Page 60 - Justice and Compassion in the Qur'an

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JUSTICE AND COMPASSION IN THE QUR'AN

Empire, which was originally a small state that spread rapidly,
superseding the Byzantine Empire and which eventually
came over a vast swath of land including southwest Asia,
northeast Africa, and southeast Europe. Today, we still come
across traces of the Ottoman Empire in the Balkans, the
Middle East and North Africa. Everywhere in the Ottoman
Empire was ruled by Muslim administrators who displayed
the noble traits of people who adhered to Islamic tenets. One

can understand the influence of the Ottomans from the
quotation below, taken from the ten-volume work, Histoire de
la Turquie, (1854) by Lamartine:
Visit Izmir, Istanbul, Syria or Lebanon. Go to monasteries, holy
places, and educational institutions there. Look at the places where
religious education is provided and ask people "Was there anything
wrong with the attitude of the Ottomans to you, or the protection
they provided?" All of them will tell you about "the impartial
treatment of the Ottomans and the Sultan"… Indeed, in the
administration of these religious places, the Ottoman sultans acted
with a profound sense of objectivity, respect and peace… 21

Starting from the time of Osman Ghazi (a title given to a
victorious Muslim military leader), the founder of the
Ottoman Empire, Sultan Mehmed the Conqueror, and other
emperors became role models for all humanity to follow with
their elevated manner and the justice they displayed in their
administrations. Under their authority, people of different
religions and creeds co-existed in peace. Furthermore, there
existed some communities which did not resist at all and of
their own free will submitted to the rule of Sultan Mehmed the
Conqueror. This alone bespeaks the great satisfaction people
derived from his fair treatment.