A work on the virtue of gaza and war horses presented to Murad III: Miftahuʾl-ʿAdale (53b-104b) (Reviev-text)

In this article, a prose work including verse pieces, called "Miftâhu'l-'Adâle" or "Key of Justice," is examined. It is estimated to have been written before 1578 and presented to the Ottoman Sultan Murad III, who ruled between 1574 and 1595 and was known for his fondness for books. The author of the work is Ebussu'ud bin Sa'dullâh (d. 1595?), a descendant of Sheikh İbrahim Tennûrî. The work consists of two parts: the first chapter is devoted to "gaza" (holy war) and the virtues of veterans, while the second chapter is dedicated to the virtues of the mounts used for gaza. The study provides information about the work and its author, and also evaluates the possible genres to which the work might be related, such as political treatises and books about gaza. The content of the work is revealed from beginning to end, where the author supports each subject with examples from verses, hadiths, and stories of the prophets, and illustrates these examples under various titles. Apart from discussing the virtues of gaza and war horses, this work emphasizes the importance of justice. Additionally, it contains propaganda elements in favor of the Ottomans, particularly concerning the Ottoman-Iranian wars (Samancı, Güney ve Yalçın, 2023: 201-232).