Muftis are Muslim religious scholars who issue legal opinions (fatwas) interpreting Sharia (Islamic law).[3]:16–20 The Ottoman Empire began the practice of giving official recognition and status to a single mufti, above all others, as the Grand Mufti.[3]:5 The Grand Mufti of Istanbul had, since the late 16th century, come to be regarded as the head of the religious establishment.[4] He was thus not only pre-eminent but bureaucratically responsible for the body of religious-legal scholars and gave legal rulings on important state policies such as the dethronement of rulers.[4] This practice was subsequently borrowed and adapted by Egypt from the mid-19th century.[3]:5 From there, the concept spread to other Muslim states, so that today there are approximately 16 countries with sizeable Muslim populations which have a Grand Mufti.[3]:85 The relationship between the Grand Mufti of any given state and the state's rulers can vary considerably, both by region and by historical era.