Muharrem Efendi from Zileli and his fiqh opinions

In the 16th century, the golden age of the Ottoman Empire, many scholars and intellectuals were raised. Although not widely known, Muharrem Efendi of Zileli is one of them. In addition to his linguistic and Sufi identity, Muharrem Efendi also stands out in terms of the science of fiqh as understood from his works. Especially his works, which are discussed in terms of the science of fiqh, show us Muharrem Efendi's knowledge of the science of fiqh. In this study, the works written by Muharrem Efendi on the science of fiqh have been identified and their contents have been examined, and his 'fiqh views' have been tried to be revealed based on the rules of usul and furu and the fatwas he gave in these works. The study consists of an introduction and two chapters. In the introduction, general information about Muharrem Efendi is given, the studies on him are identified, and the purpose and importance of this study are explained. In the first part, information about the period in which Muharrem Efendi lived and some scholars who grew up in this period were pointed out, and then the life of the author and his family known as "Sivāsids" were introduced. This family's famous dispute with the Qadizādīs is also included, and the general points of the debate are tried to be revealed. In this section, the works of Muharrem Efendi related to the science of fiqh are identified and the catalog information of these works is also included. In the second part, these works were analyzed and the principles and fiqh opinions mentioned in these works were identified and presented in articles. In the study, Muharrem Efendi's works related to fiqh such as "Jubb al-masā'il, Umdat al-Nisā, Risāla Müteallika bi-Delili Hurmeti al-Rada', Zellat al-ḳārī bi-ʿInāyati al-Rabbi al-Bārī, Hediyyetü'ṣ-ṣuʿlûk fî şerḥi Tuḥfeti'l-mülûk, Risâle-i Şükriyye and Tenbîhü'l-gāfilât" were analyzed through qualitative research and content analysis. While conducting the study, first of all, all the studies on Muharrem Efendi were scanned and examined. While conducting the study, first of all, all the studies on Muharrem Efendi were scanned and examined. Then, all of his works were accessed by scanning the manuscript catalogs, and then the works related to fiqh were identified and obtained from the Presidency of the Manuscripts Institution and examined in detail. With this method, it is aimed to dominate the literature on Muharrem Efendi. The jurisprudential principles and opinions in the fiqh works subject to the analysis were identified. It has been observed that these principles, in addition to those belonging to the field of usul al-fiqh, also include furu principles related to different fields of fiqh such as ibādāt, muāmalāt, ukūbāt and ahkām al-sultāniyya. It can also be said that these rules are especially concentrated in the fields of ibādāt, muāmalāt and ukūbāt. A total of 93 rules and fiqh opinions were found in the analyzed works. These principles and opinions are presented systematically in the relevant sections. In his works, it was seen that Muharrem Efendi was a strict adherent of the Hanafi madhhab, but it was also determined that he made different interpretations and preferences on some issues that were generally accepted in the Hanafi madhhab. There are some studies in the literature that deal with Muharrem Efendi's works on the science of fiqh. However, in this study, examining all of Muharrem Efendi's works in the field of fiqh and giving a general content of these works in Arabic and Ottoman Turkish will contribute to the studies on Muharrem Efendi. This study also tries to identify the principles of fiqh and his fiqh opinions. Key Terms: Muharrem Efendi of Zileli, 16th Century, Principles of Fiqh Procedure, Fiqh Opinions, Fatwa. Science Code: 60403