# The Mufti, Supreme Religious Leader

- By: Jean Baptiste Vanmour (Valenciennes, 1671–1737)
- Date: c. 1727 - c. 1730
- Medium: canvas, oil paint (paint)
- Classification: painting
- Dimensions: height 34 cm x width 26 cm
- Museum: [Rijksmuseum](https://www.rijksmuseum.nl/en/collection/object/SK-A-2023--c94336935b0aa21271764c5290a19880)
- Rights: [Public Domain Mark](http://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/mark/1.0/)
- Picture: https://iiif.micr.io/sHYQA/full/!1920,1080/0/default.jpg
- Who can see it: Teens profiles and older (museums give no ratings; placed by Invisible Network from the museum's own words)

A mufti is an Islamic ecclesiastical legal authority. The mufti of Istanbul, called the şeyhülislam, was the highest-ranking religious functionary in the Ottoman Empire. He, the grand vizier and the sultan were the three most important rulers. The şeyhülislam had to ensure that the policy of the sultan and his grand vizier did not violate the sharia or holy law of Islam.