Khayr Al-Ramli: Women In The Ottoman Empire

Khayr al-Din al-Ramli was an Islamic teacher, writer and jurist in Palestine (“Khayr al-Din al-Ramli”). He is well-known for his collection of fatwas, or legal opinions, during the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries (“Khayr al-Din al-Ramli”). He composed the fatwas in order to describe the women’s rights in the Ottoman Empire and provide precedents for the circumstances in which women have more freedom to speak and act out. Born in present day Israel, al-Ramli’s childhood and early life is not known, although he grew up reading the Quran (“Khayr al-Din al-Ramli”). After traveling to Egypt with his brother, al-Ramli attended al-Azhar, which is the “highest scholarly authority of Sunni Islam” (“Khayr al-Din al-Ramli”). Continuing on, he graduated …show more content…
In the situations of marriage, divorce, and men’s actions upon women, the women have personal rights in severe cases, but everything must be approved unless decided otherwise. Women most often have arranged marriages in which their fathers or grandfathers pick their spouse. In some situations, when a brother is the women’s guardian and picks her spouse, the woman is able to call off the wedding, unlike when a father or grandfather would. Similarly, when a woman is placed in a harmful or abusive relationship, she is able to apply for a divorce, and if granted, she could marry another man. al-Ramli explains that a man must “maintain [his wife] well” or otherwise “release her with kindness” (al-Ramli 61). This supports his argument in wanting women to be treated equally, in life, but specifically marriage. Also, men that may be guilty of kidnapping a woman and accepting hospitality and protection from village leader, further saying there are relations between the two. This can result in the punishment of “execution because of the severity and this act of disobedience to God” (al-Ramli 61). al-Ramli supports the idea of respecting and acknowledging God based on his faith and his beliefs and agrees that if actions are not carried out right, you could be killed. Lastly, if a woman had proved that a “thrice divorce has taken place, it is permissible for her …show more content…
al-Ramli dives deeper into certain examples of the times that women can and cannot act out against their life. With arranged marriages, divorce, and being kidnapped from potential husbands, women had tough lives with little say about choices made for them. This has taught me how grateful I am for the rights that I have today and that I do not have to go through such harsh conditions for marriage compared to what they had to do. Khayr al-Din al-Ramli emphasizes the importance of women’s rights and how he may be trying to create peace among them. Overall, this source highlights the significance of rights for women and the how they are capable of leading happy and healthy lives