JUDGES’ INTERESTS IN RELIGIOUS SCIENCES IN THE ERA OF THE CIRCASSIAN MAMLUKS (AL-BURJA) (784 - 923 AH / 1382 - 1517 AD)

Abstract

This research discussed the nature of the judiciary, the conditions required for those who hold a position in the judiciary, and the importance of the judiciary in the Mamluk era as it was one of the venerable jobs that received the attention of the Mamluk sultans, because judges had a wide position in society, including the right to decide disputes, appoint judges in the regions, review endowments, and others. However, the judiciary deteriorated after the middle of the eighth century AH, as it was no longer an independent authority, and the eligibility to choose judges was not based on the moral or scientific aspect. Rather, their appointment was linked either to their closeness to the Sultan or to paying money in exchange for obtaining the mandate of the judiciary, so the arts disappeared, and the virtues vanished. The judges sought to collect money, and despite that, the judges had interests in religious sciences. Some of them studied religious sciences and issued fatwas, and others composed many works that were of great interest to students of knowledge and to those who research those sciences.