In summary, the wealth and support of Turkish mosques come from a combination of donations, lands, rents, and charitable gifts. Royal mosques receive large endowments from sultans and royal families, while smaller mosques depend on private gifts, bequests, and income from lands or properties. These revenues are carefully managed to support religious scholars, students, and charitable activities such as feeding the poor, caring for travelers, and maintaining hospitals.
The system is designed so that mosques are not only centers of worship but also centers of learning, social support, and community life. By observing the management of royal mosques, it is possible to understand how other mosques and religious institutions in the empire operate.
The Doctrine of Predestination According to Turkish Scholars
Turkish religious scholars, or doctors of the law, hold a strict view of predestination. Their doctrine resembles, in some ways, the beliefs of certain Calvinist thinkers in Europe. They interpret passages of scripture to support the idea that God determines the fate of every individual. For example, they cite phrases such as “the Lord said to the Potter, ‘What are you making?’ I will harden the heart of Pharaoh” and “Jacob I have loved, but Esau I have hated.” These texts are used to argue that God’s will is decisive in all matters of life Private Tour Ephesus.
The Turks do not give the same final authority to the Old Testament. Instead, they believe that the Qur’an, being more recent, expresses the will of God more clearly and perfectly. For this reason, the teachings of the Qur’an replace the laws of the older scriptures in guiding their faith and practice.
Some scholars go further, claiming that God is the ultimate author of both good and evil. They argue that all events, whether fortunate or harmful, occur according to divine will. This strict view of predestination helps explain why they interpret historical events, including wars and victories, as signs of God’s favor. For example, they saw the outcomes of Sultan Bayezid’s conflicts with his brother Selim as evidence of divine will and guidance.
Conquests and Divine Approval
Turkish scholars also use the empire’s successes as a measure of divine approval. Victories in war, territorial expansion, and prosperity are seen as evidence that God supports their religion and rulers. By observing the outcomes of political and military events, they interpret God’s favor and guidance for both the sultan and the faith as a whole.
In this way, the doctrine of predestination reinforces both religious devotion and loyalty to the state. It connects divine will directly with worldly events, encouraging the belief that the empire’s prosperity reflects the correctness of their religion and the justice of their rulers. This view shaped both the spiritual and political understanding of the Ottoman elite, linking faith and governance in a single system of divine and temporal authority.