ABSTRACT
During the Second Constitutional Era, the Ottoman Empire’s navy was in need of renewal because it was highly outdated in comparison with other Western states. The Empire did not have sufficient financial means to meet this demand. In response a large public aid campaign ranging from the Sultan to the people took shape. The Navy League (Donanma Cemiyeti) was established for organizing this aid campaign. The scope, systematicity and impact of this campaign was unique among similar aid campaigns of the time. Under the auspices of this campaign, many alternative aid strategies were proposed. One proposal was giving zakat as a form of aid to the navy. This issue left a mark on the legal discourse till today as whether or not it is permissible to give zakat to institutions, including state institutions. In this article, I am going to analyze the emergence of this matter, its development, historical and legal contexts, discussing the matter as a part of a large public aid campaign