Ismet Efendi's commentary on Pend-i Attar Titled Tuhfetü'l-İsmet (Analysis-text-commentary dictionary)

Ismet Süleyman Efendi was a scholarly figure who lived in the early 18th century. Although there is not much information about his life and works in biographical sources, the literature states that he penned a commentary on the Pend-nâme. The academic studies on the Pend-nâme commentaries have indicated that this work is missing, yet there have been various statements about its author. While some claim that this work belongs to Ismet Süleyman Efendi, others attribute it to Ismet Mehmed Efendi, one of the famous scholarly figures of the period. Ismet Süleyman Efendi cited that he authored his work, which he called Tuhfetü'l-İsmet, upon the request of his hodja Seyyid Hasîb Efendi. This request was about identifying the modifications in the Pend-nâme copies, eliminating some difficulties in the couplets, and providing convenience to those who aspire to learn Persian. The author meticulously analyzed the differences in the copies of the Pend-nâme by adhering to the purpose of writing the work. This work, which adopted the traditional commentary method, addressed the grammatical features of the words in the couplets after identifying the copy differences and clarified the metaphorical and allusive interpretations of the words beyond their dictionary meanings. Subsequently, the author completed couplet commentaries by translating the couplets supported by subject-related verses, hadiths, or quotations. If the mentioned copy differences affected the meaning, the author extended the translation in light of these differences. Yet again, the author wrote the work in a simple language consistent with its intended purpose and formatted it as an instructive text for those who will begin to learn Persian to facilitate their language retention. This study presented for the first time the transcribed text of Tuhfetü'l-İsmet, a commentary on Pend-nâme, and attempted to identify the place of the work in Turkish commentary literature and made it available for the benefit of the scientific community. Keywords: İsmet Efendi, Classical Turkish Literature, Classical Persian Literature, Pend-nâme Commentary, Tuhfetü'l-İsmet.