The dissertation analyzes the changing relations between political leadership, sharia and ulama in Tunisia in the nineteenth century. The ideal of an egalitarian society that, as once in Medina... Show moreThe dissertation analyzes the changing relations between political leadership, sharia and ulama in Tunisia in the nineteenth century. The ideal of an egalitarian society that, as once in Medina under the Prophet, lived solely by God's law, has remained an important norm in Muslim society ever since. Meanwhile, in the following centuries, Islam proved to be able to live in harmony with almost absolute political leadership that promulgated its own discrete laws, sometimes even deviating from sharia legislation. This discrepancy between the ideal of an all encompassing sharia and the reality of day to day government had, however, to be bridged. The ruler required the approbation of the ulama, whose fatwas gave his actions a theological basis, establishing a synthesis between doctrine and praxis: they served as mechanisms of legitimization. My study highlights three theological discussions accommodating political leadership in nineteenth-century' Tunisia. I demonstrate that, contrary to characteristics attributed to Islamic law today, the Tunisian muftis did not view the sharia as a rigid and unchangeable entity, but as a law open to new interpretations to serve their Bey. Under the influence of European pressure these mechanisms of legitimization underwent far-reaching changes in the sixties of the nineteenth century. Show less
