MUSLIM-JEWISH LEGAL ENCOUNTERS IN THE OTTOMAN EMPIRE

Abstract

This article explores how Muslim legal principles and daily state practices shaped the lives of Jewish communities in the Ottoman Empire. Under Islamic law, Jews were treated as dhimmis, protected non-Muslims who could keep their religion and community courts but had to pay special taxes and accept social limits. The Ottoman sultans combined these Islamic rules with flexible governance to balance religious authority and economic needs. While Jewish communities primarily resolved family and religious matters within their courts, they often utilized Ottoman kadi courts for issues involving business, debts, and conflicts that required stronger state enforcement. This blending of Jewish law and state courts demonstrates a practical legal pluralism that enabled Jewish merchants and families to survive and thrive under Muslim rule. The article explains how rabbis sometimes allowed these exceptions, even though Jewish law normally forbade taking fellow Jews to non-Jewish courts. It also demonstrates how the sultans encouraged Jewish settlement and trade by offering protection through firmans, safe conduct, and special agreements with Europe. By examining court records, historical rulings, and community practices, this paper argues that the Ottoman legal system struck a unique balance between Islamic theory and daily tolerance. This flexible legal order kept Jews loyal, protected, and active in Ottoman economic life for centuries, showing how Islamic empires managed diversity through a blend of faith, law, and politics.