A BRIEF ACCOUNT OF LIFE OF HUSREV EFENDI
Ahmed Husrev Efendi was born in AH 1315 / AD 1899 in Senirce village, Isparta. His father, Mehmed Bey, was the grandson of one of the last Isparta governors of the Great Ottoman Islamic Empire, Haci Edhem Bey.
The forebears of his father who are among Isparta’s notable men, are known as Green Turbans and their family tree dates back to Prophet Muhammad’s (PBUH) companion Sayyidina Abu Bakr (May Allah be pleased with him).
His mother’s family also belongs to noble forebears who are the descendants of Imam Hussain (May Allah be pleased with him). The family was known as “Hafiz Qurras (The ones who are both hafiz and reciters in 7 basic styles).
Seeing a meaningful dream, Husrev Efendi visits him when Ustad Bediuzzaman was exiled in Barla in 1926. From then on, he served as an important senior student, an advising friend, an assistant to his Ustad and the most important element
of the service of Noor.
Ahmed Husrev Altınbaşak (Husrev Efendi)
in Bediuzzaman’s Words
While introducing his senior student Husrev Efendi, who became noted in the Service of Noor, Ustad gives his name both as a model and measurement to all his students from madaaris all around Turkey. He pays tribute to his other students by saying Husrev Efendi’s name.
For example, late Hasan Feyzi was called “Denizli’s Husrev”
“Aydin’s Husrev was Ahmed Feyzi Efendi. Mehmed Feyzi Efendi who satisfied Ustad by his successful service in Kastamonu
was honoured with the name “Little Husrev”. He proudly used his title in the letters he wrote and finalized
them with the signature of “Little Husrev Mehmed Feyzi”
The title of Nazif Celebi from Inebolu was “Husrev of Inebolu”;”Second Isparta” was the title of Inebolu as well. The Writer Osman of Isparta was similarly “The Second Husrev”. Ceylan Agabey, who was the servant and driver of him during the last years of Ustad’s life, was a “Very Small Husrev” in the eyes of Ustad Bediuzzaman
Said Nursi. Furthermore, First Tahir was “an Exact Husrev” for Ustad.
Ustad Bediuzzaman, who had seen Husrev Efendi’s esteemed
status in the service of Risale-i Nur as well as his position in the eyes of the other students, warned his students against the foreign powers wanting to spoil this trustworthy atmosphere. In order not to be deceived by the tricks of foreign powers having deceitful plans, Ustad quoted as below:
“Our covert enemies follow these two plans. First is to finish me with betrayals; and the second is to start resentment among us. Using criticism, objection and resentment mainly against Husrev, they want to split us. I declare that:
“Even if Husrev had thousands of faults, I would be in fear of being against him. (Because) Being against him today is directly to be against the Risale-i Nur and me and it is a serious betrayal to declare themselves for the ones who ruin us.” [35]
We should accept that these expressions of Ustad Bediuzzaman
Said Nursi are not those of common compliments told about anyone else. He applauds many senior students who go fast and serve in the front line in the service, yet no students received such praise as Husrev Efendi.
He never warned us about any other senior brother in the service of the Qur’an using any similar expressions like those below:
“Since he is the hero of the Risale-i Nur and in my place and on behalf of me and an important representative of Risale-i Nur’s collective personality, you should not be resented in any ways.” [36]
“Being against Husrev is to be against me and even being against Risale-i Nur”
Ustad Bediuzzaman’s statements are so clear; they do not need any other proof and research. Risale-i Nur is like a public property. He who wants to read it will benefit and it is as clear as daylight that it is not under anyone’s monopoly.
He tells us about Husrev Efendi in his own words:
“I claim and justify that Husrev, who has diseases by body (Sallamallahu
Taa’la - may Allah give him well-being) was behaved coldly in this very cold weather and was supposed to be dangerous
for the nation and the country, is a great spiritual hero of Turkish nation, and is a saviour of this country, and the nation’s sincere and self-sacrificing man to be proud of. As he has the full sense of ikhlas (sincerity), and doesn’t have egoism and hypocrisy and is not addicted to fame, therefore the time comes to reveal one or two of his many services for the country and the nation.”
“With his exceptional and pleasant pen, this person has written
out about six hundred or more treatises and spread them all around the country. Doing this, he broke out and stopped the anarchism, which was trying to corrupt the society under the cover of communism. In order to save the sacred country and this heroic nation from the poison (of communism), he sent the powerful medicament
(which is the Risale-i Nur). He afforded to rescue the Turkish youth and the future generation out of this danger…” [37]
“Now the hero of Noor cause, Husrev, has been bestowed upon you. Up to now, I haven’t been showing him to the ignorant
people who only think of worldly issues...” [38]
While introducing us Husrev Efendi again and again, he warns some of his students in case they fall into betrayal traps of those covert enemies and reminds that being against Husrev Efendi is as being against Risale-i Nur and himself.
Husrev Efendi had been in all courts and on every level of the service from the very beginning of the Noor service until and after the Ustad’s demise. Being an eminent figure,
he was one of the pioneer students who suffered in prisons. That’s why his name is the most mentioned name in the Risale-i Nur Collection from among all other followers.
Husrev Efendi’s significant status mentioned above is approved
not only by oral sources but also official documents.
For example, City of Isparta, Office of District Attorney
Chief Prosecutor’s official indictment issued under number 954/311 and 956/8 in 1956 encloses a list of suspects
including Ustad Bediuzzaman named in the document
as Said Okur. This historic document drops a couple of eye-catching lines describing Husrev Efendi:
“There are proofs that he, the suspect Husrev Altınbaşak, has read Said Okur’s (Said Nursi) books for twenty two years, reproduced
and spread them by copying and rewriting, sent to the people who required these books, duplicating the letters of Said Nursi and sent them to the ones who desired and that they call
the people who read and study these letters and works as “Noor Students”, and that they, Noor Students, recognize Said Nursi as their “Master (Ustad)”, that their spiritual community is called as Madrasatu’z Zahra, that him (Husrev Altınbaşak) being prosecuted with many times together with Said Okur (Said Nursi) and even sentenced to jail, and that investigations carried out in his house resulted in finding works written by Said Okur (Said Nursi) and that he (Husrev Altınbaşak) wrote these works unto special waxed papers and sent them to another suspect Tahir Mutlu to copy them, that letters of Said Nursi were found in his house, these books and transfers were sent in Rusdu Cakin’s address,
and that he, Husrev Altınbaşak, being one of the earliest
and the most active Noor follower, and as being the most reliable person of Said Nursi, is known as “Second Ustad” with the approval of himself as well as the witnesses and the proofs in the seized documents during the investigation.”
Despite him being highly regarded by both Ustad Said Nursi and the Noor students, Husrev Efendi’s attitude never changed and he stayed humble. He was always respectful and sincere to his Ustad as well as his friends in his cause.
The letters that Husrev Efendi wrote to Imam Bediuzzaman
are like guidance books for the students of Noor about the importance of the Risale-i Nur, manners and behaviours to Imam Bediuzzaman and the Risale-i Nur. The letters that Husrev Efendi wrote are also like the sincere poems coming out of the Qur’an’s massive effect on human nature through the Risale-i Nur.
The letter he wrote to his Ustad is one of the best examples
of it:
“Your student, whose all deeds are faulty and full of shame...”
He had laid all his presence with a sense of loyalty and submission
to his beloved Ustad. He was being badly treated. Even if he was treated much worse than his current situation
every day, and if he had happened to have hundreds of thousands of lives, he was, surely and sincerely, eager to give away these lives for his Ustad.
Your sinful student has desired a protector from his Creator. If my book of deeds is scrutinized which has black dots from top to bottom, it will be found that how much I begged for and how I desired this. For the sake of the service for the Holy Qur’an, I accepted to sacrifice my life. I would regard it as a great happiness and honour to sacrifice each and every one of them, if I had lives as much amount as the inhabitants of earth.
O My Beloved Ustad! O My Precious Teacher! O my Guide whom I was seeking for years! O Sacred Inviter to the Qur’an! I feel that my sorrow happens to turn into happiness.” [39]