Kemal Pashazade, Sheikh al-Islam

Talk by Sheikh Abdal Hakim Murad - Cambridge - date unknown - 1 hr 53 mins 30 secs

In this talk, the sheikh discusses the religious institutions of the Ottoman Empire and how they embodied Sunni Islam as articulated by the great scholar Imam al-Ghazzali (may God have Mercy on him). He reminds us that the Ottoman dynasty spanned more than half the history of Islam, lasting from the 13th century CE until within living memory. Although their medieval origins as warriors and herdsmen of Anatolia seem very distant today, the long history of the empire as a sacred civilisation has a lot to teach us; in particular, how they managed plurality - of different religions and different Muslim groups - within an Islamic framework.

The sheikh talks specifically about Ahmed b. Kemal, known as Kemal Pashazade (may God have Mercy on him), who was appointed Sheikh al-Islam by Sultan Suleyman I Kanuni (the Lawgiver). This scholar gave up his early career as a cavalryman to become one of the most prolific and important scholars in Ottoman and Islamic history. Sheikh Abdal Hakim reads from and explains one of Kemal Pashazade's works, al-Risala al-Munira, which was written to help local imams (religious leaders) and qadis (judges) resolve the conflicts caused by the existence of many different sects and groups in the empire.

Questions and a discussion follow after about 1 hr 5 mins.

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