Samples of Huzur-i Humayun Lessons in Ottomans: Critical Edition and Dissection of Tafsir Text -4

The commentary lessons of the qur’an, which used to be performed in ramadan in the presence of the ottoman sultans, were called huzur lessons. one good example of these lessons is the commentary on the 65th, 66th and 67th verses of the sura al-a‘raf, which was presented by al-hajj umar lutfi efendi in the presence of sultan abdul-hamid the second, in the month of ramadan in 1296 ah. after the presentation, thirty three questions were directed to umar lutfi efendi. finally, a long prayer was made by the presenter. in this article, a tafsir lesson which encompasses the 65th, 66th and 67th verses of the sura al-a‘raf was edited critically with its presentation and discussion and prayer chapters. the first chapter of this lesson that is named takrir (presentation) is in ottoman turkish. this part was written in the latin alphabet. the second chapter of this lesson that is named munazara (discussion) is in arabic. this part was written in the arabic alphabet. the last part, which consists of prayers, is in arabic too. it was written in the arabic alphabet too. this text was written on the basis of the manucript’s copy available in the topkapı palace museum.