The law of the Ottoman Empire was based on the Shari'ah, which, being the divine law of Islam, was outside the jurisdiction of the Sultan. But one area of legislation, known as the Kanuns, depended on the desire of the Sultan. The Kanuns covered areas such as criminal law, land tenure and appraisal, and in this context Soliman tried to reform legislation to adapt it to a changing empire.
Suleiman enacted new criminal laws, prescribing a set of fines for specific offenses, as well as reducing cases that were punishable by death or mutilation. In the field of appraisal, taxes were levied on various goods and products, such as animals, mines, trade products, imports and export duties. In addition to the fees, officers who had lost their reputation were likely to lose their property to the Sultan.
Education was another important aspect for the Sultan. The religious schools attached to the mosques obtained their funds from religious foundations, which provided an almost free education for the Muslim boys, in what the Ottoman Empire surpassed the Christian countries of the time. In the capital, the number of mektebs (elementary schools) increased to fourteen. They taught children to read, write and the principles of Islam. Children who wished to receive more education could enter one of the eight madrassas, which taught them grammar, syntax, logic, metaphysics, philosophy, stylistics, geometry, astronomy and astrology. The madrassas provided a university-level education, whose graduates could be magnets or teachers. The educational centers used to be one of the many buildings that surrounded the mosques. Other of these buildings were libraries, refectories, fountains, kitchens and public hospitals.