Islam's Influence on Ottoman Government and Law

Islam’s Influence on Ottoman Government and Law

When discussing Islam’s influence on the Ottoman Empire, it is crucial to examine its effects on the government and the laws of the empire. However, one must keep in mind that during its long term as an empire, there were many different rulers, thus, allowing for many changes in the structure of the government in terms of laws and regulations, in accordance to the sultans in power (Burak, Para 2 ). Islam had a profound impact in the way the Ottoman government was structured. Aside from influencing the architecture and public space of the civilization, Islam played a key role in determining the form of leadership, formation of the imperial government, and the military of the Ottoman Empire.

In the Ottoman Empire, the states were depended on the principles of an absolute authority in the Monarch. This authority was known as a Sultan. The main job of a Sultan was to ensure justice all throughout the empire. The linkage of sultanate and Islam can be found in the origin of a sultan. A sultan’s linkage with the Persian tradition of kingship notwithstanding was also the heir to a specifically Islamic tradition, allowing him to utilize his powers in traditional Islamic terms. The essential requirement for the sultanate was the merit to fill the position (Hourani, 1999, p.220). The following are titles used in an official document during the reign of the Ottoman Empire;

“His Majesty, the victorious and successful sultan, the ruler aided by God, whose undergarment is victory, the padishah whose glory is high as heaven, kings of kings who are like stars, crown of the royal head, the shadow of the provider…manifestation of the lights of felicity, setter-up of the standards of Islam, writer of justice on the pages of time, sultan of two continents and of the two seas, ruler of the two easts and of the two wests, servant of the two holy sanctuaries, namesake of the apostle of men and of jinns, Sultan Muhammad Khan.” (Hourani, 1991, pp. 220-221).

These titles clearly show that indeed, Islam played a major role in portraying the Sultans as the chosen one to rule over all of the Empire. Furthermore, the Ottomans often used the term Caliph, supreme temporal leader of Islam, to describe the Sultan. The reason behind this honourable title given to the Sultan was due to the fact that both Mecca and Medina, the two major holy sites, were located in the empire. Thus, the main goal was to ensure the security of Muslims throughout the empire, and also of the pilgrims performing Hajj, holy pilgrimage, once a year (Burak, Para 13). However, the title of caliph was not as prestigious and universal as the titles of the previous caliphs, who accompanied the prophet (Hourani, 1991, p.221). To ensure that justice would be served, the Ottomans established numerous institutions and practices in the central government surrounding the sultan. One of the first was the establishment of a bureaucracy, created from the inner circles of the Sultan. The task of the bureaucracy was to control the local governments (Burak, Para18). Despite being a centralized government, with the Sultan as the supreme leader, the Empire had reasonable control over its citizens, officials and its provinces. This was done through many officials in the Ottoman Empire (Answers.com, para 3).

Although the Sultan was the absolute ruler, he was accompanied by many advisers and ministers. The most powerful of these advisers and ministers were the viziers of the divan, high official advisers in a Muslim government, led by the grand vizier. The divan was a council chamber where the viziers met and discussed the politics of the empire (Answers.com, Para 4). In addition, the divan also met occasionally to make decisions of policy, receive foreign ambassadors, draw up orders, investigate complaints, and most importantly, respond to petitions dealing with abuse of powers (Hourani, 1991, p.217). The duty of the grand vizier was to inform the Sultan the opinions of the council. Most often, the sultan found it in his best interest to accept and follow the advices of his viziers. However, he was not obligated to abide by the instructions given by the divan, council of viziers. At other times, the sultan would call upon a divan meeting himself depending upon the matter such as enforcements of a serious law or arising conflicts with other great powers. With the support of the sultan, the viziers would then carry the order out. The kahya were the advisers of the viziers. The hierarchy after grand vizier were the viziers of the dome. In today’s term, the grand vizier can be seen as the prime minister (Answers.com, Para 4). The ministers of the Ottoman Empire, known as Nazirs, did not have as much power as the viziers. Customarily, the sultan turned to his viziers for advice as opposed to the ministers. However, the ministers were