The Ālūsī Family between Baghdad and Istanbul: Imperial Connections and the Development of Salafi Commitments

Abstract

<jats:title>Abstract</jats:title> <jats:p>The Ālūsīs of Baghdad were one of the most influential families in the late Ottoman Empire, producing various prolific scholars. They were inspired by Ibn Taymiyya, supported the permissibility of <jats:italic>ijtihād</jats:italic>, and criticized excessive Sufi practices. Although accused of being Wahhabi owing to their Salafi ideas, they maintained strong ties with the Ottoman state, holding judicial and bureaucratic positions. This article situates the family within the Ottoman imperial framework and explains how they navigated as Salafi scholars in the predominantly Ḥanafī-Māturīdī structure of the Ottoman Empire.</jats:p>