Abstract

In the last quarter of the 19th century and the first quarter of the 20th century, many books and treatises dealing with talfīq were written, and many fatwās were issued in parallel. Although the majority of the scholars were against talfīq between the 17-18th centuries, this strong opposition was broken in the last quarter of the 19th century, and some of the scholars living in this period argued that talfīq was permissible. On the other hand, there are also jurists who opposed to talfīq. One of the main references of the jurists who do not accept talfīq on this subject is the views of scholars who are against talfīq in previous centuries. In this half-century period, one of the main reasons for the discussions about talfīq is whether or not one can benefit from it in the codification of Islamic Law. Indeed, the issue of copyright was brought to the agenda during the preparation process, and amendment of Majalla, and this issue was discussed in the draft laws prepared on family law. Especially some prominent scholars of the period, such as Elmalılı Hamdi Efendi, stated that new laws could be made by making talfīq by staying within the tradition of fiqh instead of taking laws from the West. Likewise, in a document criticising Majalla, it was emphasized that talfīq should be used. These discussions about talfīq took place in Istanbul as well as in other important centres of the Islamic world, such as Damascus and Cairo.