 On 4 September 1891, at the age of 43, he was appointed Şeyhülislam, the Cabinet Minister in charge of religious and legal matters.He remained in this post for 16 years and 11 months, and was later reappointed on three other occasions for shorter periods, holding this post for a total of nearly 18 years, and becoming the second-longest holder of this post in Ottoman history, after Ali Zembilli Efendi.His son-in-law was the noted Turkish surgeon and mayor of Constantinople Prof. Cemil Topuzlu, also known as Cemil Pasha, whose name was given to a major boulevard in modern Istanbul, "Cemil Topuzlu Caddesi" and to a municipal amphitheatre Cemil Topuzlu Harbiye Amphitheatre.