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 Text copyright © 2014 by Candace Fleming
Jacket photographs courtesy of the Library of Congress
Map of Russia and family tree by Holly Pribble

All rights reserved. Published in the United States by Schwartz & Wade Books, an imprint
of Random House Children’s Books, a division of Random House LLC, a Penguin Random
House Company, New York.

Schwartz & Wade Books and the colophon are trademarks of Random House LLC.

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Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

Fleming, Candace.
The family Romanov : murder, rebellion, and the fall of imperial Russia / Candace
Fleming.
pages; cm
Includes bibliographical references.
ISBN 978-0-375-86782-8 (hc) — ISBN 978-0-375-96782-5 (glb) —
ISBN 978-0-375-89864-8 (ebook)
1. Russia—History—Nicholas II, 1894–1917. 2. Nicholas II, Emperor of Russia, 1868–1918
—Family. 3. Romanov, House of. 4. Soviet Union—History—Revolution,
1917–1921. I. Title.
DK258.F5725 2014
947.08′30922—dc23
[B]
2013037904

Random House Children’s Books supports the First Amendment and celebrates the right to
read.

v3.1
 ALSO BY CANDACE FLEMING
Young Adult
The Lincolns: A Scrapbook Look at Abraham and Mary
On the Day I Died: Stories from the Grave

Middle Grade
Amelia Lost: The Life and Disappearance of Amelia Earhart
The Great and Only Barnum: The Tremendous, Stupendous Life of
Showman P. T. Barnum
The Fabled Fourth Graders of Aesop Elementary School
The Fabled Fifth Graders of Aesop Elementary School

Younger Readers
Oh, No!
Clever Jack Takes the Cake
Imogene’s Last Stand
 CONTENTS

Cover
Title Page
Copyright
Other Books by This Author
Before You Begin …
Family Tree
Map
Russia, 1903
Beyond the Palace Gates: Peasant Turned Worker

Part One: Before the Storm

Chapter One: “I Dreamed That I Was Loved”
Beyond the Palace Gates: A Peasant Boyhood
Chapter Two: “What a Disappointment!”
Beyond the Palace Gates: Lullabies for Peasant Babies
Chapter Three: “A Small Family Circle”
Beyond the Palace Gates: Another Family Circle

Part Two: Dark Clouds Gathering

Chapter Four: The Year of Nightmares
Chapter Five: Lenin, the Duma, and a Mystic Named Rasputin
Beyond the Palace Gates: House No. 13
Chapter Six: “Pig and Filth” and Family Fun
Beyond the Palace Gates: An Occupation for Workers’ Daughters
Chapter Seven: Gathering Clouds
Chapter Eight: Three Centuries of Romanovs
Beyond the Palace Gates: A Different Kind of Education for a Different Kind of Boy
Photo Insert 1

Part Three: The Storm Breaks

Chapter Nine: “My God! My God! What Madness!”
Chapter Ten: In Defense of Mother Russia
 Beyond the Palace Gates: Vasily’s Diary
Chapter Eleven: “The Reign of Rasputin”
Chapter Twelve: It All Comes Tumbling Down
Beyond the Palace Gates: Molecule in a Storm
Chapter Thirteen: “Ye Tyrants Quake, Your Day Is Over”
Beyond the Palace Gates: “Ye Tyrants Quake, Your Day Is Over”

Part Four: Final Days

Chapter Fourteen: “Survivors of a Shipwreck”
Beyond the Palace Gates: The “Tsar’s Surprise Party”
Chapter Fifteen: Into Siberia
Beyond the Palace Gates: Swarming the Palace
Chapter Sixteen: The House of Special Purpose
Chapter Seventeen: Deadly Intent
Chapter Eighteen: “The World Will Never Know What Has Become of Them”
Beyond the Palace Gates: Life Under Lenin
Photo Insert 2

Acknowledgments
Bibliography
The Romanovs Online
Notes
 BEFORE YOU BEGIN …
The ruler of Russia is called the tsar or emperor (the titles are
interchangeable), his wife is either the tsaritsa or empress, and his
male heir is called the tsarevich. His other children are given the
title of grand duke if male or grand duchess if female. These last
titles are passed down just one more generation, so a tsar’s
grandchildren are also grand dukes and grand duchesses. But a tsar’s
great-grandchildren hold only the rank of prince or princess. Thus
grand dukes and grand duchesses outrank princes and princesses.
Russians have three names: a first name; a father’s name with -
ovich or -evich (meaning “son of”) added if male, or -evna or -ovna
(meaning “daughter of”) if female; and a last, or family, name.
Therefore, Nicholas II’s daughter’s full name was Anastasia
Nikolaevna Romanova; his son’s full name was Alexei Nikolaevich
Romanov.
Russian dates can be bewildering. That’s because during
Nicholas’s reign, Russia used the old-style Julian calendar to record
dates, when most of the world was using the new-style Gregorian
calendar. This meant Russian dates lagged twelve days behind
during the nineteenth century, and thirteen days behind during the
twentieth. Thus Anastasia was born June 5, 1901, according to the
Julian calendar, but June 18, 1901, by the Gregorian calendar.
Since readers of this book are familiar with the Gregorian calendar,
all dates in this book are given in the new style.
To view a full-size version of this image, click HERE.
To view a full-size version of this image, click HERE.
 RUSSIA
1903

“THE CHOSEN”
On the night of February 12, 1903, a long line of carriages made its
way through the Imperial Gates of St. Petersburg’s Winter Palace.
The great mansion, which stretched for three miles along the now-
frozen Neva River, blazed with light, its massive crystal and gold
chandeliers reflected a hundred times in the mirrored walls of its
cathedral-size reception rooms. The light cast a welcoming glow
that contrasted sharply with the snow and ice outside. Bundled in
sable, ermine, or mink wraps, the passengers alighted. Bracing
themselves against the icy wind howling off the Gulf of Finland,
they hurried through the arched doorway.
Inside, the strains of the court orchestra greeted them. Masses of
fresh roses, lilacs, and mimosas imported just for the night from the
South of France perfumed the air. Handing their furs to the waiting
footmen, guests paused in front of the pier glass to straighten silk
skirts and pat pomaded hair into place before ascending the wide
marble staircase to the second floor.
A series of halls, each more grand than the last, met the guests.
Gilded ceilings and doorways. Columns of malachite and jasper.
White marble statues. Through these rooms the guests wandered,
plucking flutes of champagne from silver trays, clapping each other
on the back, laughing, joking, gossiping. They felt completely at
ease in their opulent surroundings. That’s because they were
members of the nobility—the 870 families known in Russia as the
bélaya kost—literally meaning “white bone,” or what we would call
blue blood.
 Holding titles like prince and princess, duke, baron, count and
countess, the bélaya kost represented only 1.5 percent of the
population, but owned 90 percent of all Russia’s wealth. Educated
and sophisticated, many of them could trace their family roots all
the way back to the ancient princes who had ruled the country
centuries before. And most lived lives of incredible luxury that were,
recalled one princess, “a natural part of existence.” They built
summer and winter palaces filled with fine antiques and priceless
objets d’art, ordered designer gowns from Paris, vacationed in Italy
or on the French Riviera, and spoke English or French (but seldom
Russian because it showed a lack of breeding). Privileged from
birth, the bélaya kost socialized only with each other. They belonged
to the same clubs, attended the same parties, frequented the same
shops, restaurants, and salons. Above all, they possessed an
unshakable belief in their own superiority. As one member of the
upper crust explained, nobles had “a certain quality of being among
the chosen, of being privileged, of not being the same as all other
people.”
Tonight, they felt especially “chosen.” Weeks earlier, the court
runner had hand-delivered a stiff vellum card embossed with the
imperial insignia—the gold double-headed eagle—to their palaces.
It was an invitation from Tsar Nicholas II—an invitation to a ball!
St. Petersburg’s upper crust buzzed. Even though the imperial
couple was traditionally the center of society, Nicholas and
Alexandra detested the social whirl. They rarely threw receptions or
balls, preferring to remain in seclusion. This, however, was such a
grand occasion—the two-hundredth anniversary of St. Petersburg’s
founding as the Russian capital—that even the party-shunning royal
couple could not ignore it. And so Nicholas was throwing a costume
ball. Guests were told to come dressed in seventeenth-century garb.
Giddy with excitement, the nobility flocked to dressmakers and
tailors, where they spent fortunes on gold silk tunics, caftans edged
in sable, and headdresses studded with rubies and diamonds. Grand
Duke Michael, Nicholas’s younger brother, even borrowed an egg-
size diamond from the crown jewels to adorn the cap of his
costume. (During the festivities, the priceless bauble fell off his
costume and was never found.)
At precisely eight o’clock came a fanfare from the state
trumpeters. Then the great fourteen-foot-tall mahogany doors that
led to the imperial family’s private rooms swung open. The grand
marshal of the court appeared. Banging his ebony staff three times,
he announced, “Their Imperial Majesties!”
The room instantly fell silent. Men bowed. Women curtsied. And
Tsar Nicholas II stepped into the hall.
Short, with a neatly trimmed beard and large, soft blue eyes,
Nicholas hardly looked like the imposing ruler of Russia. And yet
this unassuming man reigned over 130 million subjects and one-
sixth of the planet’s land surface—an area so vast that as night fell
along the western edge of his territory, day was already breaking on
the eastern border. His realm stretched from Poland to Japan and
from the Arctic Ocean to the borders of the Ottoman Empire
(modern-day Turkey) and China. He was the richest monarch in the
world: his family wealth was once estimated at $45 billion (in
today’s U.S. currency). Every year he drew an income of 24 million
gold rubles ($240 million today) from the state treasury, which
derived most of its income from taxes and fees levied on the tsar’s
subjects. And if he needed more, he simply appropriated it. He
owned thirty palaces; estates in Finland, Poland, and the Crimea (all
part of Russia at the time); millions of acres of farmland; gold and
silver mines, as well as oil and timber reserves; an endless collection
of priceless paintings and sculptures; and five yachts, two private
trains, and countless horses, carriages, and cars. His vaults
overflowed with a fortune in jewels.
His wealth was on full display that evening. Dressed as Alexei the
Mild (the gentle seventeenth-century tsar whom Nicholas
nostalgically admired for having ruled, he believed, during a time of
piety and morality), he wore a raspberry velvet caftan embroidered
with gold thread, its collars and cuffs flashing with diamonds. He
even carried the real Alexei’s iron staff and wore his sable-trimmed
cap and pearl bracelets. Too bad, sniffed one grand duke, Nicholas
was “not sufficiently tall to do justice to his magnificent garb.”
 But it was the appearance of Empress Alexandra that caused many
in the hall to gasp. Alexandra was wearing a gold brocade gown
shimmering with the thousands of diamonds and pearls that had
been sewn onto it—a costume that cost one million rubles ($10
million today). Her elaborate headdress glittered with diamonds and
emeralds, and her pearl earrings were so heavy it was hard for her
to hold up her head. Around her neck hung an enormous 400-carat
blue sapphire. “[She] was just stunning,” one guest admitted. But
others disagreed. “She was dressed in the heavy brocade of which
she was so fond,” one catty countess recalled, “with diamonds
scattered all over her in defiance of good taste and common sense.”
With the imperial couple’s arrival, the court orchestra broke into
a polonaise, which was the traditional first dance, and Nicholas and
Alexandra led the dancing with “appropriate pomp,” recalled one
grand duke, “though [they were] hardly full of enthusiasm.” Even
though he was “Emperor and Autocrat of All the Russias,” as he was
formally called, Nicholas often felt shy in society, while Alexandra
acted nervous and awkward.
Now their guests followed suit, swirling and dipping. “The whirl
of the waltz [puffed out] the skirts,” recalled the French writer
Théophile Gautier, who’d attended a ball at the palace two years
earlier, “and the little gloved hands resting on the epaulettes of the
waltzers looked like white camellias in vases of massive gold.”
When the orchestra began playing a quadrille, a relieved Nicholas
and Alexandra left the dance floor. He moved among the crowd,
greeting guests, while she uncomfortably talked with a group of
ladies. The empress’s distaste for the event was obvious, leading
some of the women to whisper behind their hands. “She danced
badly,” remarked one princess, “and she certainly was not a brilliant
conversationalist. She … gave the impression that she was about to
burst into tears.”
At midnight, guests sat down to an exquisite French supper. There
was soup with truffles, and delicate puffed cheese pastries served
with fruit, followed by petite chicken soufflés in a rich sauce and
roast duckling. As guests ate, servants bustled about serving wine
and cognac from crystal decanters and coffee from engraved silver
pots. The champagne bubbled and flowed. “It was,” gushed one
guest, “like a living dream!”
 ALL DOES NOT GLIMMER
But beyond the golden glow of the Winter Palace, across its graceful
courtyard and through its gilded gates, past mansion-lined avenues
and the spires and domes of the city, lay the railroad tracks. Farther
and farther across the frozen darkness they stretched, over silent
steppes and across mountains to thousands of scattered villages
where primitive log huts clustered around rutted dirt roads. Here
lived the peasants.
In 1903—the same year as Nicholas’s costume ball—four out of
every five Russians were peasants. And yet the upper classes knew
next to nothing about them. They didn’t visit the peasants’ villages
or deal with the hired laborers who worked their estates. Instead,
they remained comfortably ensconced in luxurious St. Petersburg.
From there it was easy to romanticize the peasants’ life. Most
nobility (Nicholas and Alexandra included) envisioned peasants
living in simple yet cozy huts, their “cheeks glowing with good
health” and their teeth “whiter than the purest ivory,” gushed one
Russian writer. It was common knowledge among the nobility that
the country’s fresh foods and clean air made the peasants healthier
than the “vain city women who sickened themselves with rich food
and tortured their bodies with laces, corsets, and shoes made only
for fashion,” declared one nobleman. And it was especially pleasing
to picture the peasants enjoying life’s simple pleasures “decked out
in their holiday best, singing and dancing in fresh-cut meadows.”
Nothing was further from the truth. Most peasants had never slept
in a proper bed, owned a pair of leather shoes, eaten off a china
plate, or been examined by a doctor. Most had never been beyond
the borders of their villages.
These villages were dismal places. Along narrow, unpaved streets
that were muddy in the spring and dusty in the summer stood a line
of crudely built one- or two-room log huts called izby. Inside each, a
wood-burning clay oven used for cooking and heating filled the
room, taking up as much as a fourth of the space. Its large, flat top
was a favorite sleeping place for the sick or elderly. Because most
izby did not have chimneys (they cost too much), the smoke from
the oven filled the room, leaving everything covered in a layer of
black soot.
Most had no furniture, either. Instead, long wooden benches ran
along the walls. Used for seating during the day, they were
converted into beds at night. Without mattresses or pillows,
peasants simply took off their coats and used them as blankets.
Wrote one charity worker who visited a peasant hut in the 1890s:

Stooping down, I creep through the low door, and enter the
hut. A damp and suffocating air meets me, so that I am nearly
fainting. A few rays of light struggle with difficulty through a
small window.… A woman is at the oven, busy with a stone jar
in her hand. Behind her, two children, covered with rags and
pale and dirty, are sitting on a bench, sucking on a hard crust.
In another corner, something covered with a battered
sheepskin cloak is lying on a bench.… It is a young girl, on the
point of dying from starvation.

Often, there was little to eat but dark bread. It was a staple of
their diet, and peasant housewives tried to stretch the loaves by
mixing clay, ground straw, or birch bark into the flour. They also
served a watery cabbage soup called shchi for supper, usually
without meat. Recalled one elderly peasant, “It has been a year and
a half since we’ve eaten any [meat].” Many peasants were so poor,
even the cockroaches abandoned their huts. “A cockroach is a
natural aristocrat,” explained one observer, “and requires a greater
degree of comfort than can be found in the dwellings of the rural
poor.”
Their poverty stemmed from a shortage of land. Most peasants did
not own the land. Instead, each village had a group of elders called
the commune that held title to all available acreage. It was the
commune’s job to decide the number of acres each family received
to plant, based on the number of members per household.
Unfortunately, the commune’s holdings did not grow along with the
population. Year after year, resentful families watched the size of
their parcels shrink as communes tried to provide land to everyone.
By 1903, the average peasant allotment had shrunk from eleven
acres to six, and one out of every five families farmed less than
three.
To make this shortage even worse, a family’s parcels were usually
not adjacent to one another. The acreage was scattered across a
commune’s entire territory. “Strips [of land] six feet wide are by no
means rare,” wrote one shocked journalist from the London Times.
“Of these narrow strips, a family may possess as many as thirty in a
single field!” Peasants wasted precious hours each day dragging
plow and scythe from one scrap of land to another. Hitching their
sons and daughters to crude wooden plows (just one in three
peasants owned a horse), they struggled to furrow the muddy soil
before planting their grain by hand.
But no matter how hard a peasant family worked, most could not
grow enough food to get through the year. A few managed to scrape
together the necessary coins to buy flour. Most, however, simply
tightened their belts even further. “There are many … households
that do not have the means to buy [even] cabbage,” noted one
visiting physician in 1907.
Most peasants were convinced that the best way to improve their
lot in life was to cultivate more acreage. And so they looked with
land-hungry eyes toward the nobility’s estates. Remarked one
nobleman, “Every single peasant believed from the very bottom of
his soul that one day, sooner or later, the squire’s land would belong
to him.”
To the peasants’ minds, the nobility—who possessed not only half
the land in Russia but also the most fertile acreage—did not
legitimately own their estates. Peasants believed the land should
belong to those who plowed it. Since the nobility did not work their
estates themselves, the peasants felt justified in taking whatever
they could. They picked fruit from the squire’s orchards, fished in
his ponds, and gathered mushrooms and firewood in his forests.
They knew these activities were illegal, but most ignored the law.
After all, what was wrong with a hungry family stealing a few
apples from a man who had more than he could ever use himself?
“God grew the forests for everyone,” they would say, quoting a
Russian proverb.
Some peasants did eke out a living. But during the first decade of
the twentieth century, hundreds of thousands more abandoned their
villages. Traveling by foot along the country’s dirt roads, they
searched for work in the factories and mills that had cropped up in
Russia’s cities. Most were young men looking to escape grinding
poverty. “All the healthy and able men ran away from our village to
[the city] and took whatever jobs they could find,” said one villager.
Recalled another, “Everyone is trying as hard as he can to liberate
himself from [farming] and find an easier means of existence.”
Sadly, these men did not find an easier life. Instead, they crowded
into city slums that reeked of human waste and unwashed bodies.
Beggars stood on every corner; drunkards lolled in every doorway.
Gangs of pickpockets, usually children, flitted through the crowds
while prostitutes (many of them village girls who’d been unable to
find work) plied their trade. In these miserable streets—beneath the
constant fog of black smoke pouring from the factories’ chimneys—
people worked and ate, worked and slept, too tired to do much
besides visit the tavern. “I did not live, but only worked, worked,
worked,” recalled metalworker Ivan Babuskin. “I worked morning,
noon and night, and sometimes did not leave the factory for two
days at a stretch.” The factory owner expected him there six days a
week, and if he didn’t turn up, he would be fired. One’s only
thought, remembered Ivan, was that “it would be work again
tomorrow—heavy, continuous, killing work—but there would be no
real life and no real rest to look forward to.”
For these efforts, a worker earned around eighty kopecks a day
(forty cents), hardly enough to support himself when just a loaf of
bread cost twenty-four kopecks and a two-room tenement without
water, kitchen, or toilet cost more than an entire month’s wages to
rent. So to ward off starvation, a man’s wife and children had little
choice but to trudge to the factories as well. It was common for
mothers to work eleven hours a day and earn one-third what men
did. The children received even less. According to one historian,
boys in Moscow’s spinning mills “earned the equivalent of about a
half cent for each frightening and dangerous hour spent darting in
and out among the machines to tie threads, replace spindles, or oil
moving gears.” At the same time, children coughing through the
haze of noxious fumes in Moscow’s match factories earned a mere
seventy cents a month!
Poisonous chemicals. Flying gears and belts. Razor-sharp graters.
These posed dangers to anyone who worked in the factories. But
owners did nothing to promote safety or protect their workers.
Instead, they posted signs that read “In the event of an accident, the
owner and director of the factory assume no responsibility.” If
workers thought their jobs were too dangerous, or their hours too
long, they had no recourse. The tsar’s government had left all
decisions regarding the running of factories to their owners. And
while some government inspectors did try to enforce child labor
laws that had been enacted in 1897, they lacked any real power.
Factory owners simply ignored them. Thus, explained one worker,
“The factory owner is the absolute sovereign … constrained by no
laws, and who often simply arranges things to suit himself. The
workers owe him unquestioning obedience as the rules [of the factory]
proclaim.”
Afraid of being fired, most workers did not complain. For as bad
as being a worker was, being unemployed was worse. “We slept in
gutters and doorways,” recalled one worker who’d lost his job, “and
we survived by theft and begging. We had no other choice. The
alternative was dying of starvation.”
Outside the factory, workers suffered even worse conditions. With
little affordable housing in the city, they squeezed into every
available space—freezing attics, leaky basements. Sometimes as
many as twenty men, women, and children lived in one small room.
Overcrowding led to diseases such as cholera, typhoid, and
tuberculosis that cut through the city’s poor. Children were
especially vulnerable. Said a woman weaver, “I had eleven
[children], but only three grew up. You’d go to the factory, but your
soul always was in torment. Your heart always grieved for your
children.”
Since their meager pay did not keep up with the rise in the price
of goods, workers lived on a diet of cabbage soup, dried peas, and
sour black bread. They wore rags. At the neighborhood taverns, they
tried to drown their misery by squandering precious kopecks on
cheap vodka and watered-down beer. Only then, in that misty,
drunken haze, did many of them see “reflections of a better, less
unjust world.”

BEYOND THE PALACE GATES:

PEASANT TURNED WORKER

Sixteen-year-old Senka Kanatchikov arrived in Moscow in 1895. A

far cry from his tiny village of Gusevo, the place both amazed and
terrified him, as he recalled in his autobiography, originally titled
From the Story of My Life:

What a stunning impression Moscow made on me.… Huge,

multistoried houses—most of them with lighted windows
—stores, shops, taverns, beer halls, horse-drawn carriages
going by—all around us crowds of bustling
people.… Compared with village hovels, what struck me
about the houses of Moscow was their grandiose
appearance, the luxury.
“Am I to live in a house like that?” I asked with delight.
“You’ll find out in due course,” Father responded.
And sure enough … we turned into a side street, and
entered the gates of a huge stone house with a courtyard
that looked like a large stone well. Wet linens dangled
from taut clotheslines all along the upper stories. The
courtyard had an acrid stench … [and]
throughout … were dirty puddles of water and discarded
vegetables. In the apartments and all around … people
were crowding, making noise, yelling, cursing. My delight
was beginning to turn into depression, into some kind of
inexplicable terror.… I felt like a small insignificant grain
of sand, lost in the unfamiliar and hostile sea of people
that surrounded me.…
Here, in the hostile world of Moscow, I felt lonely,
abandoned, needed by no one. While at work in the
painting shop … which smelled of paint and turpentine, I
would remember pictures of our village life and tears
would come to my eyes, and it was only with great effort
that I could keep from crying.… Awkward, sluggish, with
long hair that had been cut under a round bowl, wearing
heavy boots with horseshoes, I was a typical village youth.
The skilled workers looked down on me, called me a
“green country bumpkin” and other insulting names.
Our workday at the factory lasted eleven and a half
hours, plus a one-and-a-half-hour lunch break. In the
beginning I would grow terribly tired, so as soon as I got
home from work … I would fall into my filthy, hard,
straw-filled sack and sleep like a dead man, despite
the … bedbugs and fleas.
I roomed and boarded not far from the factory, in a
large, smelly house inhabited by all kinds of poor folk—
peddlers, cabmen, casual laborers and the like. We rented
the apartment communally [with] fifteen men.… I was put
in a tiny, dark, windowless corner room; it was dirty and
stuffy with … the strong smell of “humanity.” There was a
kerosene lamp hanging between the windows. Underneath
the lamp was a cheap print of the Tsar’s family. The room
also contained two wooden cots. One belonged to [a man
named] Korovin; the other I shared with Korovin’s son,
Vanka, who also … worked in the factory’s pattern shop.
Our food was purchased communally … and on credit at
[the factory] shop; our individual shares were assessed
twice monthly and taken from our paychecks. Every day at
noon, as soon as the factory’s lunch bell rang, we would
hurry … to sit down at a table, where a huge basin full of
cabbage soup was already steaming. All fifteen men ate
from a common bowl with wooden spoons. The cabbage
soup contained little pieces of meat.… Everyone waited
tensely for a signal. [Then] someone would bang his spoon
against the … soup basin and say the words … “Dig in!”
Then began the furious hunt with spoons for the floating
morsels of meat. The most dexterous would come up with
the most.… Everyone was hungry as a wolf; they ate
quickly, greedily. After lunch—if there was time—
everyone threw himself down to rest without removing his
boots or work shirt. Stomachs still grumbled and muscles
ached.…
 Were we all, the whole upper crust of Russian society, so totally
insensitive, so horribly obtuse, as not to feel that the charmed life
we were leading was in itself an injustice and hence could not
possibly last?

—Nicolas Nabokov
Bagázh: Memoirs of a Russian Cosmopolitan
 THE BOY WHO WOULD BE TSAR
On a frosty March day in 1881, the boy who would become Russia’s
last ruler glimpsed his future. That morning, Nicholas’s grandfather,
Tsar Alexander II, was riding through the streets of St. Petersburg
when a man stepped off the sidewalk. He hurled a bomb at the
imperial carriage. Miraculously, the tsar went uninjured, but many
in his retinue were not as lucky. Concerned about his people,
Alexander stepped from his carriage. That’s when a second bomb
was thrown. This one landed between his feet. An explosion of fire
and shrapnel tore away Alexander’s left leg, ripped open his
abdomen, and mangled his face. Barely conscious, he managed one
last command: “To the palace, to die there.”
Horrified members of the imperial family rushed to his side.
Thirteen-year-old Nicholas, dressed in a blue sailor suit, followed a
thick trail of dark blood up the white marble stairs to his
grandfather’s study. There he found Alexander lying on a couch, one
eye closed, the other staring blankly at the ceiling. Nicholas’s father,
also named Alexander, was already in the room. “My father took me
up to the bed,” Nicholas later recalled. “ ‘Papa,’ [my father] said,
raising his voice, ‘your ray of sunshine is here.’ I saw the eyelashes
tremble.… [Grandfather] moved a finger. He could not raise his
hands, nor say what he wanted to, but he undoubtedly recognized
me.” Deathly pale, Nicholas stood helplessly at the end of the bed as
his beloved grandfather took his last breath.
 “The emperor is dead,” announced the court physician.
Nicholas’s father—now the new tsar—clenched his fists. The
Russian people would pay for this. Alexander II had been a
reformer, the most liberal tsar in centuries. He’d freed the serfs
(peasant slaves) and modernized the courts. But his murder
convinced his son, Alexander III, that the people had been treated
too softly. If order was to be maintained, they needed to “feel the
whip.” And for the next thirteen years of his reign, Alexander III
made sure they did.
Young Nicholas, standing beside his grandfather’s deathbed, knew
nothing of politics. Frightened, he covered his face with his hands
and sobbed bitterly. He was left, he later confessed, with a
“presentiment—a secret conviction … that I am destined for terrible
trials.”
 ROMANOV RULE
Nicholas’s family, the Romanovs, had sat on the Russian throne for
almost three hundred years, ruling their subjects under a form of
government called autocracy. In an autocracy, one person—in this
instance, the tsar—holds all the power. The Romanovs claimed God
had given them this power, had chosen them to rule the Russian
people. As God’s representative on earth, they maintained, the tsar
should be left to run the country according to his own ideas of duty
and right. This meant that all of Russia’s political power was in the
tsar’s hands. Unlike most other nations, Russia had no constitution,
no congress, no court of appeal for its citizens or supreme court to
review or limit the tsar’s power. There were only two restrictions:
he had to abide by the teachings of the Russian Orthodox Church (of
which he was official head), and he had to follow the laws of
succession (those rules determining inheritance of the throne). On
all other matters the tsar was supreme, and he made laws and
policies according to his will … or whim.
The tsar’s will was carried out by a multitude of officials and
administrators. Below him sat thirteen ministers collectively called
the Imperial Cabinet. Chosen by the tsar, each of these noblemen
headed a large government department. There was a chief minister
(or prime minister), as well as ministers of war, finance, justice, and
the interior, to name a few. Their job was to implement the tsar’s
decrees and to offer advice. Whether the tsar chose to listen was his
choice. The tsar could dismiss a minister at any time, and for any
reason. Since they could be hired and fired on a whim, the tsar’s
ministers (with some exceptions) tended to be flatterers, telling him
what he wanted rather than needed to hear.
Because of Russia’s size, the tsar required a second tier of officials
and administrators to carry out his will. Outside St. Petersburg, the
country was divided into thirty-four provinces, each administered
by a governor (also chosen by the tsar). Each had at his disposal an
Exploring the Variety of Random
Documents with Different Content
 helak olacaktim." buyurdu. Bir sene sonra Sadreddin
hazretleri, Seyyid Yahya'ya baba-ogul munasebetlerine gore hareket
edip, babasinin emrini dinlemesini soyledi. Seyyid Yahya §irvani, bir
zaman sonra Sadreddin-i Hamevi'nin damadi oldu. Seyyid Yahya
hazretleri, §eyh Sadreddin hazretleri hayatta oldugu muddetQe ona
cania ba§Ia hizmet etti. §eyh Sadreddin hazretleri vefat etmezden
once butiin talebelerini ve sevdiklerini toplayip onlardan soz aldi ve
Seyyid Yahya'ya tabi olmalarini bildirdi. Seyyid Yahya hazretleri
hocasinin vefatindan sonra §irvan yakinindaki §emahi'de, sonra da
Bakii'ye giderek orada ikamet etti. On binden fazia talebesi oldu.
Bunlardan U9 yiiz altmi§i veliligin yiiksek derecelerine Qikti. Ibrahim
Gul§eni anlatir: "Seyyid Yahya hazretleri talebeleriyle birlikte
Bakii'den §irvan'a giderken bir ulak, haberci gelip Seyyid Yahya
hazretlerinin arabasinin atlarini almak istedi. Oradakiler de mani
olmaya 9ali§tilar. Lakin haberci aldiri§ etmeyip atlari arabadan
Qozmeye ba§Iadi. Talebelerden Baba Kutb adinda biri, Seyyid Yahya
hazretlerine hitaben; "Efendim! Siz niye seslenmiyorsunuz?" diye
soyleyip arabanin bir agacini aldi ve haberciyi dovmeye ba§Iadi.
Seyyid Yahya hazretleri birak dediyse de Baba Kutb aldiri§ etmeyip
haberciyi dovmeye devam etti. Neticede haberci onlara; "Sizin
reisiniz kim?" diye bagirmca, oradakiler; "Seyyid Yahya hazretleridir."
dediler. Adam hemen onun yanma ko§up pi§man oldugunu arzetti ve
af diledi. Seyyid hazretleri affedip, dua etti. Sonra haberci oradan
ayrildi. O zaman Seyyid Yahya hazretleri, Baba Kutb 'a doniip; "Otuz
yildir yanimiza gelip gidersin. Lakin bir kil ucu kadar bizden istifade
etmemi§sin." buyurarak azarladi. Sonradan Seyyid Yahya hazretleri,
soziinu dinlemeyenlere Baba Kutb'un bu i§ini misal verirdi. Seyyid
Yahya hazretleri 90k sicak aylarda aziksiz ve susuz sahralara Qikar,
oralarda giinlerce kalir, ibadetle me§gul olurdu. Halvet, yalniz olarak
tenha bir yerde kalmak ve ibadet yapmak degi§mez
hususiyetlerindendi. §eyh Mansur anlatir: "Bir tarihte Seyyid Yahya
hazretleriyle birlikte kirk glinluk yalniz olarak bir ibadete ba§Iadik.
Onun on iki giinde bir abdestini yeniledigine ve U9 defa da iftar
ettigine §ahid oldum." Seyyid Yahya §irvani hazretleri omriinlin
sonlarmda devamli Allahii tealaya ibadet eder, bir §eyler yemezdi.
Oglu Emir Giille bir gun yemek pi§irip getirdi. Iftar etmelerini rica
etti. Seyyid Yahya hazretleri oradaki talebelerini ^agirtti. "Bismillah
deyip ba§Iaym." buyurdu. Kendisi bir ka§ik aldi, kokladi ve yemegi
geri koydu. Ka§ik elinde bekledi. Talebeleri yemegi bitirdi. Yemek
bitince; "Elhamdiilillah" deyip, ka§igi birakti. Talebelerine; "Lokman
Hakim nice sender bir yemegin kokusu ile yetinmi§ti. Ben de bu bir
lokma yemegin kokusu ile yetinsem yeridir." buyurdu. Kendisine,
Allahii tealanm uzun omiir vermesi i^in dua edenlere; "Beyimiz
Halil'e dua edin ki, benim omriim onun ya§amasi iledir." derdi.
Hakikaten 0 beldenin beyi Halil Efendi vefat ettikten dokuz ay sonra
da Seyyid Yahya §irvani hazretleri vefat etti.Vefatlarma yakm alti ay
hi? yemek yemedi, su i9medi. Hep ibadetle me§gul oldu.
Sevdiklerine; "Ustad, taliblere tovbe ve istigfari ve yolun edeplerini
ogretmek i9in lazimdir." buyururdu. Kendisine tasavvuf yoluna nasil
ula§ilir diye sordular. O; "Tasavvuf yoluna a9lik, tefekkiir ve hayretle
kavu§ulur." buyurdu. Seyyid Yahya hazretleri vefat ettikten sonra
sevdikleri onu riiyada gordiiler ve; "Allahii teala size ne muamele
etti." diye sordular. O da; "Allahli teala beni ar§-i ala altmda bir yaygi
iizerine oturmami nasib edip etrafima iyi kimselerin riihlarmi topladi
ve bana hitab edip; "Ey Yahya! Dlinyada talebelerin ile toplanip
okudugun dersleri §imdi bu Cennetliklerle oku.
 Bunlar i§itsinler." buyurdu. Ben de okumaya ba§ladim."
buyurdu. Seyyid Yahya hazretlerinin talebelerinin en iistiinleri; Pir
§ukrullah, Alaaddin Halveti, Habib Efendi, Muhammed Erzincani ve
Dede Omer Ru§eni Halveti hazretleridir. Tasavvufa dair bazi telif
eserleri vardir. Bunun yaninda Esrar-i Talibin ve Vird-i Settar adinda
iki kiymetli eseri vardir. HEY A^IK^ Talebesi Mir GiJlle aniatir: Seyyid
Yahya hazretleri cok merhametliydi. Bir gun talebeleriyle sehir disina
gezintiye cikti. Bir nehir kenarina geldiklerinde, Seyyid Yahya
hazretleri bir kilim uzerine oturdu. Talebeleri de her biri bir is icin
etrafa dagildilar. 0 sirada zaiim bir kisi av pesine diJsmus ve oraya
gelmisti. Bu kisi Seyyid Yahya hazretlerini tanimayip ona; "Hey asik!
Gel su matarayi al, su doldur getir iceyim." diye seslendi. Seyyid
hazretleri tefekkijr halinde oldugundan soyledigini duymadi. 0 zaman
o zaIim kisi atindan inip nehre su almaya gitti. 0 sirada da Seyyid
hazretleri yerinden kalkip nehirden su almakta olan kisiye hitaben;
"Hey kan icici adam ne yapiyorsun?" diye seslendi. 0 kisi suyu
hararetle icmek ijzere iken mataradaki suyu doktij. Su kan olmustu.
Tekrar doldurdugunda yine kan oldugunu gordij. Bunun uzerine
hemen yaptiklarina pisman olup, Seyyid Yahya hazretlerinin
ayaklarina kapandi. Talebeleri arasina girdi. 1) Pakayik-y Nu'maniyye
Terclimesi (Mecdi Efendi); s.287 2) Nefehat-lil-Uns; s.574 3) Seyyid
Yahya Pirvani (Hocazade Ahmed Hilmi) ; s.4 4) Lemezat, Universite
Kiitiiphanesi, No: 1894, v. 144 5) Yslam Alimleri Ansiklopedisi; c.l3,
s.39 6) Tarn Ylmihal Seadet-i Ebediyye; (50. Basky) s. 1065, 1079
YA'KUB-i QERHT; Evliyanin buyiiklerinden. Insanlarin itikad, amel,
ibadet ve ahlak hususunda dogruyu ogrenip yapmalarini saglayan ve
AUahii tealanin rizasina kavu§turmak i^in rehberlik eden ve
kendilerine "Silsile-i aliyye" denilen Islam alimlerinin on yedincisidir.
Ismi, Ya'kub bin Osman bin Mahmud'dur. Kabil yolu iizerinde Gazne
yakinlarinda (^erh koyiinde dogdu. Dogum tarihi bilinmemektedir.
1447 (H.851) senesinde Hilfetu'da vefat etti. Burasi, Hisar §adman'a
yakin sinir koylerinden bir koy olup, kabri oradadir. Derin alim ve veli-
yi kamil idi. Ya'kub-i ^erhi, once Herat' a gidip, bir miiddet ilim tahsili
yapti. Sonra yine ilim tahsili i^in Misir'a gitti. Orada Zeyniiddin-i Hafl
ile birlikte, zamaninin biiyiik alimi Mevlana §ihabiiddin §irvani'den ve
diger alimlerden akli ve nakli ilimleri ogrendi. Sonra Buhara'ya gitti.
Orada da alimlerden ilim ogrenip, icazet aldi. Zahiri ilimlerde
yeti§dikten sonra tasavvuf limine yoneldi. Tasavvuf ilminde ve
hallerinde once §ah-i Nak§ibend Behaeddin-i Buhari'nin, sonra da
onun halifesi Alaiiddin-i Attar'm sohbetinde yeti§ti. Kendisi §6yle
anlatmi§tir: "Buhara'nm alimlerinden ilim tahsil edip icazet aldiktan
sonra memleketime donmek iizere idim. l^imde Behaeddin-i Buhari
hazretlerinin yanma gitmek arzusu hasil oldu. Huzuruna varip; "Beni
hatirdan ^ikarmaymiz." diye yalvardim. "Tam gidecegin sirada mi
bana geliyorsun?" buyurdu. "Gonliim i^tiyakinizla dolu, sizi
seviyorum."
 dedim. "Bu arzu ne sebepten geliyor?" dedi. "Buyiik bir
zatsiniz ve herkesin makbuliisunuz." dedim. Bunun iizerine; "Bu
sebep kali degil, daha makbul bir §ey bulman lazimdir. Halkin beni
kabulii §eytani olabilir." buyurdu. Bunun uzerine; "Sahih bir hadis-i
§erifte; "AUahii teala bir kulunu severse, onun sevgisini kullannin
kalblerine du^iiiriir. insanlar onu severler." buyrulmu§tur." dedim.
Soziinu bitirince tebessiim etti ve; "Biz azizaniz (azizlerdeniz). Bu soz
uzerine kendimden ge^er gibi oldum. ^unkii bu g6ru§meden bir ay
kadar once, bir riiya g6rmu§tiim. Riiyamda bana; "Azizan'in miiridi,
talebesi ol!" demi§Ierdi. Riiyayi unutmu§tum. Behaeddin-i Buhari
hazretleri; "Biz azizaniz." buyurunca hatirladim. Tekrar; "Bana
tevecciih ediniz, hatirinizdan 9ikarmayiniz." diye yalvardim. Buyurdu
ki: "Bir giin Azizan'dan (Ali Ramiteni'den) boyle bir istekde
bulunmu§lar. O da, bir §eyin hatirda kalmasi i9in bir vasitaya ihtiya?
oldugunu s6ylemi§ ve hatirlamaya vesile olacak bir §ey istemi§Ier."
Bunu soyledikten sonra, bana miibarek takkesini hediye etti ve
buyurdu ki: "Senin bana verecek bir §eyin yok, §u takkeyi al, onu her
gordligunde bizi hatiria ve yaninda bul." Bundan sonra ayrica tenbih
edip; "Bu yolculukta Mevlana Tacliddin De§tgulegi'yi bulmaya gayret
et. ^unkii o, Allahli tealanin velilerindendir." buyurdu. Yola Qiktiktan
sonra, i^ime once Belh §ehrine, oradan da memleketime donme
arzusu du§t{i. Belh ile De§tgulek arasi Qok uzakti. Yolculukta oyle
vesileler oldu ki, birden kendimi De§tgulek yakinlarinda buldum.
Behaeddin-i Buhari hazretlerinin tenbihi hatirima geldi. i§aretlerinden
dolayi §a§irip, hayran kaldim. De§tgulek'e gidip, hemen Mevlana
Taciiddin'in sohbetine can attim. Onun sohbetinde bulunduktan sonra
Behaeddin-i Buhari'ye geri doniip ona teslim olmak arzusu beni sardi.
Buhara'da bir meczub vardi. Onu bir yolda oturur gordiim. Ona
dedim ki; "Ben gidiyorum!" Bana; "HiQ durma, Qabuk git!" dedi.
Oturdugu yerde toprak uzerine Qizgiler Qizdi. Kendi kendime, bu
^izgileri sayayim, eger tek Qikarsa gitmem gerektigine i§aret
sayayim diye du§undum. Saydim tek Qikti. Behaeddin-i Buhari
hazretlerine tekrar gitmeye karar verip, yola Qiktim. Nihayet
Behaeddin-i Buhari hazretlerinin huzuruna kavu§tum. Halimi
arzettim. Bana zikretmemi ve zikirde teke riayet etmemi bildirip;
"Elinden geldigi kadar zikirde tek sayiya riayet et." buyurdu ve
boylece yolda kar§ila§tigim meczub zatm yer iizerine Qizdigi
Qizgilerin tek olu§una i§aret etti." Ya'kub-i ^erhi hazretleri, bir
eserinde §6yle anlatmi§tir: "Allahii tealanm inayetiyle bu fakirde
erenler yoluna girmek arzusu dogup da fazl-i ilahiye Allahii tealanm
yardimma kavu§unca, Buhara'da Hace Behaeddin-i Buhari
hazretlerine kavu§mak nasib oldu. Onun kerem ve iltifatlari beni
saadete garketti. Gordiim ki, mur§idim kamil ve mlikemmildir ve
eviiyanm en iist tabakasmdandir. ^e§itli vakalar ve gaybi i§aretlerden
sonra, Kur'an-i kerimi aQip bir ayeti i§aret tutmak istedim; mealen;
"O peygamberler Allah 'in hidayetine eri§tirdigi kimselerdir, sen de
onlarin gittigi yoldan yiirii..." (En'am suresi: 90) buyrulan ayet-i
kerime Qikti, bagliligim kat kat artti. Tereddiit i^inde bulundugum
giinlerden bir giindii. Evimin bulundugu Fethabad'da, §eyh
Seyfuddin'in kabrine dogru oturmu§tum. i9imde oyle bir firtma koptu
ki, hemen Hace Behaeddin-i Buhari hazretlerinin huzuruna kavu§mak
i^in Kasr-i Arifan'a dogru yola Qiktim. Kasr-i Arifan'a varip,
Behaeddin-i Buhari hazretlerinin evierine yakla§tigim zaman, yola
9ikmi§, beni beklemekte oldugunu gordiim. Bana ihsanda bulundular,
yanma oturttular. Namaz kildiktan sonra sohbete ba§ladilar. Heybeti
beni oyle sarmi§ti ki, konu§maya mecalim kalmadi. Bu sohbet
sirasmda buyurdu ki: "Ilim iki kisimdir. Biri kalb ilmi; bu ilim, en
faydali olan ilimdir. Bu ilmi nebiler ve resuller ogretir. Digeri lisan
ilmidir. Bu ilim de Allahli tealanm insanogluna huccetidir. Batm
ilminden sana bir pay eri§mesini timid ederim. Yine nakledildi ki;
"Sadakat ehliyle oturdugunuz zaman, sidk, dogruluk iizere
bulununuz. ^iinku onlar, kalb casuslaridir. Kalblerinize girerler ve
himmetinize bakarlar. Biz, kendi kararimizia kimseyi kabul edemeyiz.
Boyle memuruz. Bakalim bu gece bize ne i§aret buyrulur. Eger seni
kabul ederlerse, biz de kabul ederiz."
 buyurdu. Omriimde o gece kadar ^etin ve zor bir gece
ge9irmedim. Saadet kapisinin aQilmasini umarken, bu kapinin
yiizume kapanmasindan korktum. Sabah namazini Behaeddin-i
Buhari hazretleri ile beraber kildim. Namazdan sonra; "Sana mujdeler
olsun, kabul i§areti geldi. Biz insanlari az kabul ederiz. Kabul
ettigimiz zaman da ge? kabul ederiz. Ta ki gelenlerin nasil geldigi ve
zamaninin gelmi§ oldugu belli olsun." buyurdu. Bundan sonra §ah-i
Nak^ibend hazretleri, silsilelerini Abdiilhalik Goncdiivani'ye kadar
gosterdi. Bundan sonra nice zaman Behaeddin-i Buhari hazretlerinin
hizmetinde ve sohbetinde bulundum. Icazet verdikleri giine kadar
yanlarindan ayrilmadim. Yanlarindan ayrilip, yola ^ikacagim zaman;
"Sana tarikat edebi ve hakikat sirri olarak bizden ne eri§mi§se,
AUahli tealanm kuUarma ula§tir, gotiir. Bu, senin saadete kavu§mana
sebeb olur." buyurdu. Ayrica halifesi Alaiiddin-i Attar ile sohbet
etmemizi emretti. Behaeddin-i Buhari hazretlerinin vefatmdan sonra,
ben uzun miiddet Bedeh§an'da kaldim. Alaeddin-i Attar ise
^iganiyan'da bulunuyordu. Bana bir mektup yazarak, Behaeddin-i
Buhari hazretlerinin emrini hatirlattilar. Bundan sonra hemen
Alaiiddin-i Attar hazretlerinin yanma gittim ve vefatma kadar
sohbetlerinde kaldim. Vefatlarmdan sonra memleketime dondiim."
Ya'kub-i C^rhi, once Behaeddin-i Buhari'nin, sonra onun se9kin
talebesi ve halifesi olan Alaiiddin-i Attar'm sohbetinde yeti§ip kemale
geldi. Hocasi Alaiiddin-i Attar'm halifesi olup, insanlara dogru yolu
gosterdi. Onun en ba§ta gelen talebesi ve halifesi de UbeyduUah-i
Ahrar'dir. Ya'kiib-i (^erhi hazretlerinin yazdigi, Fatiha, Tebareke ve
Amme ciizleri tefsiri ve Farisi Risale-i Unsiyye adli eserleri vardir. Bu
eserleri Hindistan'da basilmi§tir. (Bombay, 1297, 1326) Ya'kub-i
(^erhi hazretleri, §ah-i Nak§ibend Muhammed Buhari hazretlerinin
sohbetine kavu§masmi ve o biiyiik rehberden duyduklarmm bir
kismmi FarsQa bir risale halinde yazmi§, bu risalesinde o biiyiikler
yolunun edeb ve dine bagliliklarmi halisane bildirmi§tir. yA'KUB-i
QERHf Allah adamlarindan, cok bijyuk bir eviiya, Gazne'nin Cerh
koyunde, tesrif etti diJnyaya ilim tahsil etmeye, Herat'a gitti ilkin,
Misir ve Buhara'da bulundu tahsil icin. Cesitii alimlerden, okuyup en
nihayet, ZahirT ilimlerde, aldi mutlak icazet. Donmek iJzereydi ki,
sonra memleketine, BehaeddTn Buhari'nin, tutuldu sevgisine. Onu
gormek arzusu, oyle kuvvetlendi ki, Gorunmez bir bag ile, cekildi ona
sanki. Tehir etti donmeyi, bir hikmet vardir diye, Gitti biJyuk sevk ile,
BehaeddTn BuharT'ye. iceriye girince, buyurdu ki bahusus: "Tarn
donecek zaman mi, bize geliyorsunuz?" Dedi ki: "Ey efendim,
seviyorum sizi ben, Ve cok buyuk zatsiniz, biliyorum yakinen."
Buyurdu ki: "Yanilma, olabilir teshiste," Dedi ki:"Resulullah, buyurdu
ki hadTste: "Hak teala sever ve secerse birisini.
 Kullarin kalbine de, diJsurur sevgisini." BehaeddTn BuharT,
tebessum eyiedi ve, Sonra "Biz azTzaniz" buyurdu kendisine. Bu
AzTzan soziJnu, isitince o zattan, Gordugu bir ruyayi, hatirladi o
zaman. Soyle ki ruyasinda, denilmisti ki ona: "Ey Ya'kub, sen de
gidip, tabi ol AzTzan'a." Ona karsi sevgisi, oldu daha ziyade, Sonra
da gitmek icin, istedi musaade. Dedi ki: "Ey efendim, gidiyorum ve
lakin, Care nedir, sizleri, cok hatirlamam icin?" Cikarip verdi ona
mubarek takkesini, Buyurdu: "Kullandikca hatirlarsin hep beni."
Ellerini operek, ayrildi huzurundan, Lakin memleketine, heniJz vasil
olmadan. 0 zatin muhabbeti, set oldu gitmesine, Yari yoldan
donerek, huzura geldi yine. Dedi: "Yoldan cevirdi, beni muhabbetiniz,
LiJtfen kabul edin de, olayim talebeniz." Buyurdu ki: "Bu ise,
bijyukler verir karar, Bakalim ki bu gece, bize ne buyururlar? Onlar
kalb casusudur, girerler kalbinize, Bakip vakif olurlar, sizin
himmetinize. Eger kabul ederse, sizi bijyuklerimiz, Bu gece belli olur,
biz de kabul ederiz." Ya'kub-i CerhT der ki: "Ciktim basitn onumde,
Boyle cetin bir gece gecirmedim omrumde. "Kabul edecekler mi,
acep bu bicareyi?" Diye dusunerekten, zor gecirdim geceyi. 0 sabah
namazini, kilar kilmaz beraber, Buyurdu ki: "Ey Ya'kub, mujde, kabul
ettiler." Boylece hizmetine girdim bu buyuk zatin, Cikardi zirvesine,
beni her kemalatin." E'QZU Ya'kub-i CerhT buyurdu ki: E'uziJ
okumak, "E'uziJ billahi minesseytanirracTm" demektir. Besmele
okumak, "BismillahirrahmanirrahTm" demektir. Abdullah ibni Abbas
diyor ki, Resulullah buyurdu ki: "Kur'an-i kenme saygi gostermek,
E'uzu okuyarak baslamakia olur." ve "Kur'an-i kenmin anahtari,
Besmeledir." Bu ikisini okuyan kimse sozunij, okumasini bu iki zTnet
ile siJslemis ve bu iki hazTnede, dostlar icin toplanmis olan faydalara
kavusmus olur. Allahij tealaya yaklasmak isteyenler, E'uzij'ye
yapismakta, O'ndan korkanlar da, E'uzij'ye sarilmaktadir. GiJnahi cok
olanlar E'uzij'ye siginmistir. Allahij teala, Nahl suresinin doksan
yedinci ayetinde mealen, Peygamberine (sallallahij aleyhi ve sellem);
"Kur'an-i kenm okuyacagin zaman E'uziJ... soyle." buyurmustur. Bu
emir, "Allah'in rahmetinden uzak olan ve gazabina ugrayarak
diJnyada ve ahirette helak olan seytandan, Allahij tealaya siginirim,
korunurum, yardim beklerim. Ona haykirir.
 feryad ederim de!" demektir. Peygamberimiz (sallallahij
aleyhi ve sellem) buyurdu ki: "Hoca cocuga, Besmele okur, cocuk da
soyleyince, Allahij teala, cocugun ve anasinin ve babasinin ve
hocasinin Cehennem'e girmemesi icin sened yazdirir." Abdullah ibni
Mes'ud diyor ki: "Cehennem'de azab yapan on dokuz melekten
kurtulmak isteyen, Besmele okusun! Besmele, on dokuz harfdir."
Levh-i mahfuzda, ilk yazilan, Besmeledir. Adem'e (aleyhisselam) ilk
gelen, Besmeledir. MiJminler, Besmele yardimi ile, Sirattan gecer.
Cennet davetiyesinin imzasi Besmeledir. Besmelenin manasi; "Her var
olana, onu yaratmakia iyilik etmis ve varlikta durdurmakia, yok
olmaktan korumakia iyilik etmis olan AllahiJ tealanin yardimi ile,
basliyorum. Arifler, O'nu ilah olarak tanidi. Alemler, O'nun merhameti
ile rizik buldu. GiJnah isleyenler, O'nun rahmeti ile Cehennem'den
kurtuldu" demekdir. Allahu teala, Kur'an-i kerTme bu uc isim ile yani
Allah, Rahman ve RahTm isimleri ile basladi. Cunkij, insanin uc hali
vardir. DiJnya, kabir ve ahiret halleri. insan, Allahu tealaya ibadet
ederse, dunyada islerini kolaylastirir. Kabirde ona acir, ahirette
gijnahlarini affeder. 1)Tam ilmihal Seadet-i Ebediyye; (50.
Baski)s.1162 2) Hadaik-iJI-Verdiyye; s.154 3) Nefehat-ul-Uns; s.436
4) Re§ehat; s.58 5) irgam-ul-Merid; s.63 6) Hadikat-iJI-Evliya; s.73
7) Rehber Ansiklopedisi; c.18, s.93 8) Esma-iJI-MuellifTn; c.2, s.546
9) islam Alimleri Ansiklopedisi; c.13, s.141 10) Seflnet-ul-Evliya; s.80
11) Hazinet-iil-Asf iya; c.l, s.566 12) Persian Literature; c.l, s.9
YA'KUB GERMiYANI; Biiyiik velilerden. ismi Ya'kub, kiinyesi Ebu Yusuf,
lakabi Zeyn-iil-islani'dir. Kiitahya civarinda §eyhli koyiinde dogdu.
Ya'kub Germiyani diye me§hur oldu. Dogum tarihi bilinmemektedir.
1571 (H.979) tarihinde Istanbul'da vefat etti. Kocamustafapa§a
semtinde Siinbiil Efendi Camii civarinda medfiindur. Ya'kub Germiyani
'nin baba ve dedeleri Osmanli ordusunda yiiksek riitbe sahibi
kimselerdi. Ya'kub Efendi ilk zamanlarindan itibaren, ilim ogrenmek
hususundaki gayretleri sebebiyle zamaninda bulunan yiiksek
alimlerin, sohbet meclislerinde ve derslerinde yeti§erek kemale geldi,
olgunla§ti. Fazilet ve irfan sahibi olmakta ve tasavvuf yolunda
ilerlemekte yiiksek istidat ve kabiliyet sahibiydi. Hak yola giri§i §6yle
anlatilir: Ya'kiib Germiyani bir gece riiyasinda §oyle gordii: Kiyamet
kopmu§, herkesin amel defterleri miihiirlenmi§, kapanmi§, mizan
kurulmu§ ve mah§er meydani ba§tan ba§a dolmu§tu. Goriilen
manzarayi soz ile anlatmak, belli bir §eylere benzeterek, kiyas etmek,
ol^mek miimkiin degildi. O §eref sahibi padi§ahlar kendi ba§larina
dii§mii§lerdi. Ne annede Qocuguna §efkat, ne de bir ki§ide ba§ka bir
kimseye yardim edecek hal vardi. Bu acaib halde iken, biiyiik bir aga9
gordii. ^ok uzun ve geni§ olan o agacin golgesinde; mah§er halkinin
izdirabi kendilerinde hi? bulunmayan, pek rahat ve saadet i^erisinde
olan bazi insanlar vardi. Onlarin, o sikintilardan emin olup, ayet-i
kerimede; kendileri i^in korku ve hiiziin bulunmadigi bildirilen
kimseler oldugunu anladi. Tam bu
 sirada bir munadinin i§aret ederek; "Her kim kurtulmak
arzusunda ise, bu topluluga iltihak etsin (katilsin)." diye nida ettigini
duydu. Bunun iizerine, olanca gayreti ve gucunun yettigi kadar siiratli
bir §ekilde hareket ederek o topluluga katildi. Boylece korku ve
huznunden emin oldu. Bu riiyanin deh§eti ve heyecaniyla uyanan
Ya'kub Germiyani'nin gonlune, riiyada gordiigii o kurtulu§ firkasina
katilmak, onlarin yolunda ilerlemeye 9ali§mak arzusu du§tu. Bu
sebeple memleketinden ayrilip yola koyuldu. Istanbul 'a gelerek,
Kocamustafapa§a Dergahinda bulunan, Siinbul Sinan hazretlerinin
talebeleri arasina girdi. Bu yolda ilerlemek i^in 90k gayret etti.
Miicahede ve riyazetle nefsini terbiye iQin, nefsin arzularini
yapmamak ve nefsin istemedigi, ona zor gelen ibadetleri 90k
yapmakla me§gul oldu. Bunda 0 derece ileri gitmi§ti ki, U9 gtinde bir
defa, 90k az yemek yerdi. Alti ay miiddetle hi9 su i9mezdi. Yaz ki§,
bu §ekilde devam ederdi. Sunbiil Sinan hazretlerinin dergahinda
zincirli servi diye bilinen, me§hur ve biiyiik bir aga9 vardi. Ya'kub
Germiyani'nin riiyasinda gordiigii agaci, bu zincirli serviye i§aret
ederek tabir etmi§lerdir. Sunbiil Sinan Efendi, Ya'kub Germiyani'yi
90k sever; "Talebe olunca, Germiyanh Yakub Efendi gibi olmak
lazimdir." buyururdu. Sunbiil Sinan Efendinin vefatindan sonra, 0
dergahta kimin vazife yapacagi, talebeleri kimin okutacagi tarn belli
olmami§ti. Ya'kiib Germiyani bu giinlerde bir riiya gordii. Geni§ bir
meclisde, biiyiik bir cemaat toplanmi§ti. Meclisin ba§ tarafinda,
Peygamber efendimiz oturmu§lar, orada bulunanlara merhamet
nazari ile bakiyorlardi. Peygamber efendimizin huziir-i §eriflerinde
hazirlanmi§ olan vaz ve nasihat kiirsisi iizerinde, Merkez Efendi
oturmu§, onlarm i§aret ve emirleri ile, Taha siiresini tefsir ediyordu.
Merkez Efendinin iizerinde bir bulut bulunuyor, bulut; bazan gece
karanligi, bazan da gok mavisi renklere biiriinerek, onun iizerinde
duruyordu. Bu riiyanm tesiriyle uyanan Ya'kiib Germiyani, riiyasmm
Merkez Efendinin Muhammed aleyhisselamm yoluna tam uyduguna,
onun yanmda kemale geldigine, Siinbiil Sinan Efendinin yerine
ge9meye layik oldugunu i§aret ettigini anladi. Bu riiyadan sonra, ona
olan muhabbet ve bagliligi daha da artti. Onun Siinbiil Efendi yerine
vazifeye ba§lamasma yardimci oldu. Merkez Efendinin, ilimdeki ve
velilik yolundaki derecesini anlayamayan bazi kimseler, bu duruma
karfi 9ikmi§larsa da; "Ne bilsin marifet ehlini, cahil." misrai
geregince, onlara itibar olunmadi. Ya'kiib Germiyani, Merkez
Efendinin sohbetlerine devam etti. Akli ve nakli ilimlerde kemale
eri§ti. Diger taraftan Merkez Efendiye itiraz edenler kalmayip, ortalik
siikiinete kavu§mu§tu. Acaba ne gibi bir vazife alsam, hocam ne
yapmami miinasib goriirler diye dii§iiniiyordu. istihare etti. Riiyasmda
Rumeli'nin Yanya kasabasi tarafmdan bir sesin kendisine hitab
ederek; "Bu tarafta ilme ragbet edenler, tasavvuf yolunda ilerlemek
istiyenler var. Buraya gelip, Resiilullah efendimizin Siinnet-i
seniyyesini yayasm ve tasavvuf yolunda bulunanlara rehberlik edip,
onlari yeti§tiresin." dedigini duydu. Yanya' da, Timar sahibi Osmanli
subayi olan Mehmed Aga isminde bir zat, 0 giinlerde, Merkez
Efendinin dergahmda misafir oldu. Merkez Efendiye; "Efendim,
bendeniz uzak bir yerde, Rumeli'de Yanya denilen beldede
bulunuyorum. Oralarda imanm ve Islamm §artlarmi ogretecek, dini
hiikiimleri bilip anlatacak bir kimse yok. O diyara bir halifenizi
gonderseniz, miisliimanlar 90k istifade ederler." diye arz etti. Ya'kiib
Germiyani, 0 zattan "Yanya" soziinii i§itince, riiyada kendisine verilen
i§areti hatirlayip oraya gitmeye talib oldu. Gonliinden bu vazifeyi
istemeye niyet etti. Bu sirada Merkez Efendi, Mehmed Aga ile kimi
gonderelim diye sorunca; "Efendim miisaadeniz olursa biz gitmek
isteriz." dedi. Merkez Efendi; "Oyle bir yerde ne yapacaksin? Senin
makamin bizim yerimizdir" dedi. Ya'kiib Efendi riiyasinda
 gordugii i§areti arz edince; "O diyara gitmeniz herhalde
lazim gelmi§tir." dedi. Bunun iizerine Merkez Efendi izin verdi. Ya'kub
Efendi, Mehmed Aga ile birlikte yola Qikarak Yanya'ya vardi. Nice
yiUar o diyarda muslumanlarin hak yolda ilerlemelerine vesile oldu.
^ok talebe yeti§tirdi. Ya'kub Germiyani hazretleri, Rumeli
beldelerinden Yanya'da bulundugu sirada, Yanya yakinindaki Preveze
kalesini, frenk kafirleri karadan ve denizden istila edip, muhasara
altina almi§lardi. Bu sirada Ya'kub Germiyani, muslumanlara yardim
i^in o kaleye gitti. O zatin kalede bulunmasi ile, kaledeki
muslumanlar, kafirlerin §erlerinden emin oldular. Ya'kub Germiyani,
bir kerameti olarak, kafirlere kar§i oyle heybetii goriindii ki,
kafirlerden hi9biri kalenin giri§ yoluna yakla§maya ve saldirmaya
cesaret edemedi. Vuru§ma esnasmda, kale burcunda bulunan topu,
bizzat kendi eliyle ate§Ierdi. Allahii tealanm izni ile ati§Iar tam
isabetii olurdu. Evvela, kafirlerin alamet olarak yanlarmda ta§idiklari
biiyiik bir haQi, sonra da, askerlerin Qogunu top ati§Iari ile peri§an
etti. Allahii tealanm nusret ve yardimiyle kafirleri dagitti. Ati§Iar o
kadar tesirii oldu ki, dii§man tarafinda sag kalanlar kurtulu§u
ka^makta buldular. Liitfi Pa§a, Yanya beyi idi. Liitfi Pa§anm hayir ve
hasenat yapmakia tanman zevcesi §ah Sultan, Ya'kub Efendinin
biiyiik bir zat oldugunu bilir; hiirmet, muhabbet ve edeb gosterirdi.
Bu giinlerde Liitfi Pa§anm Istanbul'a gelmesi lazim olunca, yola
Qikacaklari sirada §ah Sultan, Ya'kub Efendiye o zamanlarda
IstanbuI'da bulunan biiyiik zatlari sordu. O da, istanbui'da Merkez
Efendiye tabi ve talebe olmalarini soyledi. Liitfi Pa§a Istanbul'a gelip,
vezir-i azam oldu. §ah Sultan, Merkez Efendi ve talebelerine 90k
alaka gosterdi. Ya'kiib Efendi ile Merkez Efendinin birbirlerine olan
muhabbetlerini Istanbul'a gelince daha iyi aniadi. Daviidpa§a
Mahallesinde, giizel bir cami ve bir de hanekah (dergah) yaptirip,
sonra ferman ile Ya'kiib Efendinin Istanbul'a gelmesini temin ederek,
bu yaptirdigi dergahta yerle§mesini sagladi. Ya'kiib Efendi bu
hanekahda on sekiz sene kalip, Islama hizmet eyiedi. Merkez Efendi,
Kocamustafapa§a'da, Ya'kiib Efendi Daviidpa§a'da, aralarinda
muhabbet ve yakinlik ile, insanlara 90k hizmet edip, yiizlerce talebe
yeti§tirdiler. Talebeler bazan dergahin birine, bazan digerine giderek,
bu biiyiik zatlarin vesilesiyle, ilim ve velilikte 90k yiiksek derecelere ve
iistiin makamlara kavu§tular. Merkez Efendinin oglu ve halifesi olan
Ahmed Efendi, babasinin vefatindan iki sene sonra, asil memleketleri
olan U§ak vilayetine hicret edip, Istanbul'a donmek istemedi. Bunun
iizerine biitiin Istanbullular, Merkez Efendinin yerine Ya'kiib Efendinin
ge9mesini istediler. O ise, Kocamustafapa§a zaviyesine ge9mesi
halinde, §imdi bulundugu Daviid Pa§a dergahini yaptiran §ah
Sultan'in incinecegini dii§iiniip, vazifeyi almakta tereddiid ediyordu.
Bu giinlerde riiyasinda, hocasi Siinbiil Sinan Efendiyi gordii. Siinbiil
Sinan, Ya'kiib Germiyani'ye; "Benimie beraber olmaktan, ayni yerde
bulunmaktan ar mi ediyorsun? Gel!" buyurdu. O da hemen gelip,
Kocamustafapa§a zaviyesine yerle§ti. Orada hizmete devam etti. §ah
Sultan da, Daviidpa§a'daki zaviyeyi medrese haline 9evirdi.
Kocamustafapa§a dergahinda vazifeye ba§Iadiktan sonra, hali
giinden giine degi§en Ya'kiib Efendi, hep yiikseliyor ve manevi
derecesi artiyordu. Onu goren kimsede, ister istemez muhabbet hasil
olurdu.Oyle bir mahbiib idi ki, biiyiikliigiinii anlayamayip inkar edenler
bile insafa gelip, inkar ve inadlarindan vazge9erlerdi. Sohbetinde bir
defa bulunan artik terkedemez, devam ederdi. Ya'kiib Germiyani
hazretleri Ehl-i siinnet alimlerinin bildirdiklerine uygun itikad ve amel
etmekte, fakirleri korumakta, ihtiya9 sahiplerinin yardimlarina
ko§maktaydi. Allahii tealanm muhabbeti ile yanardi. Ziihd sahibi olup,
diinyalik §eylere ilgi ve alaka gostermezdi. Diinyalik bir i§ i9in
herhangi bir kimseye yalvardigi, boyun biiktiigii hi9 vaki olmadi.
Davet edilmedigi yere gitmez, liizumsuz diinya kelami soylemezdi.
Herkese; ahirete yarar i§Ier yapmayi te§vik
 edici, diinyaya du§kun olmaktan men edici sozler soylerdi.
Her hali, hareketi ve tavri makbuldli. Herkesin yaninda yiiksek itibari
vardi. Yiizunde, Islam dinine uygun ya§amanm verdigi nur parlardi.
Etrafma feyz ve nur yayardi. Uzun seneler Kocamustafapa§a
zaviyesinde goniil ve irfan sahibi talebelere ders verdi. Herkes,
kabiliyeti kadar o nur 9e§mesinden feyz ve bereket alarak yiikseldi.
Kanuni Sultan Siileyman Han devrinde, bir ara yagmurlar yagmaz
olmu§, insanlar kurakliktan 90k muzdarip olmu^lardi.lstanbul halki,
yagmur duasma Qikilmasma karar verdi. Padi§ah da 9ikti.
Okmeydani'nda biiyiik bir kalabalik toplandi. Oyle ki bu toplulukta,
ba§ta padi§ah olmak iizere, alimler, valiler, idareciler, vezirler,
kuvvetli-zayif, zengin-fakir herkes vardi. Bilindigi gibi, Osmanli
sultanlari yapacaklari biitiin miihim i§lerde, mutlaka §eyhulislama
dani§irlar, onun fetvasma uygun hareket ederlerdi. Bunun i9in
§eyhulislam Ebiissu'ud Efendiden, yagmur duasmi kimin yapmasmm
miinasib olacagi sual edildi. O da; "Duayi, padi§ah veya onun
miinasib gordiigii bir zat eder." buyurdu. Bunun iizerine padi§ah;
"Ya'kub Germiyani dua eylesin." dedi. Ya'kiib Efendi ise, kendisini
buna ehil, miinasib gormeyip mahcub oldu ve bir tarafa gizlendi.
Oglu Yusuf Efendinin, yerini bildirmesiyle arayip buldular. Gelmek
istemedi ise de; "Padi§ah efendimizin emridir." dediler. Bunun lizerine
mecburen kalkip geldi. Minbere Qikip dua etti. Orada bulunanlar
"Amin" dediler. Bu dua bereketiyle oyle yagmur yagdi ki, her taraf su
ile doldu. Insanlar, onun biiyiik bir alim ve yiiksek bir veli oldugunu,
bu hadise ile daha iyi anladilar. O ise kendisini; aciz, a§agi, bu i§e
layik olmayan biri gordiigiinden 90k mahcub olmu§tu. Ya'kiib
Germiyani hazretleri dua giinii, gizlendigi yeri haber verip meydana
9ikmasma sebeb oldugu i9in, daha sonralari oglu Yiisuf Efendiye
sitem etti. Kendisini dua etmeye, duasmm kabiil olmasma layik
gormeyerek ve 90k tevazu gostererek; "Yagmur boUuguna ugradik.
Ben 0 meclise varmayacaktim. Bizi kirikliga ugratip, omriimde,
9ekemeyecegim mahciibiyete miiptela olmama sebeb oldun." dedi.
Ya'kiib Germiyani hazretleri herkesin anlayamayacagi, ehline maliim
olan, yiiksek haller ve iistiin dereceler sahibiydi. llim ogrenmek ve
ogretmek i9in 9irpmir, buna 90k ehemmiyet verirdi. Bu sebeple
buyurdu ki: "Cahillikte ileri olan, seflhlikte, ahmaklikta, malmi zararli
yerlere harcamakta, vara yoga sarfetmekte de ileri olur. Cahillikten
kurtulmadik9a, seflhlikten kurtulamaz. Yine 0; "Diinyada hi9 kimseye
based etmedim. Ancak diinyaya gelmeyenlere gibta ettim. §u ii9
§eyden dolayi onlarm hallerine imrendim. Birincisi, bu alem ayrilik
ate§iyle yanma yeridir. Diinyaya gelmeyenlerde boyle bir firak hali
yoktur. Ikincisi, bize verilen viiciid nimetinin ve sayisiz diger
nimetlerin §iikriinii eda etmekten aciziz. Bizde, bu acziyetten dolayi
mahciibiyet vardir. Diinyaya gelmeyenlerde ise, boyle bir mahciibiyet
yoktur. U9iinciisii ise, bizler, kemal mertebesinde istidada sahib
olmadigimizdan, hep derd-i hiisran i9inde bulunuruz. Bu dert, diinya
lezzetlerini ve yiizdeki ne§e ve siiriiru alip gotiiriir. Diinyaya
gelmeyenlerin ise, bu lezzet ve ne^eden mahriim olmalari gibi bir
durumlari yoktur." buyurdu. Derslerinde bazan; fikih, tefsir ve hadis
ilimlerinden okutup, nakiller yapar, bazan da manevi ilimlere ait derin
ve ince marifetlerden anlatirdi. Sohbet meclisleri; feyz, bereket ve
niir kaynagi idi. Vefat edinceye kadar buradaki vazifesine devam etti.
Ya'kiib Germiyani hazretlerinin oliim hastaligi sirasmda, hastaligm
elem ve §iddetinin fazlaligi sebebiyle, gozleri kapali ve lisani
soylemez oldu. Ihtiyac gidermek i9in kaldirdiklarmda, mecbiiriyet
kar§ismda, kibleye kar§i durdurdular. O, hastaligm §iddetiyle
kendisinde degildi. Fakat 0 haldeyken; "Helada, kirda abdest
bozarken, kibleyi one ve arkaya getirmemelidir." hiikmii icabi kibleye
kar§i abdest bozmadi. Bu halin, onun bir kerameti oldugu anla§ildi.
Bu §iddetli ve sikintili halde bile, siinnete aykiri bir harekette
bulunmadi. Ya'kiib Germiyani hazretleri omriinii AUahii tealanin
emirlerine uymak ve yasaklarindan sakinmakla ge9irip, 1571 senesi
Cemaziyelevvel ayinda bir ak§am iizeri giine§ batarken
 AUah'a mubarek ruhunu teslim etti. Vefatindan sonra
yerine, oglu Sinanuddin Yusuf ge^ti. Talebelerin yeti§tirilmesi,
manevi olarak terbiye edilmesi vazifesini iizerine aldi. Sinanuddin
Yusuf da babasi gibi fazilet ve irfan sahibi, ilim hazinesi, evliyanin
gozdesi bir zatti. Ya'kub Germiyani'nin oglu Yusuf Efendi, rahmet-i
ilahiyyeye vesile olmasi i^in babasinin hal terciimesini ve
kerametlerini aniatan bir risale telif etti. Ya'kub Germiyani'nin §airligi
de vardi. pERQEK KILINAN NAMAZ Bir zaman bazilan Ya'kiib
Germiyani hazretlerine gelerek namaz iQinde goniillerine ^e^itli
du§uncelerin geldiginden yakindilar. Ya'kub Germiyani hazretleri;
"Kirk yildir degil namaz i^inde, namaz di§mda bile basiret goziim,
Allahli tealanm rizasmdan ba§ka bir §eye bakmami§tir." buyurduktan
sonra, §6yle anlatti: "Bu yola giri§imin ilk zamanlariydi. Kendi
halimde, kalbimie me§gul olup, murakabede idim. Birden oniimde,
^iplak bir kimse goriiniiverdi. "Avret yerini ort, yahut da ba§ka tarafa
git!" dedim. Bu soziime hi? aldiri§ etmedi. Gayet mahzun bir §ekilde;
"Ben dun kildigm ikindi namazmm sureti, g6riinii§uyum. Namazm
siinnetleri benim libasim (ortiim, elbisem) dir. Sen, bazi diinyevi
me§guliyetler sebebiyle, namazm siinnetlerini terk eyiedin. Onun i9in
ben kiyamete kadar bu halde kalsam gerektir." dedi. O zaman, o
9iplak suret kendimmi§im gibi oyle utanip mahcub oldum ve
yaptigima oyle pi§man oldum ki, bu sebepten o andan itibaren,
Allahii tealanm emirlerini yerine getirmekte tam bir agahlik ve
uyamklik iQindeyim. ^ok dikkatii davranmaya, gaflette bulunmamaya
90k gayret ediyorum." 1) Pakayyk-y Nu'maniyye Zeyli (Atai) ; s.204
2) Tam Ylmihal Seadet-i Ebediyye; (50. Basky) s.lllO 3) Tezkire-i
Halvetiyye (Yusuf bin Ya'kub) Siileymaniye Kiitiiphanesi, Es'ad Efendi
kysmy. No: 1372 4) Sefinet-iil-Evliya; c.3, s.280 5) Lemezat,
Siileymaniye Kiitiiphanesi, Hacy Mahmiid Kysmy, No: 4546, V.250 6)
Yslam Alimleri Ansiklopedisi; c.l5, s.31 YAKUT-i AR§T; Ariflerin ve
eviiyanm bliyiiklerinden ve me§hurlarmdan. Ebii'I-Abbas-i Miirsi
hazretlerinin talebelerinin buyiigii olup, Habe§istanlidir. 1307 (H. 707)
senesinde Misir'da Iskenderiyye §ehrinde vefat etti. Rivayet
edildigine gore, Ebii'I-Abbas-i Miirsi hazretleri iskenderiyye 'de
bulundugu sirada, sicak bir yaz giinii, ki§ giinlerine mahsus olan
aside yemegini pi§irip, talebelerine ve dostlarma ikram etmi§ti.
Herkes hayret edip, bu sicak yaz giiniinde ki§ yemeginin ikram
edilmesinin sebeplerini merak ederek hikmetini sual ettiklerinde
buyurdu ki: "Bu, Habe§istan'da bugiin diinyaya gelen karde§iniz
Yakut'un dogum yemegidir. O in§aallah bizim oglumuz olacaktir."
Dinleyenlerden bir 90gu, bu sozlerden bir §ey aniamamakia beraber,
hocalarmm sozlerinde mutlaka bir hikmet bulundugunu bilen
talebeler, bu hadisenin tarihini not ettiler. Diger taraftan Yakut,
Habe§istan'da biiyiiyup yeti§ti. Bir zaman kole oldu. Misirli bir tiiccar
bunu satm alip, memleketi olan Misir'a gotiirmek iizere yola Qikti.
Gemi ile gelirken, denizde bir firtma 9ikti. Gemi batacak hale geldi.
Ebii'I-Abbas-i Miirsi hazretlerinin biiyiik bir zat
 oldugunu duymu§ olan tiiccar, AUahii tealaya dua edip; "Ya
Rabbi! Eger sag salim karaya Qikarsak, kole olarak aldigim bu genci
(Yakut'u) Ebii'l-Abbas hazretlerine hibe edecegim" diye nezretti
(adadi). AUahii tealanin izni ile firtina sakinle§ti. Selametle karaya
Qiktilar. iskenderiyye'ye gelen tiiccar, nezrettigi §eyi yerine
getirecekti. Fakat, Yakiit ismindeki bu kole de 90k kiymetli idi. Kendi
kendine; "Ben Ebii'l-Abbas hazretlerine "Yakiit'u" vermeyi adami§tim.
Bu Yakiit ismindeki gen? 90k kiymetli olduguna gore, ben, 9ar§idan
kiymetli bir yakiit ta§i alip, Ebii'l-Abbas'a hediye ederim. Boylece
adagimi yerine getirmi§ olurum." diye dii§iindii. Dedigi gibi yapti.
^ar§idan kiymetli bir yakiit ta§i alarak Ebii'l-Abbas'in huziiruna vardi.
Bunu kendisine hediye getirdigini bildirdi. Ebii'1-Abbas-i Miirsi ona;
"Bize bu yakiitu degil, bizim i^in vadettigin asil Yakiit'u getir!
Soziinden donme!" buyurunca, tiiccar hatasini anladi ve gidip Yakiit'u
getirerek teslim etti. O da bunu talebelige kabiil etti. Habe§istan,
Misir'a 90k uzak oldugu i9in, herkes bu yeni arkada§larini merak
ettiler. Ismini ve memleketini ogrenince, hocalarinin yiUarca once
verdigi dogum yemegini hatirladilar. Tuttuklari tarihe baktilar. Yeni
gelen arkada§larinin dogum tarihi, aynen hocalarinin bildirdikleri
giindii. Hocalarinin senelerce once gosterdigi bir kerametini boylece
anlami§ olan talebelerin, Ebii'l-Abbas'a olan muhabbet ve bagliliklari
daha da artti. Yeni gelen arkada§larini da 90k sevdiler. Yakiit-i Ar§i,
Ebii'1-Abbas-i Miirsi hazretlerinin sohbetlerinde, huziirunda ve
hizmetinde bulundu. llim ogrenmek arzusu pek fazlaydi. Bunun i9in
gece-giindiiz 9ali§irdi. Kisa zamanda 90k yiikselip, ilim ve velilik
bakimindan 90k iistiin derecelere kavu§arak, 0 biiyiik zatin en biiyiik
talebesi oldu. Kalbi, daima AUahii tealanin Ar§-i alasinda olur,
yeryiiziinde sadece cismi bulunurdu ve Hamale-i Ar§'in (Ar§-i a'layi
ta§imakla vazifeli olan meleklerin) okuduklari ezanlari ifitirdi. Bunun
i9in kendi hocasi bu zati, Yakiit-i Ar§i diye isimlendirdi. Yakiit-i Ar§i
hazretleri bundan sonra Misir'dan ayrilmadi. Hocasinin vefatindan
sonra, onun yolunu yaymaya devam etti. Yakiit-i Ar§i, insanlara
oldugu gibi, hayvanlara kar§i da 90k merhamet sahibiydi. Ku§lar ve
diger hayvanlardan bazilari gelerek, ona bazi §eyler sorarlardi. AUahii
tealanin izni ile onlarin ne soylediklerini anlar ve yardim ederdi. Bir
defasinda dostlari ile birlikte otururlarken, bir giivercin gelerek Yakiit-i
Ar§i'nin omuzuna kondu. Bir §eyler s6yliiyormu§ gibi sesler 9ikardi.
Yakiit hazretleri bu giivercine; "Senin yanina dervi§lerden birini
katayim mi? Onunla gider misin?" dedi. (Sonradan anla§ildigina
gore) giivercin; "Senden ba§ka kimseyi kabiil etmem" diyerek israr
ediyordu. Yakiit hazretleri kalkip hayvanina bindi. Iskenderiyye'den
Eski Misir denilen yere gitti. Oradan Amr bin As Camiine vardi. Orada
bulunanlara; "Bana filan miiezzini 9agirir misiniz?" dedi. ^agirdilar. O
miiezzine; "Ey miiezzin karde§! Bu giivercin iskenderiyye'ye kadar
gelip bana §ikayette bulundu ki, minarede bu giivercinin bir yuvasi
varmi§. Giivercin yavrulayip, yavrulari biraz biiyiiyiince, sen bunun
yavrularini kesip yermi§sin." dedi. Miiezzin bu halini itiraf edip;
"Dogrudur. Bu hal birka9 defa oldu" dedi. Yakiit hazretleri miiezzine,
bu halin bir daha tekrarlanmamasini tenbih etti. Miiezzin tovbe etti.
Bir daha yapmamaya soz verdi. Yakiit hazretleri de hayvanina binerek
tekrar iskenderiyye'ye dondii. Bir defasinda zamanin sultani bu zati
ziyarete gelmi§ti. Geldiginde, Yakiit hazretlerini, Habe§li siyahi bir
kimse olarak goriip, kalbinden; "Bu siyah bir koledir. Bu kimse biiyiik
bir zat olabilir mi?" diye ge9irdi. Yakiit hazretleri, keramet olarak
sultanin bu dii§iincelerini anlayarak, onun yanina yakla§ti. Ba§ina
yedi defa dokundu; "Ama bu, nimetlendirilmi§ bir koledir." buyurdu.
Sultan hatasini anlayip, AUahii tealanin veli kuUari hakkinda
g6riinii§e gore hiikiim vermenin veya g6riinii§e aldanarak onlari a§agi
gormenin ne kadar 9irkin ve tehlikeli oldugunu anlayip, onceki
dii§iincelerine pi§man oldu. Bu hadiseden sonra sultan, yedi ay daha
ya§ayip vefat etti. Boylece, Yakiit hazretlerinin sultanin ba§ina yedi
defa vurmasinin hikmeti anla§ilmi§ oldu. Yakiit-i Ar§i'nin
kerametlerinden biri de §uydu: Kendisine yemesi i9in bir yemek
getirilse ve
 0 yemek §upheli olsa, o yemegin iizerinde bir zulmet ve
agirlik oldugunu hissederek, asla yemezdi ve terkederdi. YAKUT'UN
HURMETilME Rivayet edilir ki, ibn-iJl-Lebban isminde bir kimse,
Seyyid Ahmed-i BedevT hazretlerini ijzmustu. Bunun cezasi olarak,
ne kadar ilmi varsa, hepsi hafizasindan silinmisti. Seyyid hazretlerini
uzdijgu icin bu halin basina geldigini diJsundu ve yaptigina cok
pisman oldu. Yakut-i ArsT hazretlerine sigindi. 0 da iskenderiyye'den
cikarak, hazret-i Seyyid'in bulundugu Tanta sehrine geldi. Bu kimse
adina ondan ozijr dileyerek, bu kimsenin pisman olup, tovbe ettigini,
yaptigi hatadan buyiJk uzijntu duydugunu ve sikintida oldugunu
bildirdi. Seyyid Ahmed-i BedevT, Yakut hazretlerinin hurmetine o
kimsenin ozrunij kabul etti ve kabahatini affetti. Bundan sonra ibn-
iJl-Lebban, eski ilminin tekrar hafizasinda bulundugunu hissetti.
Yakut-i ArsT hazretlerinin yanindan ayrilmadi. Onun talebesi oldu.
Sonra Yakut hazretleri bunu, kizi lie eviendirdi. ibn-iJl-Lebban, ilimde
ve velTlik yolunda ilerleyip, ustun derece sahibi oldu. Hocasi Yakut-i
ArsT'yi cok severdi. Bu sevgisinin coklugu sebebiyle, vefatina yakin,
haniminin (Yakut-i ArsT'nin kerTmesinin) ayak ucuna defnedilmesini
vasiyet etti. 1) Camiu Keramat-il-Evliya; c.2, s.283 2) Tabakat-iil-
Kiibra; c.2, s.20 3) Yslam Alimleri Ansiklopedisi; c.ll, s.181 YANYALI
MUSTAFA iSMET EFENDJ Istanbul evliyasindan. Mevlana Halid-i
Bagdadi hazretlerinin halifesi clan AbduUah-i Mekki hazretlerinin
halifesidir. Aslen Yanyalidir. AbduUah-i Mekki hazretleri icazet
verdikten sonra Edime'ye gonderdi. Daha sonra istanbul'a gelen
Mustafa Ismet Efendi, Fatih ^ar§amba'da bir dergah ve cami (Ismet
Efendi Camii) in§a ettirdi. Burada yeti§tirdigi talebeleri arasinda
Memduh Pa§a gibi devlet adamlari, Ali Haydar Efendi gibi me§hur
zatlar vardir. Abdulmecid Han ve Ikinci Abdulhamid Han tarafindan
ilmi takdir edilen Mustafa Ismet Efendi, bu padi§ahlar tarafindan sik
sik ziyaret edilirdi. 1872'de vefat eden Mustafa Ismet Efendinin kabri,
yaptirdigi caminin bah9esindedir. Dergahi da giinumiizde varisleri
tarafindan ev olarak kuUanilmaktadir. YAR MUHAMMED KADIM
TALKANI; Hindistan'm bliyiik velilerinden. Dogum tarihi
bilinmemektedir. On yedinci asrm sonlarmda vefat etti. Imam-i
Rabbani hazretlerinin talebeleri arasmda Yar Muhammed isminde bir
kimse daha vardi ki, sonra talebe olmu§tu. Ikincisine; "Cedid" yani
yeni ismi verildi. Yar Muhammed Cedid, Imam-i Rabbani hazretlerinin
Mektubat-i §erif'inin birinci cildini toplamakla §ereflendi. Yar
Muhammed Kadim, Imam-i Rabbani hazretlerine 90k hizmet ederek
tevecciihlerine kavu§tu. Gecelerini Kur'an-i kerim okuyarak, namaz
kilarak, cenab-i Hakk'm ismini anarak hep ibadetle ge^irirdi.
Gundiizleri de oru? tutardi. (^ok murakabe eder, AUahii tealanm
mahliiklari hakkmda tefekklire dalardi. Haramlardan ve Peygamber
efendimiz zamanmda olmayip dine sonradan ibadet olarak sokulan
§eylerden aslandan ka^ar gibi sakmir, §upheli korkusuyla miibahlarm
dahi fazlasmi terkederdi. Yiizii 90k giizel olup, gorenler hayran kalirdi.
Bir giin arkada§i Ha§im-i Ke§mi hazretlerine; "Ylizumiin giizelligi ve
sakalimm
 duzgunlugii i9in §ukrediyorum. Sahralarda gezdigim
zamanlar, halktan kim beni goriirse hemen salevat-i §erife okur."
dedi. Yar Muhammed Kadim, hocasindan izin alarak tarn bir fakirlik
ve gariblik i9erisinde Haremeyn-i §erifeyni ziyarete gitti. Bu bereketli
seferden d6nu§te Ha§im-i Ke§mi'ye §6yle anlatti: "Kabe-i
muazzamanin Rukn-i Yemani tarafinda ResuluUah efendimizin
mubarek nurunu gordiim. O'nun lezzet ve tatliligindan kendimden
ge9tim. Kendime geldigimde tuhaf bir haldeydim. Insanlar etrafrma
toplanmr§lar hayretle bana bakryorlar, bir taraftan da; "Bu kimse
herhalde mecnundur." diyorlardr. Benim lisan-r halim, senin §u
beytine uygundu: "Bu Leyla cadirdan cikarsa eger, Dag ve sahralar
mecnun olsa, deger." GOZ GORMEYINCE imam-i RabbanT hazretleri,
Yar Muhammed KadTm'e icazet vererek, insanlarin Cehennem'e
dusmekten kurtulmasina vesTle olmasina izin verdi. Mektubat'in
birinci cildinde 117 ve 211. mektuplarini Yar IVIuhammed KadTm'e
yazdi. Birinci cild, yiJz on yedinci mektup soyledir: "IVIevlana Yar
IVIuhammed bizi unutmamis. Kalb, cok zaman his organlarina
baglidir. Duygu organlarindan uzak olanlar, kalbden de uzak olur.
HadTs-i serTfte; "Goz gormeyince, gonulden de uzak olur." buyruldu.
Bu hadTs-i serif, kalbin duygu organlarina bagli bulundugu mertebeyi
gostermektedir. Tasavvuf yolunun nihayetine varilinca, kalbin his
organlarina bagliligi kalmaz. Hisden uzak olmak, kalbin yakin
olmasini bozmaz. Bunun icindir ki, bu yolun bijyukleri, baslangicta ve
yolda olanlarin, olgun bir rehberin yanindan ayrilmalarina izin
vermemislerdir. "Bir seyin hepsi yapilmazsa, hepsini de elden
kacirmamalidir!" Bu soze uyarak, bulundugunuz yolu degistirmeyiniz!
Uygunsuz kimselerle arkadaslik etmekten, elden geldigi kadar
sakininiz! Meyan Seyh Muzzemmil'in yaniniza gelmesini, saadete
kavusmanizin baslangici biliniz! Onun sohbetinde, yaninda bulunmayi
buyuk mmet biliniz! Vakitlerinizin cogunu onun yaninda geciriniz!
Cunkij, kendisi, ele az gecen nTmetlerdendir. Vesselam." 1) Hadarat-
iil-Kuds; s.343 2) Tezkire-i Ymam-y Rabbani; s.340 3) Ziibdet-iil-
Makamat ; s.392 4) Yslam Alimleri Ansiklopedisi; c.l6, s.251 YAREN
DEDE Horasan'dan Anadolu'ya Islamiyeti yaymak i9in gelen gazi
dei^i§Ierden. Hayatr ve hangi devirde ya§adrgr hakkrnda bilgi
bulunamayan Yaren Dede'nin kabri, Aydrn'rn Sultanhisar il9esinin
Kabaca koyiinde olup ziyaret edilmektedir. YAYABA§IZADE;
Osmanhlar zamanrnda yeti§en hadrs, frkrh alimi ve evliyanrn
bliyiiklerinen. Ismi, Hrzrr bin ilyas bin Abdlilvehhab'drr. Yayaba§rzade
ismiyle tanrnrr. Istanbul 'da Eyiib Sultan semtinde dogup yeti§ti.
Dogum tarihi bilinmemektedir. Osmanir ordusunda bulunup, Allah
yolunda gaza etmenin fazrietine dair vaz ederdi. Sultan U9iincii
Mehmed Han ile gittigi Egri Seferinde, Tabur cenginde, 1596
(H.1005) senesi Rebi'ul-evvel ayrnrn yirmi sekizinci giinii
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