The Ottoman Caliphate was a leading power of its time. Yet as Dr Yakoob Ahmed argued on a previous show, the Muslim ummah is in a current state of collective amnesia about what this polity represented.

Those that do study the Ottomans, sometime rely exclusively on dubious western historical sources, some of which deliberately echo a political narrative that justified European colonialism and the current nation state project that blights the Muslim world.

In this two part show we talk Dr Yakoob about the relationship between the ulema and this empire. Were they mere political apparatchiks, steeped in the power and patronage of powerful sultans? Dr Yakoob paints a vivid picture of the role the ulema played in the 600 years of Ottoman rule, their responsibilities and, contrary to common opinion, he questions the assumption that they were mere instruments of autocratic rulers.

Dr Yakoob is one of the Muslim world’s leading Ottoman historians, he is currently teaching Islamic history at Istanbul University.

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The Thinking Muslim Podcast Episode 61

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