Vefât-nâmes, which were initially written to commemorate the death of the Prophet and later extended to include the deaths of the four caliphs, prominent religious figures, and certain statesmen, are also found in Chagatai Turkish. One such vefât-nâme is part of a 322-folio manuscript that was copied in the Post-Classical period of Chagatai Turkish in East Turkistan. The work, located between folios 281b-291a in prose, is titled “vefāt-nāme-i ān ḥażret ṣallāhü ʿaleyhi ve sellem.” The work begins with praise to God and blessings upon the Prophet. It recounts how, when the Prophet’s health deteriorated, he appointed Hz. Abu Bakr to lead prayers in his place, which saddened the companions who witnessed this. The narrative concludes with the Prophet’s farewell and passing, after a final moment of reconciliation with Hz. Ukasha. In this study, the text has been transcribed, and its phonological and morphological aspects have been analyzed. Language phenomena, along with Oghuz Turkish elements, are explained where necessary in the phonological and morphological sections. Since the study is based on an examination of the text, the document analysis technique was used.
Chagatai Turkish, vefât-nâme, death of the Prophet, grammar analysis, transcription.