Huzur Dersleri

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Huzur Dersleri were scholarly disputations of the leading religious scholars (ulema) of the Ottoman Empire , which took place on the first eight days of Ramadan in the presence of the sultan and caliph ( Huzuru âli-i hilâfetpenah ). The tradition of the institutionalized Huzur Dersleri began with its introduction in 1759 and ended after uninterrupted implementation in 1924 with the expulsion of the last Caliph Abdülmecid II from the newly founded Republic of Turkey .

Emergence

Even under Mehmed II , the conqueror of Istanbul, theological disputations were held in the palace in the presence of the sultan. As a recurring event series with fixed rules, the Huzur Dersleri under Mustafa III. Institutionalized in the month of Ramadan in the year 1172 according to the Hidschrī calendar (1759 AD).

Course of the Huzur Dersleri

In the first days of Ramadan, with the exception of Fridays, one of eight different councils ( meclis ) of religious scholars met, consisting of a chief named Mukarrir and several members named Muhatap . As Mukarrir Ottoman education were those professors ( Müderris ), which mediated their subject matter by repetition. The Huzur Dersleri always took place between the noon and afternoon prayers. After the afternoon prayer, which was performed together, the ruler withdrew to his private rooms . Where the Huzur Dersleri took place was announced in advance by a decree of the Sultan. Most of the Huzur Dersleri were held in Topkapı Palace , but events were later held in Dolmabahçe Palace and Yıldız Palace . For this purpose, different rooms were used in the respective palaces. All those present, including the Sultan, sat on cushions ( minder ). To the right of the Sultan sat the Mukarrir and next to him in a semicircle the Muhatap . In addition to the Sultan, the Şeyhülislam and the religious scholars, members of the ruling house, high-ranking personalities and state guests took part in the Huzur Dersleri at the personal invitation of the Sultan. The princes ( Şehzade ) in particular used these meetings to get to know the politically powerful scholars and to establish networks in anticipation of a later potential rule.

Subject and method of the disputations

The subject of the disputations, which were conducted according to strict rules, were questions of the Koran exegesis . The basis was the work Anwār at-tanzīl wa-asrār at-taʾwīl by the Iranian scholar al-Baidāwī , which was considered the standard exegetical work in Ottoman madrasas. After initially reciting a verse from the Koran , it was systematically discussed in all eight sessions of the year. The Mukarrir opened the topic and then answered questions, while the Muhatap took part through questions and further explanations. Since the Sultan, who was able to participate in the discussion by asking specific questions, was present, however, an unstructured or even heated discussion was forbidden. In some cases, the full discussion of a single verse, in which linguistic, theological and religious law aspects were the focus, extended over several years. In 1759, verse 1 of the first sura al-Fātiha was discussed . During the last Huzur Dersleri in 1924, verse 26 of the sixteenth Surat an-Naḥl was discussed. The disputations were held in Arabic , which was established as the language of science in the Ottoman Empire. Only under Abdülhamid II were short summaries published in Turkish at the end of each session so that as many people present as possible could benefit from the content of the disputations.

Selection of the ulema

The number of ulema assigned to the councils steadily increased over time. In 1759 a council still consisted of six members; in 1924 the number was sixteen. The Şeyhülislam held the right to propose council members . The appointment as council member was only carried out after confirmation by the sultan. The candidate members had to meet a number of requirements: They had to be professors who had graduated as students ( Mülazim ) at one of Istanbul's highest madrasas , which were considered the elite universities of the empire, with a diploma ( Berat ). They also had to have a large number of advanced students, be resident in Istanbul , be recognized as experts in their field, and have achieved fame as eminent personalities in their area. Neither the Şeyhülislam nor the Sultan were allowed to deviate from these requirements when considering potential members. Over the years it happened again and again that individual religious scholars were additionally present at the request of the Sultan, but the permission for their participation was only valid for a single day and did not constitute a right to regular participation.

The order of the councils corresponded to their protocol-based order of precedence. The council that met on the first day was, in terms of the theological and reputational quality of its members, the highest in the hierarchy. If a seat on one of the upper councils had to be filled again due to the death of a member, the highest-ranking member from one of the lower councils was used. The place of a mukarrir could only be occupied by a mukarrir of a lower council. Only when the mukarrir of the eighth and final council had to be filled was a muhatap taken into account. As a result, membership in the college of the Huzur Dersleri almost always began in the eighth council for newcomers.

The members of the college received a fixed remuneration for their participation as well as other valuable gifts in kind. Due to the high protocol status of the event, the participants were asked to appear in lavish clothing that was precisely prescribed by the palace protocol. For this purpose, fabrics of the highest quality were made available to them.

literature

  • Ebül'ula Mardin: Huzur Dersleri. 3 vols. İstanbul Üniversitesi Yayınları, Istanbul 1951.