have great importance in the care that he would take in the future with money. One story at the end of his life well illustrates this position of principle.
The mother of Sultan Murad lll, Nur Banu Sultan, had come to visit him and had bought a coffer full of money. Uftade as ever, would not accept it, but try as he might to turn down the gift, at the lady's insistence he ended up saying that she might leave the offering in a corner, where it remained untouched. One day, however, Hazrat Uftade exclaimed to himself: "Since this money arrived in our house, the blessing has gone. May it (the coffer) dissappear!" and the coffee vanished at once. Then soon after Hazrat Uftade said" They have driven away our Presence! Let us set off at once on our travels, let us not stay another instant!"
Al Fatiha for his blessed soul.
The story of Uftade and Hudai : From the life of Uftade
(translated by Christopher Ryan from the Turkish publication 'Bursa Saints and Historical Buildings'The Nightingale in the Garden of Love: The Poems of Uftade - Paul Ballenfat
A detailed overview of the life and teachings of one of the great Ottoman Sufi masters, Mehmed Muhyiddin Uftade, is accompanied by an English translation of a collection of his religious poetry in this tribute to the Turkish and Persian spiritual traditions. Uftade’s prominent role in the founding of the Jelvetiyye, one of the main dervish orders, his influence on Sultan Suleyman the Magnificent, and his instruction of renowned disciple ’Aziz Mahmud Hudayi, are carefully described alongside the faithfully rendered tenets of his spiritual teachings, augmented by firsthand accounts of his views translated from the journal of a disciple. Uftade's poetry employs simple, direct, and wonderfully human language to express the human yearning for the divine and the ups and downs of the spiritual path
posted by NFIE @ 12:10 AM
0 Comments:
Post a Comment
Subscribe to Post Comments [Atom]
<< Home