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The Influence of European Law on the Ottoman Law of Family Rights
Abstract
This article examines the Ottoman Law of Family Rights (Hukūk-ı Āile Kararnāmesi, hereafter OLFR) as a legal text that, on the one hand, aimed to respond to the pressing social needs of late Ottoman society, and on the other hand, sought to adapt specific provisions from European civil codes into the Ottoman family law. Regulations such as the restriction of the minimum age for marriage, the requirement of public announcement before marriage and the limitation of the guardian’s authority to arrange a marriage clearly reflect the influence of the legal mindset produced by the European codification movement that began with the French Civil Code.
The incorporation of provisions from European civil codes into the OLFR was made possible by two principles adopted by the Supplementary Civil Code Commission (Kanun-ı Medenī Tālī Komisyonu), chaired by Seyyid Bey: first, drawing upon the opinions of other mujtahids beyond the Ḥanafī school, and second, borrowing norms from foreign legal systems so long as they did not contradict Islamic legal principles. This approach justified specific regulations inspired by European law based on non-Ḥanafī views and incorporated into the OLFR.
In the commission’s lāyiha (report), both the recourse to multiple madhhabs and the adoption of norms from foreign legal systems were justified within fiqh and uṣūl al-fiqh frameworks. This article argues that Seyyid Bey formulated these justifications.
Keywords
Thanks
Bu makale, "Tanzimat'tan Cumhuriyet'e Türk Aile Hukukunda Kanunlaştırma" başlıklı doktora tezimden üretilmiştir. Tez sürecindeki yol gösterici katkıları ve yapıcı eleştirileri için danışmanım Prof. Dr. Murteza Bedir'e en içten teşekkürlerimi sunarım.
References
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Details
Primary Language
Turkish
Subjects
Islamic Law
Journal Section
Research Article
Authors
Sümeyye Sarıtaş
*
0000-0002-4381-4798
Türkiye
Publication Date
September 30, 2025
Submission Date
June 1, 2025
Acceptance Date
September 9, 2025
Published in Issue
Year 1970 Volume: 25 Number: 2