Influence of Ma wara' al-Nahr Scholars on the Ottoman Ulema in the Specification of the Science of Fiqh and Within the Framework of Kafawi's Kata'ib

This study aims to investigate the influence of Ma wara' al-Nahr scholars, who hold an essential place in scholarly traditions, on Ottoman scholars in the field of fiqh and within the framework of Mahmud b. Sulaiman al-Kafawi's (d. 990/1582) Kata'ib a'lam al-akhyar min fuqaha' madhhab al-Numan al-mukhtar. This preference is because the science of fiqh, as a discipline that determines the legal structure and manages social life, has always had an exceptional place in Islamic societies. The most important source from which the Ottoman scholars inherited Hanafi fiqh was the scholars of Ma wara' al-Nahr. Its function in regulating legal and social life has made fiqh the primary field of scholarly tradition. Given that the Ottoman scholars adhered to the Hanafi madhhab and learned Hanafi jurisprudence primarily through the scholarly lineage based on the scholars of Ma wara' al-Nahr and benefited from their works, it becomes obvious why the science of fiqh was chosen in this study to demonstrate the relationship between the two. The following points can be made to explain why the influence of Ma wara' al-Nahr scholars on Ottoman scholars within the framework of fiqh will be discussed through Kafawi's work. In his work, Kata'ib, he included specifically the biographies of Hanafi scholars. Indeed, based on these data recorded by Kafawi, it will be possible to draw a lineage of the Hanafi fiqh tradition. Kafawi's work not only provides biographical and bibliographical information about a faqih's teachers, students, and works, but it also records the faqih's scholarly lineage back to Abu Hanifa, his remarkable opinions, and the important events in which he participated, providing material for detailed analysis of the scholarly mentality. In this respect, Kafawi and his work would be an appropriate choice for analyzing the influence of the scholars of Ma wara' al-Nahr on the Ottoman scholars within the framework of the science of fiqh. Based on this research, it can be said that scientific activity in Ma wara' al-Nahr was very effective in developing the doctrine and literature of Hanafism. Moreover, the most important source from which Ottoman scholars obtained Hanafi fiqh was the Ma wara' al-Nahr scholars. It was through Ma wara' al-Nahr scholars and literature that this transmission took place. In the Ottoman madrasahs, the works of Ma wara' al-Nahr scholars in the field of fiqh were mainly read and many studies were written on these works. Finally, it can easily be argued that the main source of fiqh tradition in the Ottoman Empire is the works and understanding of fiqh of Hanafi scholars originating from Ma wara' al-Nahr.