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Sayyids and Shar?fs in the Ottoman State: On the Borders of the True and the False
Author(s) -
Kılıc Ruya
Publication year - 2006
Publication title -
the muslim world
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.106
H-Index - 23
eISSN - 1478-1913
pISSN - 0027-4909
DOI - 10.1111/j.1478-1913.2006.00116.x
Subject(s) - islam , civilization , ottoman empire , state (computer science) , fraternity , politics , cultural heritage , ancient history , law , political science , history , sociology , archaeology , algorithm , computer science
Although influenced by various cultures, the Ottoman State was quite definitely located within the sphere of Islamic civilization. The Islamic heritage, which made itself felt very largely in administrative, political and cultural life, was also manifested in the Ottoman social fabric. Undoubtedly, the most remarkable examples of this heritage consisted in the sayyids and shar?fs, for in Ottoman society, the fraternity formed by the sayyids and shar?fs occupied a very special place in the Islamic social tradition. In seeking an answer to the question of how people came to be sayyids and shar?fs in the Ottoman State, we shall also discuss the limits of the status of sayyid and müteseyyid (the false claimants to descent from the Prophet).