The often-overemphasised religious tolerance of the Ottoman authorities did not
hide a dialogue of two equal parties. Islam simply treated the relationship between
religion and authority in a different way to Western culture. The spatially and temporally
diverse Islamic system of law is consistent in one thing. It denies the possibility
of an independent secular and religious power as a fundamental premise. Contrary
to this, in Western Europe, the two swords of secular and religious power cannot be
wielded by the same hand since Gratian’s Decretum. Islam consistently denies the
existence of two swords. Spiritual and political influence remained undivided as they
had been in the community of Medina founded by the Prophet. The main goal of Islamic
authority is to enforce the commandments of the religion on Earth. This meant
(according to its internal logic) that accepting the rule of Islam was the attainment of
an ideological goal. Submission was thus not simply a legal act, but precisely what
created the framework for the imbalanced relationship, from which Islam offered
only one escape: conversion. It follows from the above that the Turkish authorities in
Hungary had no need for widespread missions of conversion, as took place among
the Muslim population left in the country following its reconquest. Nevertheless, this
does not mean that these authorities did not consider spreading what they believed
to be the most authentic divine revelation, a religious duty or a form of salvation.
Ottoman rule in Hungary and the knowledge of Islam during the second half of the sixteenth century and the first three decades of the seventeenth century The often-overemphasised religious tolerance of the Ottoman authorities did not
hide a dialogue of two equal parties. Islam simply treated the relationship between
religion and authority in a different way to Western culture. The spatially and temporally
diverse Islamic system of law is consistent in one thing. It denies the possibility
of an independent secular and religious power as a fundamental premise. Contrary
to this, in Western Europe, the two swords of secular and religious power cannot be
wielded by the same hand since Gratian’s Decretum. Islam consistently denies the
existence of two swords. Spiritual and political influence remained undivided as they
had been in the community of Medina founded by the Prophet. The main goal of Islamic
authority is to enforce the commandments of the religion on Earth. This meant
(according to its internal logic) that accepting the rule of Islam was the attainment of
an ideological goal. Submission was thus not simply a legal act, but precisely what
created the framework for the imbalanced relationship, from which Islam offered
only one escape: conversion. It follows from the above that the Turkish authorities in
Hungary had no need for widespread missions of conversion, as took place among
the Muslim population left in the country following its reconquest. Nevertheless, this
does not mean that these authorities did not consider spreading what they believed
to be the most authentic divine revelation, a religious duty or a form of salvation. 15351 4860 HUF Szent István Társulat | ![]() |