Mulla Effendi

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Mulla Effendi
Mulla Effendi
Born 1863
Erbil, Iraq
Died December 31, 1942
Erbil, Iraq

Mulla Abu Bakr Effendi, also Mulla Effendi (also spelled Mala Afandi), (Kurdish: مه‌لا ئه‌فه‌ندى) (Arabic: ملا أفندي‎) also Abu Bakr IIII or Küçük Mulla, (1863 - December 31, 1942) was a senior Kurdish Muslim cleric, Islamic philosopher, scholar, astronomer, politician, and a prominent Iraqi personality from Erbil, Iraq.

Mulla Effendi was born into a respected and intellectual family of Islamic scholars who settled in Erbil in the 16th century and spent most of their life learning and teaching Islamic studies at the Great Mosque at the Citadel of Erbil. His family was well-known and influential throughout Kurdistan for their piety and learning for hundred years before him.[1][2]

After being educated at the Great Mosque, Mulla Effendi like his ancestors spent most of his time teaching and learning there. During his life he granted more than hundred scientific licenses for scholars from different parts of Iraq, Iran, and the Middle East in general, and sponsored the living and study costs of his students. He also contributed in establishing many schools and mosques in Erbil and in many villages.[3]

He became one of the most influential figures in Kurdistan in the late 19th century and until his death.[4] He had an important role in disengaging tribal conflicts during the ottoman rule where he received the highest recognition by the Ottoman Sultan Abdul Hamid II. Throughout the British Mandate and after the creation of Iraq he played a prominent role in inspiring and directing the public opinion, as well as being deeply involved in the political process of the region. In 1924, he strongly urged appending Mosul Wilayah to Iraq in his meeting with the members of the League of Nations commission. He also advocated the rights of the Christian inhabitants of Ankawa. In the events of 1941, the Iraqi royal family chose his house as the most suitable and safe for their stay, and when King Faisal II returned, he awarded him "Wisam al-Rafidain" of the first order as a reward for his services for his country. He also received many honors and tributes during his life and afterward and places have been named after him.

Contents

[edit] Early life and family

Mulla Effendi at the Great Mosque.
Mulla Effendi at the Great Mosque.

Mulla Abu Bakr Effendi's family is traced back to a known family that emigrated Iran during the 16th century at the time of Shah Ismail I Safawi of Iran along with other families, and was settled in Erbil. The reason of the emigration was of differences between the chief leader of the family and the Shah then.[5]

His ancestors for several generations before him were famous scholars teaching Islamic studies at the Great Mosque at the Citadel of Erbil. They were widely known and respected throughout Kurdistan for their piety and knowledge. He was named "Küçük Mulla" or "Malla i Gichka" (that means "Little Mulla") after his grandfather Abu Bakr III Effendi (1778-1855) who was known by that name because he completed his study of Islamic sciences in a record period as no one had done before in that age.[5]

Mulla Effendi received his education from his father, Hajji Omer Effendi, who was the speaker of the Great Mosque. Mulla Effendi soon began teaching and writing when he was young for his passion for study and learning. He was only twenty eight years when he took his father's place after his father's death in 1891.

In 1908, Mulla Effendi renovated the Great Mosque. He taught Islamic philosophy, Islamic history, science, mathematics, astronomy and ethics. He was the only source of Fatwā in Erbil and for nearby tribes and villages where he granted more than hundred scientific licenses for scholars from different parts of Iraq, Iran, and the Middle East in general.[5]

Mulla Effendi's whole family were consumptive, he had lost two wives and three daughters through this complaint. He had been married four times during his life, and had left two sons and three daughters.[1] In 1913, he moved from his house at the citadel to his new house in Badawa (3 km southeast of the citadel, at ( 36°10′14.04″N, 44°02′12.13″E), after its completion.[6]


[edit] Works

[edit] Ottoman Empire

During the Ottoman Empire, Mulla Effendi's family had a significant role in disengaging public conflicts and settling disputes between Kurdish tribes. At one time, Sultan Abdul Hamid II requested Mulla Effendi's help to settle a conflict between two big Kurdish tribes. Mulla Effendi used his influence to reconcile the two tribes.

For his achievement, sultan Abdul Hamid II granted him the "Servant of the Two Shrines" medal. It was considered the second highest rank Order of the Ottoman Empire[7].

[edit] British mandate

During the beginning of the British mandate, following the arrival of the British troops into Iraq, the country was in a state of anarchy. Mulla Effendi gathered the tribal leaders and urged them to refrain from taking any action that would compromise the stability of the country[8]. Lieut.-Colonel Sir William Rupert Hay, the British Political Officer of Erbil, and author of "Two Years in Kurdistan, Experiences of a Political Officer 1918-1920", described Mulla Effendi's role in inspiring and directing the public opinion, in moderating wild tribal instincts, and in talking to the tribal chiefs over to a reasonable attitude. He described Mulla Effendi in his book as the following:

Mulla Effendi in a large group photo with Erbil notables in 1930s.
Mulla Effendi in a large group photo with Erbil notables in 1930s.
Mulla Effendi and Ahmed Uthman Effendi receiving Zeki al-Basri, President of the Senate, in Mulla Effendi's house in Badawa.
Mulla Effendi and Ahmed Uthman Effendi receiving Zeki al-Basri, President of the Senate, in Mulla Effendi's house in Badawa.
Mulla Effendi and Ahmed Uthman Effendi with the Iraqi Minister of Education Sami Shawkat in Badawa.
Mulla Effendi and Ahmed Uthman Effendi with the Iraqi Minister of Education Sami Shawkat in Badawa.
“ ... Of these Mulla Effendi is far and away the most important; I often used to visit him at his house at Badawa, the scene of the negotiations with the Dizai chiefs. It is a lovely place shut in by orchards and vineyards with, on the east side, a small water-tank surrounded by flower-beds thick with whatever blooms happen to be in season. Close by roses and jasmine perfume the air. The building is of two storeys, in each of which there is a large open room facing north; that below contains a fountain while the upper one is separated from the open air by a finely carved screen of walnut wood. There are various inner rooms, beautifully carpeted, some of them containing fine inlaid furniture. The whole style of the building is highly ornate, the ceiling being painted in a mosaic. Mulla Effendi spends his days in the Great Mosque of Arbil, and betakes himself to this retreat in the evening. His real name is Abubekr, but he is always known as Mulla Effendi or Mulla i Gichka, the Little Mulla. Short stature he possessed refined and aquiline features, and the tranquil look of a really pious man; I have never seen such a pair of delicate hands as his. He wears normally a long grey gown stretching to his feet, and a fez wound round with pale blue muslin. He is respected throughout Kurdistan for his piety and learning; his ancestors for several generations before him have earned a similar reputation, and it is said that none of the family, which owns large properties, have ever yet laid a complaint against any man. Mulla Effendi is trustee for the endowments of the Great Mosque; he normally leads the services there and preaches the Friday sermon. Unlike most of his class he is decidedly progressive, reading modern periodicals from Egypt and Turkey, and talking with intelligence on political and scientific subjects. I asked him one day his attitude with regard to the situation in Mesopotamia, and he replied, "Everyone wishes to see his mother country independent. At present, however, we are split by mutual jealousies, and there is nobody fit to govern. We want you to look after us until security is restored, and we are capable of governing ourselves." He remained true to this policy throughout, and though, as became one of his cloth, he refused any official position, he always supported the Government with his influence to this utmost of his power, and it was he more than anybody else who led public opinion in Arbil. Ahmad Effendi, his cousin and my faithful adherent, acted very largely on his advice.[9][10] ”

Also, in his book, he wrote:

“ ... Yet I have rarely met a more modest man; he would not listen to my expressions of gratitude, and merely stated that he strove and always had striven for the good of his country and his people. ”


An aerial view of Citadel of Erbil on Jan 2008 shows the Great Mosque at the center. The Great Mosque is considered to be the oldest mosque in Erbil. It is also known as the White Mosque or Citadel Mosque.
An aerial view of Citadel of Erbil on Jan 2008 shows the Great Mosque at the center. The Great Mosque is considered to be the oldest mosque in Erbil. It is also known as the White Mosque or Citadel Mosque.
Badawa Palace, it was the residence of Mulla Effendi. The house was constructed by foreman Nahum. Mulla Effendi moved there from the Citadel in 1913. In 1960, some Barzani families who returned from the Soviet Union lived at the house until 1961 where they moved out with the start of the revolt. After then the family of Sheikh Rasheed Lolan and his followers moved to the house until 1967, where a fire destroyed the house, the building was left unrenovated, and the land was sold.
Badawa Palace, it was the residence of Mulla Effendi. The house was constructed by foreman Nahum. Mulla Effendi moved there from the Citadel in 1913. In 1960, some Barzani families who returned from the Soviet Union lived at the house until 1961 where they moved out with the start of the revolt. After then the family of Sheikh Rasheed Lolan and his followers moved to the house until 1967, where a fire destroyed the house, the building was left unrenovated, and the land was sold.









Gertrude Bell had often visited Mulla Effendi at his house in Badawa, and menioned him in her letters to her father published in 1927, a year after her death by her stepmother in two volumes.[11][12]


A.M. Hamilton, who was notable for building the Hamilton Road through Kurdistan, described him in his book published in 1937 "Road through Kurdistan".[13][14] Also, Lieut.-Colonel Sir Wallace A. Lyon, the predecessor of Lieut.-Colonel Sir William Rupert Hay, described Mulla Effendi's status in his autobiography (1918-44):

“ The most influential notable in Arbil province was Abubeker, a rich and holy Moslem cleric who was always referred to as Mulla Effendi. He followed both world and local politics with great interest, and his wide knowledge of most subjects from astronomy to botany was extraordinary in view of the fact that he had never travelled outside the province. After his first few wives had died of tuberculosis he had sense enough to leave the Qala and build himself a villa on a stream about a mile south of the town. He set up his own chapel, his library of Persian, Turkish and Arabic books, his garden and guest house, and seldom left it except for the Friday Prayer in the big mosque in the Qala. Whenever I returned from leave, a long absence in the mountains from a frontier affray, or escaped an ambush, he would call on me in the office and invite me to a banquet at his villa. He was a most charming conversationalist and a lavish host. The lunch was usually a fourteen-course affair, composed of nearly all the principal Turkish, Persian and Arab dishes, to which we did full justice.

There were times when he would call on me to warn me that in the near future he would have to lead a deputation pleading for mercy for some notorious criminal. Would I receive the deputation politely and agree to consider the case, but on no account was I to allow this to influence my ultimate decision, because in fact the criminal in question was a notorious blackguard who well merited whatever was coming to him. I was to understand that as a leader of the notables he had to do his duty etc., etc. He had great influence with the tribal chiefs who were always going to him for advice, and a line from him would be sure of a favourable reception from an otherwise bigoted and unco-operative public. He could reassure them about drinking water from a clean source pumped by infidel engines to the top of the Qala, and when the first troop of Boy Scouts was looked up with suspicious as the beginning of conscription, it was Mulla Effendi who told his sons to Join. The rest followed like sheep.[15]

 ”


In 1924 at the time the problem of Mosul Wilayah was under discussion at the League of Nations about the dispute between Iraq and Turkey over the control of the former Ottoman province of Mosul, the members of the League of Nations Commission visited Mulla Effendi at his house in Badawa to discuss with him the case[16]. In the meeting, he strongly supported appending Mosul to Iraq and stressed the rights of the Kurdish population.[8]

Mulla Effendi with his sons, Izaddin Mulla Effendi (L), and Qasim Mulla Effendi (R), at Badawa Palace in 1937.
Mulla Effendi with his sons, Izaddin Mulla Effendi (L), and Qasim Mulla Effendi (R), at Badawa Palace in 1937.



This photo was taken in Mulla Effendi's house at Badawa in 1936. Standing in front from left: Mulla Effendi, Rashid Ali Al-Gaylani, Zeki al-Basri (President of the Senate "Majlis al-Ayan"), Emin Zeki, Ahmed Tawfiq (Mutasarrıf of Erbil), Qadir Miran. Standing in behind from Left: Izaddin Mulla Effendi, Maruf Chiawuk, Amin Zaki's son, Director of the Police Department, Khidri Pasha, Maruf Pirdawud.
This photo was taken in Mulla Effendi's house at Badawa in 1936. Standing in front from left: Mulla Effendi, Rashid Ali Al-Gaylani, Zeki al-Basri (President of the Senate "Majlis al-Ayan"), Emin Zeki, Ahmed Tawfiq (Mutasarrıf of Erbil), Qadir Miran. Standing in behind from Left: Izaddin Mulla Effendi, Maruf Chiawuk, Amin Zaki's son, Director of the Police Department, Khidri Pasha, Maruf Pirdawud.

In December 1924 and June 1931, King Faisal I visited him in his house in Badawa in Erbil and thanked him for his efforts and his calls for reconciliation and peace to the different groups in the region.[17][18] King Faisal I was quoted as describing Mulla Effendi to his brother as saying:

“ I think you have never seen Mulla Effendi, I wish you had seen him, he has no like in the North, not even in Iraq, not even in horizons. [19] ”






[edit] Ankawa Christians

In the early of 1920s, some groups threatened to take over the lands of the Christian indigenous inhabitants of Ankawa. The Archbishop and town chiefs went to meet Mulla Effendi at the Great Mosque to explain to him the situation and make him aware about the rise of tensions in Ankawa. He immediately gathered the tribal leaders in Erbil and informed the tribesmen that he will consider any attack against the Christians as an attack on him. By that, he prevented any further attempts of taking over the Christian lands in Ankawa.

Mulla Effendi (sitting third one from the left), King Ghazi (middle). This photo was taken during King Ghazi's visit to Erbil in the mid of 1930s.
Mulla Effendi (sitting third one from the left), King Ghazi (middle). This photo was taken during King Ghazi's visit to Erbil in the mid of 1930s.

[edit] 1941 coup d'etat

During the last days of the Anglo-Iraqi War, before British troops enter Baghdad, and before the collapse of Rashid Ali Al-Gaylani government, Rashid Ali phone called Mulla Effendi and informed him that he chose his house for the royal family to stay in for a while until the conflict ends. King Faisal II, Queen Alia, members of the royal family, and court escorts and servants left Baghdad on May 28, 1941 to stay at Mulla Effendi's house at Badawa. He opened his house for them and moved his family to his other house at the citadel and invited tribal leaders to Badawa to express solidarity with the royal family. On June 3 1941, after two days of the return of Regent Abd al-Ilah from Habbaniyah to Baghdad, the royal family left Badawa and returned to Baghdad.[17]

On his return to Baghdad King Faisal II decorated Mulla Effendi with Wisam al-Rafidain "the Medal of the Two Rivers" of the first order for his works for the country.[8]

Fata al-Iraq newspaper on a special issue commemorated the death of Mulla Effendi, February 11, 1943.
Fata al-Iraq newspaper on a special issue commemorated the death of Mulla Effendi, February 11, 1943.

[edit] Death and legacy

Abu Bakr Mulla Effendi died on Thursday December 31, 1942. As was his will, eight Quran reciters recited Quran continuously for forty days on his grave. He was buried in the family's private cemetery in Badawa. His death was a sad loss to many. Highest ranking members of the government and personalities paid tribute to his family such as Deputy Chief of Royal Protocol on behalf of Regent Abd al-Ilah, the Iraqi Premier then Nuri as-Said, the British Ambassador to Iraq in Baghdad Sir Kinahan Cornwallis, the President of the Senate Sayyid Muhammad al-Sadr, Mutasarrif of Mosul Abdul-Majeed al-Yaqubi, Jamil al-Midfai (served five times as Prime Minister of Iraq), Dawud al-Haidary (well-known Iraqi statesman), and many others. Also, many local and International newspapers and radio stations broadcasted the news of his death.[5][19]


Well-known scholars who received license from Mulla Effendi included: Sheikh Mustafa al-Naqishbandi, Wahbatallah Effendi "Mufti of the palace", Mulla Abdullah Mariwani, Sayyid Abdullah Effendi Mukiryani, Abdulfattah Effendi Shwani, Sheikh Muhammad al-Khal, al-Haj Mulla Muhammad al-Sudani, Sheikh Arif Ashnawi, Muhammad Tajaddin al-Talshi, Mulla Muhammad al-Sawij Bolaqi, Mulla Muhammad al-Saqzi, Mulla Abdullah al-Burhani, al-Mulla Abdullfattah al-Khati, al-Haj Mulla Salih Koza Banka, and other well-known scholars.

His scientific and religious works are well-known and available in the schools of Erbil. He contributed in establishing many schools and mosques in Erbil and in many villages. He also sponsored the living and study costs of his students in the Great Mosque. He had the privilege to send each year two students to al-Azhar in Cairo for pursuing study. He maintained strong relations with senior scholars from Egypt, Turkey, Pakistan, and other places.

Mulla Effendi with his sons, Izaddin Mulla Effendi (Left), and Qasim Mulla Effendi (Right), at Badawa in 1930s.
Mulla Effendi with his sons, Izaddin Mulla Effendi (Left), and Qasim Mulla Effendi (Right), at Badawa in 1930s.

[edit] Library

He had two very big libraries. One of them was at the Great Mosque, and the other was at Badawa. The libraries were full of references, valuable and rare manuscripts and printed materials. The libraries contained books on language, science, grammar, morphology, rhetoric, Tafsir "Explanation of the Quran", Hadith "Traditions of the Profit", linguistics, doctrine, logic, literature.[8]

In the mid 1960s, a fire destroyed the library at Badawa and some of the books in that library were lost. The books that were at the library of the citadel and some of the Badawa library are preserved to this day, and the majority of the manuscripts are at Dar al-Makhtutat al-Iraqiyya / the Iraqi House of Manuscripts (formerly Dar Saddam lil-Makhtutat / Saddam House of Manuscripts).

[edit] Books

  • Tafsir "Quran Explanation" (manuscript).
  • The Astrolabe (manuscript).
  • Algebra "Old Verbal Method" (manuscript).
  • Commentaries on "the Attitudes of Public Situations" in explanation of al-Jarjani book.
  • Commentaries on (Orbits Law).
  • Commentaries on (Astrolabe) book.
  • Translated from Turkish "al-Badeea" book, on using the Astrolabe.
  • Translations from Turkish and Persian into Kurdish and Arabic.
  • Poems in Kurdish, Arabic, Turkish, and Persian.
Piramerd's "On the death of Mulla Effendi"
Piramerd's "On the death of Mulla Effendi"

[edit] Honors and tributes

Mulla Effendi received many honors and tributes during his life and afterward and places have been named after him.

  • "Servant of the Two Holy Shrines" medal of the first order of the Ottoman Empire was granted to Mulla Effendi by Sultan Abdul Hamid II.
  • Wisam al-Rafidain (the Medal of the Two Rivers) of the first order was granted by King Faisal II of Iraq.
  • The famous Kurdish poet Piramerd wrote in 1943 a poem following his death titled "On the death of Mulla Effendi".[20]
  • Many famous poets praised Mulla Effendi in their poems, including Sheikh Raza Talabani[21], Nemat-Allah al-Nema, and Abdul-Rahman al-Bana.[5]
Mulla Effendi with his son, Izaddin Mulla Effendi, in Badawa in 1929.
Mulla Effendi with his son, Izaddin Mulla Effendi, in Badawa in 1929.

[edit] Trivia

  • Mulla Effendi almost never traveled outside Erbil. The only time he did was to Mosul, to visit the Wāli of Mosul Wilayah, Sulaiman Nadheef (Ottoman Empire then), who was a close friend to his father.
  • Mulla Effendi was the first one to own a car in Erbil. He used his car for his movements between his house in Badawa and the Great Mosque at the citadel.

[edit] References

  1. ^ a b Fieldhouse, David K. (2002). Kurds, Arabs and Britons: The Memoir of Col. W.A. Lyon in Kurdistan, 1918-1945. I. B. Tauris. ISBN 1860646131. 
  2. ^ Barzani, Massoud (2003). Mustafa Barzani and the Kurdish Liberation Movement. Palgrave Macmillan. ISBN 031229316X. 
  3. ^ (1987) Between the Past and the Present, Historic Personalities From Erbil. Erbil, Iraq. 
  4. ^ al-Matbayi, Muhammad (1996). The Encyclopedia of Great Figures of Iraq in the 20th Century. Ministry of Culture and Information of Iraq, p.14. 
  5. ^ a b c d e Ismail, Zubeir Bilal (1983). Scholars and Schools in Erbil. Erbil, Iraq, pp.79-80. 
  6. ^ Abbas Hormizyar & Shwan Sarabi (2001). The Religious Kurdish Personality, The Famous Scholar, Mulla Effendi, Asoy Folklore Magazine. Ministry of Culture, Kurdistan Regional Government, p. 25. 
  7. ^ Abbas Hormizyar & Shwan Sarabi (2001). The Religious Kurdish Personality, The Famous Scholar, Mulla Effendi, Asoy Folklore Magazine. Ministry of Culture, Kurdistan Regional Government, p. 35. 
  8. ^ a b c d "Special Issue: The 40th Day Memory of the Death of Mulla Abu Bakr Effendi", Fata al-Iraq, 1943-11-02, p. 4. 
  9. ^ Hay, Rupert (1920). Two years in Kurdistan: Experiences of a political officer, 1918-1920. Sidgwick & Jackson. 
  10. ^ Rich, Paul (2001). A Soldier in Kurdistan: Rupert Hay's Two Years in Kurdistan, 2nd, Authors Choice Press. ISBN 0595149456. 
  11. ^ Gertrude Bell (Author) & Jan Morris (Introduction) (New Edition March 26, 1987). The Letters of Gertrude Bell: An Extraordinary Record of the Arab World with an Introduction. Penguin Books Ltd. ISBN 0140095748. 
  12. ^ The Gertrude Bell Project, Letters, http://www.gerty.ncl.ac.uk/letters/l1532.htm
  13. ^ Hamilton, A. M. (1947). Road Through Kurdistan: The Narrative Of An Engineer in Iraq. Faber & Faber. 
  14. ^ Hamilton, Archibald Milne (2005). Road through Kurdistan: The Narrative of an Engineer in Iraq. Tauris Parke Paperbacks. ISBN 1850436371. 
  15. ^ Fieldhouse, David K. (2002). Kurds, Arabs and Britons: The Memoir of Col. W.A. Lyon in Kurdistan, 1918-1945. I. B. Tauris, pp. 91-2. ISBN 1860646131. 
  16. ^ Edmonds, C. J (December 1957). Kurds, Turks, and Arabs, 1st, Oxford University Press, pp. 410-11. 
  17. ^ a b Shareef, Tarik I. (1988). Personalities in our Memory. Youth and Culture Printing Office, Erbil, Iraq. 
  18. ^ Fieldhouse, David K. (2002). Kurds, Arabs and Britons: The Memoir of Col. W.A. Lyon in Kurdistan, 1918-1945. I. B. Tauris, p. 142. ISBN 1860646131. 
  19. ^ a b "Special Issue: The 40th Day Memory of the Death of Mulla Abu Bakr Effendi", Fata al-Iraq, 1943-11-02, p. 2. 
  20. ^ Hawar, M. Rasoul (1970). Piramerd, the Immortal. al-Ani Press, Baghdad, Iraq. 
  21. ^ Shukur, Mustafa (2000). The Divan of Sheikh Razay Talabani. Aras Printing & Publishing Agency, pp.475-80, p. 543.