Tazarru'name - تضرعنامه

This volume contains the Tazarru'name, a work on spiritual concepts and doctrines with praises of the prophets and sacred personalities. It was authored by Sinan Paşa (died 891 AH/1486 CE), an Ottoman religious scholar, Sufi, and statesman. Sinan Paşa was born between 841-845 AH/1437-1441 CE. His father Hızır Bey was the first kadı of Istanbul, and his maternal grandfather was the scholar Molla Yegân. He came with his father to Istanbul in 857 AH/1453 CE as a teenager, and met the greatest scholars of the age at his grandfather's lessons. He earnt the favour of Sultan Mehmed II (ruled 1444-1446, 1451-1481 CE), who appointed him to prestigious müderris positions and assigned him as teacher to the Sultan. He later gave Sinan Paşa the rank of vizier in 875 AH/1470 CE, and even appointed him Grand Vizier for a short period in 881 AH/1477 CE. However, he was dismissed and imprisoned in the same year, and only released with the interventions of his fellow scholars in Istanbul. He served as kadı and müderris in Sivrihisar until Sultan Mehmed II's death. The rank of vizier was returned to Sinan by Mehmed's son and successor Bayezid II, together with a prestigious müderris appointment in Edirne. Though a specialist of theology and mathematics, Sinan Paşa wrote on a number of subjects in Arabic as well as Ottoman Turkish. The Tazarru'name was his first work in the latter language, also becoming his most important. The work is a significant example of the secili nesir (rhyming prose) style. It reflects the author's interest in Sufism, with the first portion of the work expounding 18 spiritual concepts and doctrines in ornate prose, beginning with 'tevhid' and ending with 'aşk.' Thereafter, Sinan Paşa eulogises the prophets, the Prophet Muhammad and his family and companions, the four caliphs, and other great early Muslims. The headings of the constituent sections, which are not numbered, are listed on f 1r, an addition to the original text. The section headings are as follows:. 6r: Beyan-i tevhid; 9r: İşaret-i ma'rifet; 35r: İşaret-i vücub-i Şeyh; 38v: İşaret-i havf u reca; 51v: İşaret-i zühd; 55r: İşaret-i vücub-i tövbe; 57v: İşaret-i İslam; 58r: İşaret-i vuzu; İşaret-i salat; İşaret-i savm; İşaret-i hacc; 58v: İşaret-i ilm; 86v: İşaret-i rıza; 97v: İşaret-i sabır; 98v: İşaret-i fakır; 99v: İşaret-i ma'rifet-i nefs; 106v: Beyan-i tevekkül; 121r: İşaret-i evsaf-i 'aşk; 150v: Fi na'ti'l-enbiya; 152r: Na't'ül-enbiya-i sab'a-i meşhura-i 'izam; 153r: Na't-i Adem Nebi (not allocated a heading); 153v: Na't-i Idris Nebi; 154v: Na't-i Nuh Nebi; 155v: Na't-i İbrahim Halil; 157r: Na't-i Musa Kelimullah; 158v: Na't-i 'Isa Ruhullah; 160v: Na't-i Muhammed Resulullah; 177r: Na't-i âli'n-Nebi ve eshabih; 178r: Na't-i 'Aşere-i mübaşşere; 178v: Na't-i Ebu Bekir-i Sıddik; 181v: Na't-i Ömer; 182v: Na't-i 'Osman; 184r: Na't-i Ali; 187r: Na't-i Hasan ve Hüseyin; 187r: Na't-i Hasan; 188v: Na't-i Hüseyin; 189v: Na't-i 'Ammeyi'r-Resul; 189v: Na't-i Esedüllah Hamza; 190v: Na't-i Abbas; 191v: Dua-yı bakii'l-âl ve'l-eshab ve tabi'in; 192r: Na't-i çar İmam; 192v: Na't-i Ebu Hanife (not allocated a heading); 193v: Na't-i İmam Şafi'i; 194v: Na't-i İmam Malik; 195r: Na't-i İmam Ahmed; 195v: Dua-yı bakii'l-müctehidin ve eshab-i Hadis; 196r: Na't-i Şeyh ül-Hadis (sic); 196r: Na't-i İmam Buhari; 197r: Na't-i İmam Müslim; 197v: Dua-yı bakii'l-muhaddisin ve sa'ir-i ulemai'd-Din; 198r: Na'tü'l-meşayihi'l-kiram ve evliya-üllahi'l-izam; 201v: Na't-i Hazret-i Şeyhü'l-meşayih Şeyh ibnü'l-Vefa; 203v: 'Arz-i tazarru' u Niyaz; Begins:. Besmele, Hamd-i na-ma'dud, ve sana-yi na-mahdud, o Hazrete seza-vardır ki, her zerre-i mevcud, ve her dahil-i daire-i vücud, o Hazretin vücub-ı vücuduna delil-i katı'dir. Ends:. Hemişe feyzin ola halka sail * Kapında olmaya mahrum sail. The work is undated, but is likely from the 11th-12th century AH/17th-18th century CE.

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On the author, see Aylin Koç, 'Sinan Paşa,' TDVİA (islamansiklopedisi.org.tr/sinan-pasa). On some aspects of his work, see Esma Şahin, 'Sinan Paşa'nın Tazarru'nâme'sindeki Benzetme Unsurları ve Edebî Tasvirler' (MA Thesis, Istanbul University, 2005).

Sinan Paşa, Tazarru'nâme, edited by Mertol Tulum (Istanbul: Yazma Eserler Kurumu Başkanlığı Yay., 2014), available online at (ekitap.yek.gov.tr/urun/tazarru%E2%80%99-name_563.aspx), last accessed 11 January 2021. To find this at the British Library, search BLL01017000386.