The Mecelle (Ottoman civil code)
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For everyone
The Mecelle-i Ahkâm-ı Adliyye was prepared in the Ottoman Empire between 1868 and 1876 by a commission headed by Ahmed Cevdet Pasha. It is a code setting out, in numbered articles, the law of obligations, property and procedure based on Ḥanafī fiqh, and is regarded as the first major attempt to write Islamic law in the form of a modern code. In Turkey it was replaced in 1926 by a Civil Code adopted from Switzerland.
For specialists
The Mecelle comprises 16 books and 1,851 articles; the first 99 articles state general legal maxims such as "Harm is to be removed". A codification based on Islamic law was chosen over a proposal to adopt the French Civil Code. It did not cover family law. The Mecelle remained in force in some Arab countries until the mid-20th century.
Claims
- The Islamic law of obligations and property can be codified in numbered articles in the form of a modern code.[1]
Connections
Sources
- EncyclopediaMecelle-i Ahkâm-ı Adliyye. TDV İslâm Ansiklopedisiislamansiklopedisi.org.trarchive
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Cite this page
Athena contributors. (2026). The Mecelle (Ottoman civil code). Athena: The tree of human knowledge. Retrieved November 1, 2026, from https://latifkedi.github.io/athena/en/d/mecelle/
@misc{athena_mecelle,
title = {The Mecelle (Ottoman civil code)},
author = {{Athena contributors}},
year = {2026},
howpublished = {\url{https://latifkedi.github.io/athena/en/d/mecelle/}},
note = {Athena: The tree of human knowledge. Accessed: 2026-11-01}
}Added: September 27, 2026 · Last changed: September 28, 2026 · Page history