Ebussuud Efendi

Ebussuud Efendi (Muhammad ibn Muhammad al-Amadi, 1490-1574 CE) served as the Sheikh al-Islam (Chief Mufti) of the Ottoman Empire for thirty years under Suleiman the Magnificent and his son Selim II — the longest tenure in Ottoman history. He was responsible for legitimizing many of Suleiman's legal reforms, famously harmonizing Hanafi jurisprudence with Ottoman administrative law (kanun). His Quranic commentary, Irshad al-'Aql al-Salim ila Mazaya al-Kitab al-Karim, is one of the most important Ottoman tafsirs. He also wrote fatwas that integrated traditional Islamic law with the practical needs of a vast empire.