Abstract
The foundation establishment, which is established in the period of Prophet Muhammad, has started to become widespread in the Islamic society since the first years of Islam. Issues such as charity, ongoing charity, good deeds, selling their property to Allah, goodness, preferring your brother to your own soul, spend his wealth in the way of Allah, feeding, being in the way of Allah, gaining heaven and protection from hell, which are frequently mentioned in the Quran and the Sunnah of the Prophet Muhammad, have been the main factors that feed the spirit of the foundation. The foundation establishment completed its legal development in the second half of the third century of the Hijra and rapidly spread throughout the all Islamic territories where Muslims lived from Andalusia to Indonesia. Foundations were especially widespread in Seljuks and Ottoman Empire's period. Therefore, the term "Heaven of Foundations" was used for the Ottoman. In order to legally strengthen and to protect the foundations, legal foundation transactions called as "waqfiyya" were organized.
This study concerns the case of how al-Imam al-A'zam and his views reflected on the waqfiyyas in the period of Ottoman Empire. The subject was restricted to the waqfiyya transactions that belong to the foundations that established in the Macedonian territory during the Ottoman period and which are currently under protection in the Archives of the General Directorate of Foundations in Turkey.
In 1389, the Ottomans defeated the Crusaders in the Battle of First Kosovo and dominated the territory of Macedonia. As in other territories in the Balqans that was conquered by Ottomans, the government provided foundation services in the region. In this sense, foundations were established in Macedonian cities such as Skopje, Debar, Doyran, Kriva Palanka, Gostivar, Štip, Tetovo, Kočani, Veles Kičevo, Kratovo, Kumanovo, Bitola, Ohrid, Prilep, Titveš and Strumica. These foundations have also undertaken important duties for the establishment of Turkish-Islamic culture in the region. Thanks to the foundations, monuments such as mosques, mosques, schools, madrasas, imarets, inns, baths, caravanserais, lodges, dervish lodges, hospitals, libraries, fountains, public fountains, bridges, tombs and Islamic cemeteries have been built in the heography of Macedonia. For the surviving and continuing of the services, fields, vineyards, gardens, plots, shops, lands and cash money were devoted.
Waqfiyyas were organized for legal protection of foundation. Many of these waqfiyyas have been preserved until today. It was seen that some of these foundations refers the name of the founder of the Hanafi school, Imam al-A'zam Abu Hanifa and his views. Apart from this, there is not any independent scientific study on Imam al-A'zam and his views in document of the Ottoman Foundatıon in the Ottoman period up today. For this reason, the issue of how the views of Imam al-A'zam were reflected in the Ottoman foundation documents has always remained as unclear. In this study, 164 foundations related to Macedonian waqfiyyas in the Archives of the General Directorate of Foundations were examined one by one and the waqfiyyas mentioning Imam al-A'zam are elaborated specifically.
In the light of Macedonian waqfiyyas, it was aimed to reveal the aspects of Imam al-A'zam and his views reflected in the Ottoman period foundation documents. In this sense, the issue of what kind of a Imam al-A'zam perception existed in the social imagination of the people who are involved in foundation services is examined. What kind of a Imam al-A'zam perception takes place in waqfiya transactions? How did the founders of foundation name and describe him? Why and for what purpose are Imam al-A'zam and his views included in the waqfiyyas? How are his views reflected on the waqfiyyas? Which opinions are included in the waqfiyyas? In what forms are these views expressed? Have his views are been acted or not? If not, what are the reasons behind it? How do the views of Imam al-A'zam relate to the recourse cases in the waqfiyyas? What is the significance and value of his views in Ottoman foundation practices? What are the Baktashi’s perception of Imam al-A'zam in the waqfiyyas regarding Baktashi lodges? In the study, answers to such questions were sought and such issues were tried to be clarified in the light of documents.
The study is discussed under the headings of foundation definition, its authenticity, legal validity, real estate foundations, movable foundations and money foundations. The subject has been evaluated descriptively and systematically with archival reviews and induction method. The study has the first study feature in its field in terms of its specific subject. In this respect, it has a unique value.