272 chapter 6
Belgrade in 1688, and that of Niş in 1689. Among the critics of Mehmed IV’s
pastimes that allegedly prevented him from actively dealing with these mili-
tary setbacks were both Sufis and Kadızadelis.138
Vani Mehmed had already disappeared from the political scene by the
time Fazıl Mustafa became grand vizier. However, Fazıl Mustafa also proved
to be less than flexible when it came to the matters of conquest and warfare.
Although we do not know if he was rooting for an aggressive gaza policy for
the same ideological reasons as were Kara Mustafa Pasha and Vani Mehmed
Efendi, we do know, for instance, that he was very much against the diplo-
matic mission to Vienna, arranged by the-then grand vizier Bekri Mustafa.139
Reportedly, Fazıl Mustafa Pasha, who had not yet become the grand vizier, was
so enraged by the peace mission that he accused the members of the mission
of infidelity.140 Fazıl Mustafa was again lukewarm about any peace attempt
in the wake of the Battle of Slankamen (1691), where he personally led the
Ottoman army; the battle led to enormous losses on the Ottoman side, and
cost Fazıl Mustafa his life.141
In addition to his fixation with gaza, another concern that Fazıl Mustafa
inherited from the Sunna-minded discourses of the first half of the century
was the legality of market operations. His elimination of the application of
state-determined fixed prices on a daily basis (narh-ı ruzi) in the markets, cit-
ing the absence of any stipulations concerning price controls in fıkh books, can
be seen as one of the most emblematic pro-Sharia statements of the period.142
What is known as ta ’sir in Islamic legal terminology had been widely debated
in early Islamic sources. The founding principle behind the rejection of narh
emanates from an anecdote involving Prophet Muhammad. Once, when an
increase in prices had occurred, a group of purchasers asked Muhammad to set
a price in their favor, to which the Prophet replied:
138 Terzioğlu 1999, 175; Silahdar – Refik 1928, 2:245–248: among them were Halveti Sheikh
Hacı Evhad Şeyhi Hüseyin Efendi, the Celveti Himmetzade Abdullah Efendi, Vani’s son-
in-law Mustafa Efendi who was a preacher at Valide Sultan Mosque.
139 On the grand vizier Bekri Mustafa’s initiative, Alexandros Mavrokordatos and Zülfikar
Efendi were sent to Vienna on a peace mission, only to be held captive there between
1688 and 1692. Jobst 1980; “Takrîr-i Mükamele” by Zülfikar Efendi in Silahdar – Refik 1928,
2:654–655; Zülfikar – Güler 2007.
140 Cantemir – Tindal 1734, 738.
141 The historian and bureaucrat Mevkufati blamed Fazıl Mustafa Paşa’s hastiness for the
defeat (Aycibin 2011, 70).
142 Defterdar – Özcan 1995, 388.