 |
|
 |
|
  |
|
|
|
|
|
Turkologie / Osmanistik |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Turkologie / Osmanistik |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
In the midst of a desperate struggle to succeed his father Bayezid II (1481-1512), Sehzade Korkud strove to
portray himself as a well-rounded candidate intellectually and ethically prepared to assume the role of an ideal
Ottoman and Islamic ruler. While each of Bayezid's surviving royal sons could count on various strengths and
centers of support, only Korkud had authored treatises which laid out opinions on matters of faith, legitimacy, and
correct governmental practice.
Contact / information:
Nabil Al-Tikriti
1711 Homer St.
Stand 11. Februar 2001
Nabil al-Tikriti:
Every Soul Tastes Death: Ottoman Governance and Islamic Ethics
According to Sehzade Korkud's (ca. 1468-1513) Da'wat al-nafs al-taliha
Korkud's largest and most ambitious treatise is the voluminous Da'wat al-nafs al-taliha ila al-a'mal
al-saliha [An Errant Soul's Summons to Virtuous Works], which served as his 1508 apologia for resigning his candidacy to the
throne, a call for reconciling the unholy requirements of secular rule with those of shari'a, and a blistering
critique of the existing imperial order. Before describing examples of royalty who had declined to rule,
Korkud offered several reasons for resigning his candidacy: the impossibility of enforcing shari'a within
the 'urf [legal convention] of his time, the inevitability when in power of seizing possessions unjustly, the
impossibility of escaping the spiritual pollution associated with the impure crimes of rulers, and the necessity
of abandoning one's spiritual "emptying of the heart" due to the requisites of power. Judging by his actions
in 1511, Korkud was either not fully sincere about resigning his candidacy, or was persuaded to reconsider. In either
case, the arguments presented in this treatise appear to have been designed to buttress his image as an ethical
candidate who would rule according to shari'a norms if given the opportunity.
In this paper, I will explore the broader implications of Korkud's Da'wat al-nafs al-taliha for
Ottoman intellectual developments of the period. I plan to place this text within its context as a provocative
work authored in the middle of a long and contested process whereby the early modern Ottoman Empire gradually came
to adopt a complex ideological vision based upon an idealized support of shari'a defined according to norms of
Sunni orthopraxy.
Bilgin Apt., Tosboga Sok. 26/5, Tom Tom Mahallesi
Galatasaray, Istanbul, TURKEY
90-212-249-7942 (home)
90-535-719-1890 (GSM)
Metairie, LA 70005, USA
1-504-835-1828
naltikriti@hotmail.com