Dr. Yakoob Ahmed is currently Assistant Professor at Istanbul University’s Ilahiyat (Theology) department as well as a researcher at the Institute of Islamic Studies (ISAMER) at Istanbul University. He holds a Ph.D. from the Department of Languages and Cultures, School of Oriental and African Studies (SOAS) - University of London. He also graduated from the same institution with a Master’s degree in Near and Middle East Studies, focusing on Ottoman history and Turkish politics. Dr. Ahmed is also a regular contributor for Middle East Eye and TRT World.

• Series Editor's ForewordAcknowledgementsTable of ContentsList of FiguresIntroduction: An Islamic Revolution and the Reconfiguration of the Ottoman Government1. Historical Context: Discursive Movement Towards Constitutionalism2. The First Constitutional Experiment and Failure, 1861-18783. In Opposition to and Support of the Sultan4. Public Festivities and the Increased Visibility of the Ulema5. Revolt as an Extreme Form of NegotiationEpilogue: A New Beginning or the Beginning of the End?BibliographyIndex

This book dismantles the familiar image of passive, anti‑modern ulema by showing how Ottoman scholars themselves theorised and legitimated constitutionalism from within their own traditions. It reinterprets the Second Constitutional Period as an Islamic revolution in which religious authority, law, and statecraft were renegotiated, and offers a path‑breaking recalibration that will become a standard reference for debates on Islam, decoloniality, and modern politics.