Exploring the Memory of Ottoman Law: The Digitization of Fatwa Collections Project

ISAR Research Center has launched a comprehensive project aimed at digitizing fatwa collections (fetva mecmuaları), which are among the primary sources of Ottoman legal history. The Fatwa Collections Digitization Project makes the Ottoman fatwa tradition available to researchers for the first time in a collective and systematic digital format.

In the first phase of the project, a total of 42 fatwa collections are being digitized from a vast corpus spanning from the 16th century to the mid-20th century. This corpus consists of 32 Shaykh al-Islam fatwa collections and 10 collections belonging to provincial muftis. Thus, the project aims to consolidate Ottoman fatwa practice, including both its central and provincial dimensions, under a single platform.

The digital fatwa corpus will not only facilitate access to texts but also enable new research questions regarding Ottoman legal and social history. Researchers will be able to systematically examine various topics, such as the evolution of fatwas and "subject density" on specific issues over centuries, as well as differences in approach between the Shaykh al-Islams and provincial muftis.

Within the scope of the project, Ottoman fatwa collections undergo processes of transcription, collation, and editing. They will then be made accessible to researchers on a digital platform offering AI-supported advanced search and filtering capabilities. Fatwas will be paired with their original texts, allowing for comparative reading and verification. This project stands as a pioneering initiative in terms of digitizing fatwas, which are the fundamental building blocks of Ottoman legal memory.

Project Team

• Consultants: Mürteza Bedir, Süleyman Kaya

• Coordinator: Ahmet Faruk Çelik

• Researchers: Hüseyin Sağlam, Salih Erden, Şaban Kütük

Fatwa Collections to be Digitized Within the Project

Fatwa Collections of Shaykh al-Islams (32 Collections)

1. Molla Arab (d. 901/1496)

2. Ibn Kemal (Kemalpaşazâde) (d. 940/1534)

3. Sâdî Çelebi (d. 945/1539)

4. Muhyiddin Fenârî (d. 954/1548)

5. Compilation of Ibnü’l-Edhemî (d. ?)

6. Compilation of Saruhânî Lâlî Efendi (d. 971/1563)

7. Ebüssuûd Efendi (d. 982/1574) (Bozanzâde Compilation)

8. Ebüssuûd Efendi (d. 982/1574) (Çorlulu Compilation)

9. Kadızâde Ahmed Şemseddin (d. 988/1580)

10. Çivizâde Mehmed Efendi (d. 995/1587)

11. Hoca Sâdeddin Efendi (d. 1008/1599)

12. Sunullah Efendi (d. 1021/1612)

13. Hocazâde Esad Efendi (d. 1034/1625)

14. Zekeriyâzâde Yahya Efendi (d. 1053/1644)

15. Compilation of Boyabâdî Sağır Mehmed Efendi (d. 1066/1656)

16. Bâlîzâde Mustafa Efendi (d. 1073/1662)

17. Minkârîzâde Yahya Efendi (d. 1088/1678) (Atâullah Compilation)

18. Minkârîzâde Yahya Efendi (d. 1088/1678) (Abdurrahim Compilation)

19. Çatalcalı Ali Efendi (d. 1103/1692)

20. Feyzullah Efendi (d. 1115/1703)

21. Ebezâde Abdullah Efendi (d. 1126/1714)

22. Damadzâde Ebü’l-Hayr Ahmed Efendi (d. 1154/1741)

23. Yenişehirli Abdullah Efendi (d. 1156/1743)

24. Vassâf Abdullah Efendi (d. 1174/1761)

25. Compilation of Debbağzâde Nu‘mân Efendi (d. 1224/1809)

26. Compilation of Şerîfzâde Ataullah Mehmed Efendi (d. 1226/1811)

27. Compilation of Gedûsî Seyyid Hâfız Mehmed (d. 1253/1837)

28. Compilation of Mehmed Nûrî (d. 1843)

29. Mûsâ Kâzım Efendi (d. 1920)

30. Compilation of Yakovalı Hacı Ali el-Murtazâ b. Zübeyr (d. ?)

31. Ürgüplü Mustafa Hayri Efendi (d. 1921)

32. The Office of Shaykh al-Islam (Meşihat - Cerîde-i İlmiyye)

Fatwa Collections of Provincial Muftis (10 Collections)

1. Muhyiddin Muhammed b. Pîr Ali el-Birgivî (d. 981/1573)

2. Yekçeşm (Kör Müftü) Üskübî Pîr Mehmed Efendi (d. 1020/1611)

3. Ali Akkirmânî (d. 1030/1620–21)

4. Ali en-Nisârî (d. 1110/1698)

5. Vânî Mehmed Efendi (d. 1096/1685)

6. Ömer b. Salih Kırımî (fl. 1159/1746)

7. Kadızâde Mehmed Ârif Efendi (d. 1173/1759–60)

8. Seyyid Ibrahim Edhem, Mufti of Erzurum (d. 1190/1776)

9. Abdurrauf Efendi (d. 1927)

10. Hürremzâde Mehmed Hakkı Efendi (d. 1955)