Reading a Century of Change and Transformation through the ‘Ulamā

The nineteenth century marks a period of major transition for the Ottoman Empire. The changes and transformations that took place during this century differed significantly from those in previous centuries … Continue reading Reading a Century of Change and Transformation through the ‘Ulamā

Jāmi‘ al-Riyāsatayn Shaykh al-Islām Hasan Fahmi Efendi

Jāmi‘ al-Riyāsatayn[1] Akşehirī Hasan Fahmi Efendi was born in 1796 in Ilgın, a district in Konya. He went to Konya to study at the important madrasas of the region and … Continue reading Jāmi‘ al-Riyāsatayn Shaykh al-Islām Hasan Fahmi Efendi

A Literary Bureaucrat Scholar and Shaykh al-Islām: Ahmad Ārif Hikmet Bey Efendi

Studies on the Ottoman Shaykh al-Islāms are largely focused on a few names, their fatwās, and their relations with the state. It is a fact that the fatwā constituted a … Continue reading A Literary Bureaucrat Scholar and Shaykh al-Islām: Ahmad Ārif Hikmet Bey Efendi

Ottoman Shaykh al-Islāms of the Nineteenth Century and their Intellectual Biographies

Foundational studies on Islamic legal history in the modern era have largely ignored ​​Ottoman legal thought and experience. This approach, which dominated the historiography of Islamic law written in the … Continue reading Ottoman Shaykh al-Islāms of the Nineteenth Century and their Intellectual Biographies