The representation of Sultan Abdulhamid II in the eulogies of Ebu'l Huda and Sheik Zafir

an age of disease and deformity, Sultan Abdulhamid II's thirty-three-year reign represented a complex attempt to navigate the Ottoman Empire through the whirlwind of late 19th-century transformation, a period that coincided with European colonial aggression and internal challenges of fiscal crisis and nationalist awakenings. Abdulhamid II's response was a "new gold dream" – a reform package based on a selective symbiosis of certain elements of Western modernity while preserving the Ottoman presence in resonance with the deep layers of Ottoman- Islamic heritage. His relationship with mystic Sufi sheiks, particularly Rufaiyya Sheik Ebu'l Huda es-Sayyadi and Shadhiliyya Sheik Zafir al-Madani, proved critical to this vision. This acquaintance served simultaneously as a strategic alliance, unofficial diplomacy, a legitimacy construction, an information network, and a relationship of personal interests. Both religious figures authored carefully prepared religio-political documents supporting the Sultan's Pan-Islamist policy, portraying him as a "philosopher king" while countering Western Orientalist narratives. Through the lens of Austin's performative language theory, these texts became acts of influence affecting imperial survival and rejuvenation. Abdulhamid II's paradoxical strategy demonstrated sophisticated rumination on statecraft; however, his governance could only delay imperial collapse.