The _Mufti’s_ power in reality went beyond the field of interpretation and entered upon that of legislation. It is well known how much the Supreme Court of the United States of America has extended the powers of the federal government by the interpretation of the Constitution. The _Mufti_ acted similarly, though with less freedom, in interpreting the Sacred Law. His power in this direction was recognized by some Ottoman Mohammedans: “The _Mufti_ hath a spacious Field for his Interpretation; for it is agreed that their Law is temporary, and admits of Expositions according to times and state of things. And though they Preach to the People the perfection of their _Alchoran_; yet the wiser men hold, that the _Mufti_ hath an expository power of the Law to improve and better it, according to the state of things, times and conveniencies of the Empire; for that their Law was never designed to be a clog or confinement to the propagation of Faith, but an advancement thereof, and therefore to be interpreted in the largest and farthest fetched sense, when the strict words will not reach the design intended.”[674] The _fetvas_ of the _muftis_ amounted in practice to a body of legislation which was intermediate between the _Sheri_ and the _Kanuns_: they partook of the sacred character of the former, as being based directly upon it; they were, like the latter, of a modern and practical nature derived from recent application to actual cases. In the _fetvas_, however, nothing radical or startling could ever be attempted; novel features were obliged to be of a most inconspicuous character. The _fetvas_ as a whole caused some development in the Sacred Law, but their combined additions were altogether too slight to keep it abreast of the march of events.