Şeyhülislam Arzları ve Padişah İradeleri

The work, edited for publication by Assoc. Prof. Dr. İlhami Yurdakul, contains details that shed light on the history of Turkish modernization. Discussions on the history of Ottoman modernization focus on the Tanzimat process, which originated during the reigns of Selim III and Mahmud II. The most serious issue in these discussions, are matters of Islamic law and religious affairs. One of the fundamental sources necessary for a proper understanding of these modernization debates consists of the petitions written by the Shaykh al-Islāms and the sultans’ responses to them, in other words, the petitions and decrees. Through the petitions of the Shaykh al-Islāms and the sultans decisions, this book provides new insights into numerous topics during the Tanzimat era, including religion-state relations, education, the judiciary, bureaucratic reform, and language and mindset. In particular, this source will serve as a fundamental reference for both domestic and foreign researchers conducting studies on the high-ranking ulema of the Tanzimat era and on matters of Islamic law and religious affairs. In this pioneering study, titled “Şeyhülislam Arzları ve Padişah İradeleri (1845–1878),” the author examines the submissions written by Shaikh al-Islam Arif Hikmet Bey, Meşrebzade Mehmed Arif Efendi, Mehmed Saadeddin Efendi, Hasan Fehmi Efendi, Ahmed Muhtar Beyefendi, Kethudazâde Ahmed Muhtar Bey, and Hasan Hayrullah Efendi during their time as Shaikh al-Islam, as well as the decrees issued by the sultans of the era.