Abu Ayyub on Aziz Mahmud Hüdayi, the Patron saint of Istanbul
The name Aziz Mahmud Hüdayi may not be familiar to those outside of Turkey, yet he is one of the most celebrated saintly scholars in the country and considered one of the ‘Four Gates of the Bosphorus’, together with Abu Ayyub Al Ansari (ra), Yahya Efendi and Telli Baba (some include Nabi Yushʿa or Joshua (as) in this quartet). On any given day, you will find people, men and women, young and old, from near and far walking up the steep hill in Istanbul’s Üsküdar district towards his mosque and grave.
They come here solemnly, praying for the soul of this venerated saint with hopes to be amongst those who will be encompassed by his dua:
“Those who visit us when we are alive, and those who visit our grave after our death and read the Fatiha when passing by our tomb will be with us. May those who love us not drown at sea, may they not suffer poverty in their old age and may they not pass away without saving their faith.”
I had never heard of Shaykh Aziz Mahmud Hüdayi (ra) before moving to Istanbul, and this was despite the fact that I was on my sixth or seventh visit to the former Ottoman capital. It would not take long, however, to hear from many Turks, from every walk of life, about the impact this saintly scholar had on them.
He was born in 1541 near Ankara. After receiving instruction in the Islamic Sciences at an early age, he became a teacher in Istanbul before he was appointed Qadi in Cairo and Damascus. Following these official appointments, he moved to Bursa as Chief Judge where he found his Spiritual Guide in the person of Shaykh Muhyiddin Üftade. His new teacher, saw in him a man distracted by pomp and ceremony, and kindly advised the young judge to leave his post, dispense all of his wealth to charity and begin the process of cleansing and liberating his heart from attachments.
It is said Aziz Mahmud Hüdayi spent some three years selling liver at the bottom of the steps to his Shaykh’s mosque, in the robes of his former office. One day, while he was tasked with cleaning the bathroom, the sound of trumpets and cymbals announcing the appointment of a new judge could be heard coming from the Imperial palace. Hearing this, a sudden feeling of regret overcame Aziz Mahmud Hüdayi as he realised all the authority, power and wealth he had given up. Allah taʿala however, had already prepared this servant of His, and the former Qadi quickly recognised this as a trick of his nafs (lower desires). In order to punish his rebellious nafs, he took hold of his beard and began scrubbing the floor of the bathroom when Shaykh Üftade found him. Shaykh Üftade picked Aziz Mahmud Hüdayi up, reminded him of the nobility of the beard and told him that he had finally ‘arrived’.
Aziz Mahmud Hüdayi would return to Istanbul and move to Üsküdar across the Bosphorus, on the Asian side of the city. There, he built a small mosque attracting students and scholars alike and became the advisor to no less than seven sultans, as well as being the first imam to lead Friday prayers at the Blue mosque. Once, during a storm, Aziz Mahmud Hüdayi received a message from the Sultan summoning him to the Topkapi palace on the other side of the strait. Due to the weather, no boats would cross, however, this saintly scholar placed his trust in Allah taʿala and commandeering a boat, braved the turbulent waters and made it to the other side safely. It is said that the current tunnel for the Marmary metro line follows the exact course this wali took.
Towards the end of his life, Aziz Mahmud Hüdayi would spend his time in khalwa (seclusion) in a small zawiyah on Camlica Hill which overlooks the Bosphorus. He passed away on the 3rd of Safar 1628 and was buried on the grounds of his mosque in Üsküdar, only a few minutes walk from the metro station.
Today, apart from this mosque and tomb which are visited daily, and a powerfully moving dhikr held on Fridays and Sundays, Shaykh Aziz Mahmud Hüdayi also left behind an enormous waqf (endowment) which continues to operate to the present day, building Quran schools, housing foreign students of knowledge, financing development and aid around the world and publishing Islamic literature. After learning about this man, it is not difficult to understand why he remains popular and much loved among the common people. Furthermore, as a neighbour, living close to his mosque, I have no doubt as to the blessings Allah taʿala bestowed upon this saint which I believe still resonate to this day.
READ MORE LIKE THIS
