How has it happened that the term kânûn has been adopted by different political and legal regimes – Muslim empires, Muslim monarchies, colonial states, secular and Islamic republics – to refer to their respective 'state laws'? This study explores the lengthy and complex history of kânûn from the fifteenth through the eighteenth centuries. The transformations of the concept enabled its broad circulation and malleable applications in significantly different political and legal contexts across time. Guy Burak examines how the Ottoman dynasty and its administrative, intellectual, and judicial elites experimented with the concept of kânûn, alongside Ottoman subjects and foreigners. Written in accessible language, the study covers a wide range of material from Turkish, Arabic, and Persian sources. By focusing on specific moments along the genealogy of kânûn, Burak draws attention to aspects of this concept that have shaped its post-Ottoman history. This is a Flip it Open title and may be available open access on Cambridge Core.

‘Treating the concept of kânûn as a rich reservoir of legal, political, and social thought, Burak provides a novel perspective on the Ottoman world. The book's methodological sophistication and eye for details make it an excellent, highly readable addition to Islamic and Early Modern studies.'

Shahzad Bashir - The Aga Khan University

‘This book successfully integrates the history of the Ottoman kânûn into the broader history of Islamic law and Islamic political thought, explaining how this distinctive symbol of Ottoman sovereignty became equated with state laws throughout the modern Muslim world.'

Yossi Rapoport - Queen Mary University of London