The Madrassa of Sinan Pasha

Assalamu ‘alaykum wa rahmat Allahi wa barakatuh

Recently myself and some family members visited a historic madrassa. Run by several trained and extremely hospitable volunteers, this madrassa was originally commissioned by the Grand Wazir Koca (Great) Sinan Pasha.

We were welcomed by Brother Tufan (a volunteer of three years) and Brother Ahmad (the director of the foundation) who graciously offered us fresh Turkish tea and some snacks. Brother Tufan took us to the calligraphy room, made us comfortable and introduced us to the founder and history of the madrassa.

Although Sinan Pasha was born to a humble farmer family in Albania, he was very capable and intelligent, and became one of the most important people in the Ottoman State after the Sultan.

After studying in the Royal College Enderun (a school established during the Ottoman Empire for the most promising children), he initially started his service to Sultan Sulayman as a chef. Soon after he became the Governor of Egypt and led important military expeditions, earning himself the title of the Conqueror of Tunisia and Yemen.

He established his madrassa two years before his demise in 1596. This served as a hub of learning hadiths of the Prophet ﷺ for almost 400 years until it was shut down during the years of the Turkish Republic. During this time, distribution of the Qur’an was banned, the Arabic language was banned and the call to prayer (adhan) was changed from Arabic to Turkish. Islam was relegated to the four walls of the masjids.

Alhamdulilah for the past nine years, the masdrassa has reopened its doors and the government has handed it over to a private foundation. Today they hold regular classes on hadith and tafsir, presentations on the history and architecture of the madrassa, workshops on calligraphy and arguably most importantly it now also serves as a da’wah centre.

Brother Tufan explained that in the summer seasons they receive visitors from over 25 different countries. They sit with the visitors, helping them in any way they can, answering questions they may have, introducing them to the Qur’an (which the government provides in almost all the languages of the world).

But before introducing visitors to Islam, they invite them to reflect on the universe: Who exactly created the universe?

Brother Turfan shared a recent article he read about a small bird that migrates 12,000 km from Alaska to New Zealand. Before its journey, the bird lowers its body weight by shrinking some of its internal organs. A highly efficient flyer, it consumes less than 1/200th of its body mass per hour of flight – half the rate of many other shorebirds. Its wings and body shape are also optimised for long-haul flights. It remains a mystery how the birds are able to navigate such large distances without stopping and without getting lost: It flies an extremely precise journey as if it has a map of the world and knows exactly where to go.

Scientists marvel at this creation but they do not think who gave the bird this perfect apparatus!

Why do we see colour?

Do we even notice we blink up to 1,200 times in an hour?

What good is the sustenance we enjoy if we don’t get hungry?

Some people say it is just a coincidence or it’s just ‘nature’. But are these really convincing explanations? In reality, they are just giving nature the attributes of Allah Most High.

Brother Tufan explained he often uses this example:
“If I have a pot of ink, and just unintentionally pour it on the floor, what is the possibility that your name will be written on the floor with the black ink? Pointing to the calligraphy in the room, he said what if the wind blows, what is the possibility that these beautiful patterns will just appear on the ground? Nothing.

Everything is designed perfectly and this can only be achieved by a perfect creator.

Alhamdulilah during my visit I learnt a lot about the history of Islam in Turkey as well as tips on how to effectively convey da’wah to non-Muslims. Insha’Allah I hope to share some gems in the upcoming weeks.

Salams

Munibah

PS – If you haven’t already started preparing for Ramadan, check out our Du’a Book Bundle to get you started on your du’a lists for the blessed month ahead.