Ottoman non-muslims in the fatwas of Sheikh al-İslam Ebu's-Suud Efendi

The Ottoman State turned into an Empire after Istanbul was included into its territories. The main characteristic of a state that turns into an empire is its having an imperial ideology and its harboring diversity in every aspect. The Ottomans, after the reign of Mehmed the Conqueror, took the form of a multireligious, multi-cultural and multi-identity structure. It was, however, crucial for the Ottoman State to base this structure upon a solid foundation in order to keep it in balance socially and administratively. Within the conditions of that era, the most rational way to do so was the "Millet System". In this study, I analyzed the practical application of the Millet System that formed the social organization of the Ottoman State through the fatwas of Ebu's-Suud Efendi. Though they are among the secondary sources of the Islamic law, fatwas are significant sources in that they reflect how the Islamic Law is understood and interpreted in which periods, the problems and solutions of the historical period in question, and law's vitality and elasticity. One other reason that was influential in our selection of fatwas for this study is that, in the countries where the Islamic Law was applied, fatwas were extensively applied in every aspect of social life imaginable. In this context, I firstly attempted to focus on the institutions of "fatwa and sheikh al-Islam"; and in the very first chapter, I will touch upon the biography of Sheikh al-Islam Ebu's-Suud Efendi whose fatwas constitute the basis of our study; then, I presented a general perspective on the Millet System. The fundamental chapter of my thesis that reflects how Millet System applied in practice consists of three main parts: Judicial space, religious and daily life, and economic structure. In these parts, I tried to address the lives of non-Muslims considered as the natural members of Millet System in broader social context. This process was followed through the fatwas of Ebu's-Suud Efendi, as previously mentioned. The millet system was evaluated by keeping in mind that the study is limited to the period of Ebu's-Suud Efendi. Keywords: Ebu's-Suûd, Sheikh al-Islam, Millet System, Non-Muslims.