The effect of hanafi fiqh thought on the early ottoman fiqh studies in the mamluk period

Abstract

This article examines the influence of the Hanafi philosophy of the Mamluk period on the early Ottoman fiqh studies. Since the Egyptian and Damascus regions, which were un-der the rule of the Mamluks, became the most important centres of knowledge in the Islamic world, it is understood that the Mamluks' scientific knowledge was superior to the Ottomans. On this occasion, many scholars who were considered the leading figures of the Ottoman sci-entific community turned to Egypt and Damascus regions and benefited from the scientific accumulation there. In fact, these scholars who played an active role in the formation of the Ottoman scientific environment completed their education in Damascus and Egypt under the rule of the Mamluks and graduated from the Mamluk education system and assumed im-portant roles in the formation of the Ottoman science understanding. During this period, the Hanafi judges (fuqaha), who were active in the Mamluk community, contributed to the de-velopment of the leading names of the Ottoman scientific community and this thought had an impact on their understanding of science. In this context, it is possible to say that the fiqh studies of the Ottomans in the first period were influenced by the Mamluk Hanafi who had their characteristics. The two main characteristics of Hanafi thought in the Mamluk period, the hadith-centred juristic (fiqh) idea and the method of mamzuc (mixed) fiqh style are also seen in Ottoman fiqh works. Summary: In this article, the effect of Hanafi fiqh thought on the early Ottoman fiqh studies in Mamluk period is discussed. While the Ottomans did not yet establish a scientific tradition in the period of foundation and ascension, many Mamluk cities replaced Baghdad as the centre of knowledge of the Islamic world. Because the Mongol invasion, the crusades and the de-struction of Andalusia due to reasons such as many scholars displaced by the Mamluks settled there. Especially during this period, Egypt and Damascus, which were under the rule of the Mamluks, became the most important centres of science in the Islamic world. In this respect, 14th-16th It is accepted that the science level of the Mamluks was quite superior to the Otto-mans in the 16th century. On this occasion, many scholars who are considered as the leading names of the Ottoman scientific community turned to Egypt and Damascus regions and ben-efited from the scientific accumulation there. Osman Ghazi's teacher and father-in-law, Sheikh Edebali, Davud-i Kayseri, Sheikh Bedreddin, Molla Fanari, Molla Gürani are some of these scholars. In addition to these, scholars such as Muhsin-i Kayseri, Germiyanli Poet Ahmedi, Haci Paşa, Celaleddin Hizir, İbnü'l-Cezeri and İbn Arabşah have also studied science in Egypt and Damascus. These scholars, who played an active role in the formation of the Ottoman scientific environment, completed their education in Damascus and Egypt under the rule of the Mamluk and after graduating from the Mamluk education system, they played an im-portant role in the formation of the Ottoman science understanding. Sheikh Edebali was ac-cepted as one of the scientific and spiritual leaders of the Ottoman Empire. Davud-i Kayseri was the first chief professor of İznik madrasah, the first Ottoman madrasah. Molla Fanari had the privilege of being the first Ottoman shaykh al-Islam. Molla Gürani became the teacher of Fatih Sultan Mehmed. During this period, the Hanafi faculties, which were active in the Mam-luk science community, contributed to the growth of the leading names in the Ottoman sci-ence community. Molla Fanari, Seyyid Şerif Cürcani, Shaykh Bedreddin and Poet Ahmadi have learned lessons from Baberti, who important Hanafi scholars in Egypt. The idea of Hanafi fiqh in the Mamluk period influenced the studies of the Ottoman fiqh in the first period. In this context, Molla Khüsrev refers to Zeyla@@i and Baberti, the leading Hanafi scholars of Mamluk in many parts of his work, although he did not go to the regions dominated by the Mamluks. The two main characteristics of the Hanafi thought in the Mamluk period were the hadith-centred fiqh thought and mamzûc (mixed) method of fiqh. In the Mamluk period, hadith studies which were not seen before in Hanafi sect were done. During this period, Hanafi jurists spent time in the field of hadith such as Ibn Balaban, Ibn Turkmani, Zeyla@@i, Kuraşi, Mogoltay b. Kiliç, Bedruddin Ayni, Ibn Kutluboğa, Seruci, Baberti, İbnü'l-Humam, İbnü'l-@@Adim. They tried to eliminate the lack of studies in the field of hadith in the Hanafi circles while their studies cer-tainly require hadith expertise. As a result of the works of these jurists in the field of hadith, the basic sources were frequently included in the fiqh studies in the Mamluk period and, the hadiths were started to be made. The influence of this understanding, which had an important place in the thought of the fiqh of Hanafi during the Mamluk period, can be seen in the Otto-man fiqh works in the first period. In this context, Molla Khüsrev, in his work with the influ-ence of the early Ottoman jurists who had been educated in Egypt before him, gave some basic sources of hadith and sometimes gave information about the reliability of hadiths. On the other hand, it is possible to say that this issue is quite insufficient in Ottoman fiqh works when compared with Hanafi jurists of the Mamluks. A comparison of Ibnü'l-Humam's Fethü'l-kadir and Netaicu'l-efkar, which was performed by Kadizade order to complete it, can be compared. Apart from that, there are different attitudes between Şürünbülali and Şeykhi-zade known as Damad Efendi, they lived in the same period. Şürünbülali, one of the Egyptian scholars of the Ottoman period generally gave the hadiths from the basic hadith sources in his work Meraki'l-felah, while Şeyhizade did not obey this issue and rarely included basic hadith sources in his work Mecma@@ü'l-enhur. These differences can be explained by the necessity of the scientific environment. Because the Hanafis were accused of not using hadith in Egypt and its environs, the Hanafi jurists living in this region should have directed them to be more rigorous about the hadith. However, since the Hanafi jurists living in other Ottoman regions did not have such a problem, they probably did not feel the need to refer to the main sources of hadith in the power of hadiths. Therefore, it can be said that the scientific environment and the need arising in this direction lead to different attitudes of the jurists living in the same period. The mamzûc (mixed) method starting with Ibnu's-Saati, In the 8th-century, it was especially effective on the idea of the fiqh style of Hanafi jurists. Although the first name of the mamzûc (mixed) method, Ibnu's-Saati, was not one of the scholars of the Mamluk period, the influence he ini-tiated was more common in the Mamluk period and became one of the characteristic features of the Hanafi fiqh thought in this period. Therefore, it is understood that the majority of Hanafi jurists had a gratified method. In addition to this, it is seen that Ottoman jurists who were educated in and around Egypt write procedural works in grammatical style. Molla Fanari's work Fusulü'l-Bedayi is the most important example of this genre. Moreover, even Molla Khüsrev, who had not gone to Egypt and his surroundings, wrote a memoir-like work called Mir'atü'l-Usûl. The works of these two authors show that the Ottoman jurists were influenced by the Mamluks. As a result, it is possible to say that the fiqh studies in the early period of the Ottomans were influenced by the Mamluk Hanafis who had their characteristics. The hadith-centred fiqh thought and mamzûc (mixed) fiqh style understanding had an impact on the early Ottoman fiqh studies.