Add MS 19805

This volume contains a mesnevi on the life and miracles of Ali by Yemini. The author of the text, who appears to have been Shi'i in his practice of Islam, has been often overlooked by some of the more popular Ottoman biographers, given their preference for Sunni interpretations of Islam. He frequently designates himself, in the course of the poem, by his mahlas, Yemini. His proper name was Derviş Mehmet, his surname Hafızoğlu, and his father was a native of Samarqand (f 222v). He states towards the end of the text that the poem was composed in 925 AH (1519 CE), and that it consists of 7360 beyitler (f 223v).

The Faziletname does have clear components of Shi'i theology, and deals with the most striking legends that have gathered around İmam Ali's name. It was written in the Ottoman Empire, according to the author, for those champions of Rum who cherished the twelve İmamlar and the prophet's family, and who laid down their lives in the path of faith. He claims to follow the tradition of ᶜabbās Jābir as handed down by Mūsá Qāḍim.

The prologue is followed (f 7v) by an introduction dealing with the 'light' of the Prophet Muhammad صلعم , the birth of Ali, and the various miracles which accompanied or followed it. The poem is divided into twenty sections, each of which is called 'fazilet', with the following headings:

(I) f 34r : Der beyan-i efzal el-fazail der fazilet-i İmam Ali ;

(II) f 39v : Der beyan-i hikayet-i Zeyram ;

(III) f 51r : Der beyan-i ahval-i afrit ;

(IV) f 58v : Der ahval-i Cibrail ;

(V) f 58v : Der ahval-i Kaysar-i Rum Kesri-yi İran ve Mülk Necaşi ;

(VI) f 88r : Der ahval-i Yahudiyan ;

(VII) f 93r : Der keşten-i bena an İbn-i Saman ;

(VIII) f 103r : Der güzeşte-yi Nasir Tusi ;

(IX) f 113r : Der beyan-i ahval-i Saman ;

(X) f 119v : Der ahval-i murg-i kafi ;

(XI) f 125r : Der ahval-i afrit-i diğer ;

(XII) f 135v : Der hurmat Peyran ;

(XIII) f 137v : Sualat ez İmam Ali kerem Allah vecihihi ;

(XIV) f 144r : Der sahavet Haydar ez ahval-i Pir Emdad ;

(XV) f 161v : Ahval-i Bağ-i Ucuze ez dest-i Mehmet Hanafiye ;

(XVI) f 168r : Der fath-i Hayber ;

(XVII) f 175r : Der beyan-i heft merd sahıb-i enkar ;

(XVIII) f 182v : Der veda-i Hacc ve vasiyet-i Resul aleyhi es-selam ;

(XIX) f 191v : Der vakı'a-yi İbn-i Sufyan ba Pir Maasarci ;

(XX) f 209v : Der vefat-i İmam Ali kerem Allah vecihihi.

The copying of this manuscript was completed in Şaban 1087 AH (October-November 1676 CE).