education in the Islamic world. A relatively small class of legal scholars controlled the interpretation of sharia on a wide range of questions essential to society, ranging from ritual to finance. It was considered a requirement for qualified jurists to communicate their knowledge through teaching or issuing fatwas. The ideal mufti was conceived as an individual of scholarly accomplishments and exemplary morals, and muftis were generally approached with the respect and deference corresponding to these expectations.

Judges generally sought