Da'wah an-nafs: Şehzade Korkud on örf and shari'a in the Ottoman context

Official URL: http://risc01.sabanciuniv.edu/record=b1558767 (Table of Contents)

This study is on Da‘wah an-Nafs, a book written in Arabic in the first decade of the 16th century by Şehzade Korkud, an Ottoman Prince. The scholarly writings of the prince stand as exceptional endeavors among the members of Ottoman dynasty, but have not attracted much attention so far. This thesis attempts to situate the book within the biography of the prince, and argues that its production is strongly related to dynastic politics and the succession struggles of the period. This study offers a general and systematic analysis of the text, which reveals that it challenges several of the practices, institutions and legitimizing claims of the Ottomans. In this regard, it is suggested that the text stands as a very unique example of oppositional political writing in the Ottoman Empire. Furthermore, this study provides an in-depth analysis of the discussions on the relation between örf and shari‘a included in the text. It is revealed that, through these discussions Şehzade Korkud attacked customary law and kanuns. In the light of a thorough scrutiny, it is argued that the text severely criticizes the kanunnames in general, and recently promulgated general kanunname, Kanunname-i Al-i Osman, in particular from different viewpoints.