# Were the Ottomans representatives of Islam?

*The Ottomans were a dynasty, not a symbol of Islam*

- URL: https://muftiabulayth.org/r/a6h5lye4mn8/s/22/
- Date: 2020-07-14 · Kind: lesson · Transcript tier: machine · Recording: Monday Nights with Mufti Abu Layth 173 (1:27:33–1:30:06)
- Status: general teaching
- Watch from the start of the segment: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a6H5lYE4MN8&t=5253s
- Recording page: https://muftiabulayth.org/r/a6h5lye4mn8/

**Topics:** Caliphate; Middle East and the wider world

**Summary (not a quotation; machine-made, unchecked):** The Ottoman Empire was a dynasty that happened to be Muslim, never a symbol of Islam; the romantic image is a later invention.

**Checked position (checked by two independent reviews, not by the channel):** Mufti Abu Layth says the Ottoman Empire was nothing more than a dynasty that happened to be Muslim and is not symbolic of Islam.

**Evidence, his words at 1:27:33:** “the Ottoman Empire was never it was nothing more than a dynasty that just happened to be Muslim it is not symbolic of Islam” (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a6H5lYE4MN8&t=5253s)

## Longer summary

Mufti Abu Layth says he has not watched a single episode of the Ertugrul drama and finds such things preposterous, though he has nothing against drama as such. He says the Ottoman Empire was nothing more than a dynasty that happened to be Muslim: its unwritten law of mandatory fratricide on a new sultan's accession was even given a permitting fatwa by some Hanbali [?] scholars. He says the Ottomans never claimed to represent Islam, styling themselves Caesar of Rome, Mehmed al-Fatih included; they had good and bad sides, were based largely in eastern Europe, and respected Islam in their way, but the image of them as symbols of Islam is a later romanticisation.

## Sources and names cited

- the Ottoman Empire
- Sultan Mehmed al-Fatih
- Hanbali scholars [?]
- fatwa

## Transcript (machine tier, 1:27:33–1:30:06)

[1:26:54] become the new leaders of the Islamic world Turkey is you know arrogant for a while has been trying to shape out his identity as the new amirul mumineen in Islam and he was trying to rival Saudi Arabia who have had that position traditionally I don't know why except that haramein earthy so turkey is now try to you know first of all with this article drama promoting this everywhere and they've been doing this with many other mosques as well by the way in Turkey churches turning them into mosques and things

[1:27:32] like this but this vertical thing that spreading this I you know I I've not watched a single episode I can't honestly I find these things preposterous but anyway to a lot of people love the drama fair enough I haven't got anything against the drama per se but they look you have to understand something the Ottoman Empire was never it was nothing more than a dynasty that just happened to be Muslim it is not symbolic of Islam they were you know nothing in fact the Ottomans they first you know what the actual rule

[1:28:11] was they what they had concrete eyes as the unspoken law was as soon as the next Soltan comes in fratricide would mandatory fratricide whoever is going to come in has to kill all his brothers this was the unspoken I mean it was the unwritten law and even some of the humble ulama gave them the fatwa that is permissible I don't know what they were what they were smoking but yeah so the the Ottomans were never these representatives of Islam they never even claimed to be this you know this is the dumb thing that you know Muslims today

[1:28:50] are so some Muslims these kind of romanticize ones are so in you know in a dreamy state of mind the Ottomans never claimed if you read the the titles that the Ottomans used to give themselves it was the they to give themselves the title Ceaser of Rome that was they title the Ceaser of Rome including Fatih and these people you know they go on about him and and other people look sure what they I'm not saying they were horrible people they may have had some I mean they they were just people they had good sighs to them they had really bad sights to them they were not symbols of Islam

[1:29:30] later on we romanticized them to be the symbols of Islam they weren't even in the Middle East so much later on when they established they were moreso in Eastern Europe but they had nothing you know the way we pitch today it's presented like this dream image oh they were like sure I mean they were Muslim and I'm not saying that they didn't respect Islam I'm showing their own way they respected Islam just as Muslims today respect Islam but they weren't symbols of Islam yeah if that makes sense to you you're not gonna see today countries like you

## Cite

Mufti Abu Layth Archive, segment a6H5lYE4MN8/s/22. https://muftiabulayth.org/r/a6h5lye4mn8/s/22/

Not a fatwa: these answers were given to specific people at specific times. Ask a qualified scholar about your own situation.