Federal Lezgin national-cultural autonomy

Point of view
The well-known Dagestani Islamic scholar Ruslan Gereev contacted the editors of the site with a request to publish his concern about the growing interfaith confrontation in Azerbaijan.

The text is published without editorial intervention

The Milli Majlis of Azerbaijan, at the end of February 2013, amended Article 22 of the Law “On Freedom of Religion”: “Literature with religious content (on paper and electronic media), audio and video materials, goods, products, and other information materials with religious content.” Now, citizens and religious organizations can purchase and use only materials labeled by the relevant control bodies of the executive power.

The deputies who spoke in support of the changes to the legal act do not hide that this amendment is aimed at isolating long-bearded people with short trousers from society in Azerbaijan. Noting the importance of additions to the basic law of the country in the field of regulation of religions, deputy Gudrat Hasanguliyev noted: “Azerbaijan is full of bearded and non-bearded mullahs. Now we must wait for extremism to spread in Azerbaijan, and then start fighting it?!” Deputy Ilham Aliyev, who spoke at a parliamentary meeting, also supported changes to the Law: “I support changes to this Law. Because, we must try to isolate society from people with long beards and short trousers. Walking along the boulevard in the evenings, seeing such people, you feel hatred for their appearance.”

New Rules for the People of the Sunnah

Of course, we are talking, first of all, about stopping the rapid spread of Sunni Islam in the Republic of Azerbaijan. The activities of Islamic preachers from foreign Muslim countries who lead daawa - a call to faith in Azerbaijan are causing concern to the official authorities of this country. This was recently stated by the head of the youth forum of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation, Elchin Askerov. He emphasized that the ideas of radicalism and extremism in Azerbaijan are spread mainly by emissaries from some foreign Muslim countries, who for this purpose take representatives of Azerbaijani youth abroad for appropriate training, and huge sums are allocated for propaganda in the country.

Askerov expressed hope that the preaching of pure Islam in Azerbaijan will not find a response among young people, but on the contrary will cause public censure. Any attempts are doomed and do not win support among the population, Askerov believes. However, analysts and observers testify that the position of the head of the youth forum of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation does not at all coincide with reality.

Jamestown Foundation

The American organization Jamestown Foundation, which analyzes problems in the Caucasus, wrote that cases of Shiites converting to Sunnism are becoming increasingly common among young people in Azerbaijan, and that is why the authorities equate this with “radicalization” and “extremism.”

Jamestown analysts came to the conclusion that, despite the large income from oil and gas exports, which create the external attractiveness of Azerbaijan, the official authorities are experiencing serious problems, one of which is the Sunnis, and the growth of Sunni communities. Researchers at the Jamestown Foundation who study the problems of jihadism note that the Sumgayit jamaats are the most active in this regard. This one is the second largest Azerbaijani city is practically already a springboard for Sunnism in Azerbaijan. Although the largest number of Sunnis live in the north of Azerbaijan, mass cases of Shiites converting to Sunnism are common among young people in Baku, Ganja, and Gakhe. In addition, cases of oppression of Muslims in the cities of Ganja, Baku, Sumgait, Quba, Zagatala are increasing, and the increasing frequency of special services operations against “radical” Muslims in the northwestern part of Azerbaijan is increasingly attracting the attention of the world community. These cities have already seen mass arrests of Muslims suspected of sympathizing with pure Islam, and Muslims seen as loyal to “Sunni” Islam were persecuted throughout Azerbaijan, charged with various crimes and imprisoned for long periods.

At the same time, as Jamestown claims, there are militant jamaats in Azerbaijan that work closely with the mujahideen of the Caucasus Emirate. One of these jamaats was founded in Sumgait by field commander Ildar Mollachiev (Amir Abdul Majid), who commanded the armed underground in Dagestan. As is known, he was from the city of Zagatala in northern Azerbaijan. “Sumgayit Jamaat” was created back in 2007, when Ildar Mollachiev was appointed Emir of the southern sector of the Emirate, Supreme Amir Doku Umarov.

According to the Jamestown Foundation, the Sumgait Jamaat is very dynamic and has structures not only in the north of the country, but also directly in Baku, Sumgait, and Ganja. This community also interacts with radical Muslims in Dagestan, Ingushetia, Chechnya, Ossetia and other regions of the North Caucasus.

Ruslan GEREEV
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In the photo: Lezgi - a mosque in Baku does not accommodate Sunni believers

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As we have already reported, in an article published on the portal “OnKavkaz”, and then replicated by many media outlets, it was argued that the leadership of Azerbaijan intends to abandon traditional Shiism and direct the country along the path of Sunnism. And the goal seems to be distance from Shiite Iran and rapprochement with Sunni Turkey and Kazakhstan. There are a lot of points in the article that do not reflect the truth, and sometimes there are outright lies. We do not intend to focus on all these nuances. But some aspects cannot be ignored.

Firstly, it seems that the author is not at all informed on the topic he is talking about. People's religious views are not a subject for games, and changing a person's beliefs by decree is almost impossible. Without delving into a historical excursion, we will give examples from our days. By invading Syria and Iraq, ISIS intended to fight the Shiites and Nuseirites. But even such a real danger as ISIS terrorists could not force people to abandon their religious views. On the contrary, the Shiites united with the Sunnis, in turn, the Sunnis united with the Nuseirites, and created a coalition against ISIS. That is, on someone’s instructions or through political moves, it is impossible to instantly change any faith (whether it is Sunnism or Shiism), rooted in centuries. Especially in the current times. Even if the author of the article in question does not understand this, then, undoubtedly, it is clear as day to those of common sense. And to seriously believe that such an adventure could ever take place is, to put it mildly, a manifestation of political myopia.

Second point. Which Sunnism will Azerbaijan turn its face to? I am a Shia who considers Sunnis to be brothers. However, it is necessary to call things by their proper names. Let's take a look at the provinces of the country and assess the state of the Sunni communities. If we are impartial, we must admit: in almost all corners of the country, traditional Sunnism is suffering a crushing defeat from the movement called Salafism. There are plenty of examples of this: the Juma mosque in Shemakha, the mosque in Karachukhur, the Ilyakhiyat mosque, Sheki, Khachmaz, and even Kurdamir. Traditional Sunnism cannot resist the ideological onslaught of the Salafis and is losing its followers. And even mosques and madrassas, under the patronage of Turkey, are powerless in this confrontation and give in.

I have no problems with moderate Salafism, however, I think like many of my fellow believers. But the above trend also has a continuation: moderate Salafism, unfortunately, is losing to radical Wahhabism, losing to the psychology of Al-Qaeda and ISIS. Also, moderate Salafis are giving in to the ideological pressure of radicals. This is precisely the reason for what we have today in Azerbaijan: a mass of people who are eager to launch “jihad” in their country, or to go to “hot spots” and fight for “pure Islam.”

So: what sane person in such a situation will gallop towards traditional Shiism, trying to turn the country towards Sunnism? And even if we accept this utopian option as a possible development scenario, we will be forced to admit: in this case, the emergence of groups similar to ISIS in these lands cannot be avoided. And ISIS and similar radical groups, no matter how much they advocated for the fight against Shiites, “rafidis,” in fact, their first goal was always the seizure of power and mass executions of representatives of government agencies. We saw this in both Syria and Iraq. And therefore, a person who has not been diagnosed as “insane” will never undertake such an adventure.

And those forces that want to help Sunnism should direct their aspirations towards traditional Sunnism. They must help him rehabilitate himself for such a devastating series of defeats. Unfortunately, processes in the Middle East have led to the rapid development of radical groups not only here, but also in traditional Sunni countries. And this should be dealt with not by such absurd methods as the “abolition” of a particular madhhab, but by the elimination of inter-mazhab confrontation. Where madhhabs coexist peacefully, there is no place for radicalism.

I think that the Azerbaijani authorities have spoken quite clearly on this issue: the declaration of 2017 as the “Year of Islamic Solidarity”, the restoration at state expense of such monuments of the heritage of the Prophet’s family as the Bibiheybat mosque, Imamzadeh in Ganja prove that the statements in the article in question are nothing nothing more than someone’s utopian dreams or the desire to probe the ground for future confrontations. I believe that this article is one of the components of multiple attempts by ill-wishers aimed at destabilizing the situation in Azerbaijan. The goal is to create discontent among believers, direct them towards provocations, and ultimately lead all this to inter-madhhab confrontation.

But in any case, such provocations should be responded to thoughtfully, and we call on everyone, including those in charge, to do so. Unfortunately, sometimes we witness rash steps by officials, which are ultimately regarded as the position of the state as a whole. And you don’t have to look far for examples. The monument to the poet Mikail Mushfiq, destroyed two days ago as a result of the irresponsibility of some official, was not presented as an act of vandalism by the entire government? And this despite the fact that almost all government agencies condemned this phenomenon.

As for the statement regarding Azerbaijan’s intention to replace traditional Shiism with Sunnism for the sake of rapprochement with Kazakhstan and Turkey, it should be noted that our country has a very a good relationship not only with these two states, but also with all Turkic-speaking countries. Also long years Azerbaijan cooperates fruitfully with most OIC member countries, and madhhab affiliation has never played any role in this cooperation.

Introduction

One of the world religions that has played a significant role in the history of human civilization and today continues to have a significant influence on various spheres of life in many countries of the world is Islam.

Now in the world 1 billion 250 million people profess Islam. Numerous cases of conversion to Islam cannot prevent the phenomenon that the world calls “Islamic terrorism,” when certain groups of politicians, hiding behind the religion of Islam, try to implement their dirty plans, because none of the world religions can become an ideology of terrorism. Religion forms the basis of spirituality, is the source ethical standards, moral values, and most of the prevailing customs and traditions in society are mainly of religious origin. After the collapse of the Soviet Union, throughout the post-Soviet space there has been a revival of religious life and a revival of religious values, including Islamic ones. This process has become widespread not only in the republics traditionally belonging to the Muslim world, but also in Russian Federation, where there are now more than 15 million people professing Islam.

At the current stage of history (the last 11-12 years), Islam has become a really tangible, constantly present factor in the socio-cultural and socio-political life of Azerbaijan.

Religious and political situation on the territory of ancient Azerbaijan

Before Islam, in my country, along with various forms of idolatry, animism, totemism, fetishism, shamanism, Sabeism, the highly developed religious system of Zoroastrianism was widespread - the religion of magicians, which was the state ideology of the ancient Azerbaijani state of Atropatena. Not far from Baku, in the village of Surakhani, a cult building of Zoroastrian magicians, built in the 18th century BC, has been preserved. - temple of fire worshipers.

In the north - in Albania, along with Zoroastrianism and idolatry in the 2nd-3rd centuries AD, Judeo-Christianity and Christianity spread, which became official religion in the Albanian kingdom from the 4th century.

However, the widespread spread of Zoroastrianism and Christianity in these places did not lead to the consolidation of local tribes. Only the adoption of Islam and the spread of Muslim culture in the 7th-12th centuries served as a powerful incentive to overcome tribal isolation and narrow-mindedness in the minds of the local population, as well as to create religious and cultural unity.

Islam in Azerbaijan in the Middle Ages

The beginning of the penetration of Islam into Azerbaijan dates back to the period of the first Arab conquests in the East: the 30-40s of the 7th century. Islam, in an unusually short time, crossed the borders of the Arabian Peninsula and established itself as the ideology of a vast state called the Caliphate, becoming the basis of the worldview, social psychology and way of life of many peoples, defining the principles of their behavior, ethics, and aesthetic views.

After the conquest of Iraq and Iran (where the Sassanid dynasty ruled), the invasion of the Caliphate troops began, led by Umar b. al-Khattab (634-544) to the Caucasus. The advance of the Arab army went from south to north. Moving along the shores of the Caspian Sea and conquering Derbent, the Arabs completely gained a foothold in Southern and Northern Azerbaijan. In a 100-year fierce struggle with Byzantium and the Khazars for dominance in Azerbaijan, the Arab army managed to complete the conquest of the country.

The fairly rapid spread of the Muslim religion in Azerbaijan was explained by a number of reasons.

Continuous wars and the struggle of the Byzantine and Sasanian empires for spheres of influence in the South Caucasus and, in particular, in Azerbaijan, the arbitrariness of local feudal lords, the diversity and difference of religious beliefs prevented the formation here of both social and ideological and political unity, as well as a single ethnic group.

The people pinned their hopes on the new conqueror, who promised happiness and tranquility on the basis of Islam. Therefore, the population of Azerbaijan did not put up strong resistance to the Arabs. The barrier separating the mainly Christian north of Azerbaijan from the predominantly Zoroastrian south of the country was removed. The situation in the center and in the provinces became complicated due to the split of religion into Sunnis and Shiites as a result of the usurpation (according to the Shiites) of power in the Caliphate by the Sunni Umayyad dynasty, when a series of major uprisings began. As a result of these uprisings, power in the Caliphate passed to the descendants of Abbas, the uncle of the Prophet Muhammad from the Abbasid dynasty (750-1258), and the Arab Caliphate was transformed into a multi-ethnic and cosmopolitan Muslim empire, the period of “Arab” Islam became a thing of the past. From that time on, all Muslims in the conquered territories became truly equal to each other. A fairly dynamic process of Islamization of the population of the Caliphate began. This is also where Shiism began to spread. Representatives of Shiism, persecuted by the Caliphate authorities, moved to the provinces of the Caliphate in Iran and Azerbaijan, where their ideology mixed with local pre-Islamic beliefs and led to the outbreak of a large people's liberation movement in Southern Azerbaijan against the rule of the Caliphate, the ideology of which was the worldview of the ancient Khurramite sect. .

The spread and establishment of Islam in Azerbaijan was accompanied by an upsurge in the spiritual life of the people, which was already taking place in the general mainstream of the emerging Arab-Muslim culture. The prevailing stability, which created ample opportunities for the development of cities, handicraft production and agriculture, and the tangible progress of these industries raised the question of deepening the accumulated fund of knowledge in the field of astronomy, geography, mathematics, and medicine. The flourishing of the sciences was accompanied by an increase in the general cultural level.

After the collapse of the Caliphate and the formation of independent small state associations on its territory, and especially during the period of the Azerbaijani state of the Atabeys, the process of cultural upsurge accelerated even more. The flourishing of cities as centers of craft and trade, the development of political, trade, economic and cultural relations of Azerbaijan with many countries of the world in the Middle Ages give grounds for experts to consider the period between the states of the Atabeks (1134-1225) and the Safavids (1501-1736) as the period of the Azerbaijani Renaissance, which took place in the general mainstream of the Muslim Renaissance.

In the 7th-12th centuries, the spread of Islam, Muslim culture and the Turkic (Oguz) language in Azerbaijan proceeded in a general flow and led to the formation of the Azerbaijani Muslim Turkic-speaking people with a single ideology (religion), culture and language. Mosques and Islamic prayer buildings are becoming centers of culture, science and education. The first madrasah, or, in Arabic, madrasa (a Muslim educational institution of the second level, after the initial one - maktab, in another pronunciation: mekteb) in Azerbaijan was opened in the south in Ardabil. In the madrasah (madrasa), where education was conducted in Arabic, along with Islamic theological sciences (Qu'ran, hadith, tafsir, fiqh), secular sciences were also studied: astronomy, geography, mathematics, algebra and geometry, and medicine. In addition, the training program included social Sciences, logic, philosophy (especially ancient).

Along with normative Islam and Sunni Hanafi, Shafi'i, Maliki, 'ulama and fuqaha, representatives of the early and then later kalam (for example, mu'tazilites), muhaddis (collectors and interpreters of traditions about the words and actions of Muhammad, affecting various religious and legal aspects of the life of the Muslim community).

Famous fakihs functioning in Azerbaijan were the Maliki fakih Abu-Bakr Muhammad b. Abd-Allah al-Abhari, Shafi'i faqih Yaqub b. Musa al-Ardabili, who lived in the 10th century. A famous Azerbaijani theologian-muhaddith was Ahmad Bardichi. In the 14th century, the famous Shafi'i faqih Yusuf al-Ardabili (d. 1397) and many others functioned in Azerbaijan.

One of the specific features of Islam is its ability to adapt to local conditions. In various historical and cultural regions, Islam acquired specific features that distinguish one regional form of its existence from another.

The fusion of normative Islam with the local spiritual substrate of different cultures led to the formation of regional forms of its existence, which, however, were based on general Islamic principles.

Most pre-Islamic places of worship immediately acquired an Islamic, namely Shiite, legend. For example, holy places of worship so-called. “Nardaran piri”, “Bibi-Heybat piri”, located on the Absheron Peninsula of Azerbaijan, are associated with Shiism. According to legend, in each of these holy places the sisters of Shiite imams, who fled from the persecution of the caliphic authorities, are buried.

Thus, along with the general Islamic principles that unite the entire Muslim world and distinguish the religious system of Islam from other religious systems, in particular in Central Asia and the Caucasus, there were various forms of regional Islam in Azerbaijan. For example, Sufism, which is also clearly represented in Azerbaijan, as in other Muslim regions. Islamic mysticism - Sufism (in the original sound - tasawwuf).

From a mystical-ascetic movement, which Sufism was at the early stage of its development, it turned into a broad religious and philosophical movement that swept the Muslim world with its influence. Sufism is based on the idea of ​​moral purification (“spiritual jihad”), and Sufism also came up with such moral and ethical ideals as “purity of heart and hands,” social justice, equality of all humanity before God, the fight against evil, affirmation of kindness and conscientiousness and brotherhood among people, etc.

One of the main manifestations of Sufism is the activities of Sufi brotherhoods. It was with the birth of brotherhoods in the 12th century. Sufism becomes part of the state organization that regulates the political, socio-economic and spiritual life of society. This character of Sufism has been preserved for a long time, and in a number of countries - right up to the present day.

In Azerbaijan, since the 11th century, intellectual-mystical Gnosticism, Irfan or Shia Sufism, has spread and is still preserved, thanks to the activities of the followers of the Khorasan school of Sufism Ain al-Qudat al-Hamadani (killed in 1131) and Baba Kuhi Bakuya (d. 1050- 51) . This idea was subsequently picked up and developed by followers of large Sufi brotherhoods that originated in Azerbaijan in the 13th-14th centuries. These are the brotherhoods of Suhrawardiya, Khalwatiyya, Safaviyya, as well as representatives of the Shia-Sufi community of Khurufiya, who led large social movements in Iran, Azerbaijan and Ottoman Empire.

It can be said that until the beginning of the 16th century, the Sunni interpretation of Islam prevailed in Azerbaijan, or at least it was the official ideology of the medieval Azerbaijani states. But the Shiite interpretation of Islam with its various branches was widespread among the people. At various periods in the history of Azerbaijan, depending on the political situation, those in power, including the rulers of the state of the Shirvanshahs, Ak-oyunlu and Kara-oyunlu, became adherents of Shiism (both moderate and extreme).

After the Shiite-Ufi brotherhood of Safawiyya came to power in Iran and Azerbaijan in the 16th century, the moderate Shiite interpretation of Islam in the form of isna'ashariyya (i.e., the cult of the twelve imams - it is also called Imami-Ja'farite) became the dominant religion of the state. From this time on, Azerbaijan becomes mixed Sunni-I'ite with a predominance of Shi'ism.

Muslim clergy in Azerbaijan in the 18th century and after the conquest of this territory by the Russian Empire in the 19th century

In the 18th century and before the conquest of Azerbaijan by the Russian Empire, the country was divided into a number of small khanates. Despite the predominance of Shiism among the people, Azerbaijan remains partly Sunni. Until recently, Shiism dominated in the Nakhichevan, Karabakh, Absheron, Ganja, Mil, Mugan and Lenkoran regions, and Sunnism dominated in the Sheki-Akatal, Kuba-Usar, Shamakhi-Abala regions. Shiites and Sunnis both fought with each other, supporting Iran and Turkey, respectively, in the wars constantly going on in the territory of Transcaucasia, and lived quite peacefully side by side. As I wrote above with reference to Ali Abasov, “Azerbaijan has developed a unique tradition of Muslim, Shiite-Unni “ecumenism.” And this is the main form of Islam in this region.

During the period of domination of the Azerbaijani khanates, in some of them the Muslim clergy actively participated in public administration. The clergy played a major role in the system of enlightenment, education and courts (namely, the only courts here were Sharia courts). The Muslim clergy controlled the collection and distribution of taxes and taxes, and actually participated in government administration, occupying an important place in the palaces of the khans.

In other khanates, all secular and religious power was concentrated in the hands of the khans. In these khanates, the functions of the clergy were somewhat limited. In addition to mosques (masjid) and madrassas, holy places located on strategic caravan routes also played a major role in the spiritual life of the population: pirs, Sufi monasteries (khanaka), turba, ribat and other religious institutions. In many khanates, where secular power was separated from religious power, religious leaders enjoyed significant autonomy. The role and place of the Shiite clergy in government compared to the Sunni clergy was different and most significant. According to Russian estimates of the 30s of the 19th century, there were almost equal numbers of Shiites and Sunnis among the Muslims of Azerbaijan.

An interesting religious situation is developing after the annexation of Northern Azerbaijan to the Russian Empire in early XIX century. As a result of the Russian-Iranian wars of 1804-1813 and 1826-1828, the country and people were forever divided into two parts by the border drawn along the Araks River. The Muslim clergy of the part of Azerbaijan conquered by Russia (Northern Azerbaijan) falls under the complete control of the imperial authorities. The tsarist government initially looked for ways to Christianize the Muslim regions of the South Caucasus. However, the developers of this idea, initially realizing the impossibility of carrying out such an enterprise, simultaneously proposed creating a supreme organization of the Muslim clergy obedient to the royal power. Back in 1823, the position of Sheikh al-Islam of the Caucasus was officially established, which was the Tiflis akhund, an Azerbaijani by origin, Muhammad Ali.

After the final conquest of Azerbaijan by the Russian Empire, only in the second half of the 19th century, in 1872, the Regulations on the management of the Transcaucasian Muslim clergy were adopted, and the exact implementation of laws and government orders by the Muslim clergy was monitored. According to the above, Shia and Sunni Spiritual Boards were created. The highest clergy among the Shiites was Sheikh al-Islam, to whose post Akhund Muhammad Ali Hussein-zade was appointed, among the Sunnis - the Mufti, members of the spiritual boards, members of the Majlis and Kaziya were also appointed. The spiritual boards of Muslims were located in Tiflis. To occupy the appropriate religious post, it was necessary to have the appropriate knowledge. The positions and titles of akhund among the Shiites, efendiya among the Sunnis, as well as marsiyakhana among the Shiites, imams (juma of the cathedral mosque), qadi (judge) were occupied by highly educated people, theologians. The authorities allocated certain funds to the Spiritual Boards for the maintenance of the clergy. In 1889, the Tiflis governor allocated 6,507 rubles for the maintenance of the Shiite Spiritual Board.

Thus, the imperial authorities were able to win over the official Muslim clergy. Russia, with the help of this clergy, tried to influence the entire population of the conquered Muslim countries. However, it did not always work out the way representatives of the imperial authorities wanted. As an example, one should cite the mass movement of Sunnis in the northwestern zone of Azerbaijan, especially the movement of Sunnis in the Dzharo-Belokan region, where the influence of the Russians was very weak, and the establishment of the Russian Empire here posed a danger to the successful outcome of the Muridism movement in Dagestan. The movement of the mountaineers of the northwestern regions of Azerbaijan was led by the Azerbaijani Sufi Ismail Siraj-ad-Din Shirvani (born in the village of Kurdamir in 1782, now the Kurdamir region of the Azerbaijan Republic). Since the 19th century, one of the most militant branches of Naqshbandiyya, the Khalidiyya brotherhood, founded in Baghdad by the Kurdish sheikh Maulana Khalid, nicknamed (nisba) Ziya ad-Din, penetrated into the territory of Azerbaijan from northern Turkey. The Khalidiyya teaching, developed by Sheikh Maulana Khalid Baghdadi, penetrated into the Caucasus as a result of the activities of Ismail Siraj ad-Din Shirvani.

The teachings of Khalidiyya became the ideology of Muridism - an anti-colonial movement of the mountaineers of the Caucasus, both Northern and Southern (western and northwestern regions of Azerbaijan), under the leadership of Shamil, who declared “gazavat” (war on infidels) to the Russian imperial authorities. After the suppression of Muridism, some of the followers of Sheikh Ismail Siraj-ad-Din and Shamil were exiled by the tsarist administration to Siberia, another part was able to move to Turkey and settle in the city of Amasya, and some were forced to go underground. As for the Shiite clergy, it should be said that volunteers from among the Shiite Azerbaijanis fought on the side of Russia in military conflicts with the Ottoman Empire, for example, in the war of 1828, in the Crimean War of 1853-1856. and in the war of 1876-1878. The Shiite clergy mainly acted on the side of the royal power. Under Russian rule, Ashura Day was celebrated in more than two thousand mosques and sacred places in Northern Azerbaijan as the main mourning holiday, known as “Shahsey-Vakhsey”. In the mosques and holy places of Azerbaijan, Ashura was celebrated as a whole theatrical performance “taziye”, during which Muslims chanted religious texts specially prepared for this event - marsiyya, acted out scenes of episodes of tragic events that happened to the descendants of the Prophet Muhammad, in which they participated as representatives of the Shiite community. clergy (akhunds, pishnamaz, vaezkhans and rosekhans), and ordinary believers. Sometimes entire villages individual regions participated in these theatrical performances.

In parallel with the development of the Islamic religion during this period (i.e., after joining the Russian Empire), a European-educated intellectual elite emerged in Azerbaijan, which began to lay the foundation for the formation of a national ideology. Historians, philosophers, writers, and educators were the founders of the local secular tradition. These people still remain cult figures for most of the local intellectual elite. While laying the foundations of secular ideology, this intelligentsia did not at all oppose the Islamic faith.

Mirza Fatali Akhundov (1812-1872), Mirza Kazembek (d. 1870), Said Azim Shirvani (1833-1888) opposed the religious obscurantism of some representatives of the Muslim clergy, which was hindering the overall development of Azerbaijan. They opposed the split of religion into Shiites and Sunnis. Representatives of the European educated elite - educators, founders of modernist and liberal ideology - Abbaskuli Aga Bakikhanov (d. 1846) (who, moreover, was the author of works devoted to Shiite theology), Mirza Jafar Topchubashev, Mirza Shafi Vazekh, already at the end of the 19th - At the beginning of the twentieth century, Hasan-bek Zardabi, Alimardan-bek Topchubashev, Akhmed-bek Agayev, Ali-bek Husayn-zade argued that in the process of forming the ethnic self-awareness of Azerbaijanis, religion - Islam and Muslim culture - became the determining factor, along with language. The enlighteners of Azerbaijan in their writings showed the specifics of Islam in Azerbaijan and argued that Islam for the people here is more than a religion, it is a way of life for the population. At the same time, the reformers promoted European social thought and culture, and said that, while preserving their national and religious traditions, Azerbaijanis should join the achievements of European civilization through the Russian language. Secular educators were especially concerned, as mentioned above, with the problem of contradictions that constantly arise between Shiites and Sunnis. As the American Sovietologist Tadeusz Swietokhowski notes, “religious contradictions inevitably reflected the different political, cultural and linguistic orientations characteristic of the border areas. Shiites traditionally considered themselves part of the Iranian world and continued to use Persian as a literary language, while Sunnis remained attracted to the Ottoman Empire, although to a lesser extent than Shiites to Iran.”

In general, the traditional policy of tsarism was, along with strengthening control over the clergy, to consolidate the Sunni-Shiite demarcation. In line with this policy, separate education of Shiites and Sunnis in madrassas was also introduced. Before the establishment of Soviet power in Azerbaijan, there were 23 Shiite and 16 Sunni qadis - Muslim judges conducting cases on a very limited range of issues. The tsarist government did not accept unreliable people into service. There were not so many trustworthy, but still capable of fulfilling their duties, and therefore in 1913, more than half of the akhund places in the “official” mosques were not occupied at all.

The role of Islam in Azerbaijan at the beginning of the 20th century and after the establishment of Soviet power

The new intellectual elite of Azerbaijan was closely connected with its people. Gradually imbued with Western European ideas about equality, this elite develops thoughts about freedom from empire. Democratic European ideologies in connection with newly emerging ones XIX-XX centuries reformist ideas in Islam, inspired by the Egyptian theologians Muhammad Abdo and Jamal ad-Din al-Afghani, led to the emergence of a number of parties and circles in northern Azerbaijan at the beginning of the 20th century. As an example, we can cite the all-Russian liberal Muslim party “Ittifagi-Muslimin” (“Union of Muslims”), created in 1905, which was headed by Azerbaijani A.M. Topchibashev. Thus, two trends arose: the first was aimed at achieving cultural autonomy for all Muslims in Russia, led by the Tatars, the second - at the federal reorganization of Russia, i.e. this was the first step towards achieving the independence of individual Muslim peoples led by the Azeri Turks. The Azerbaijani national movement was led by the Musavat party, which also initially had an Islamic character.

In 1918, the Azerbaijan Democratic Republic was proclaimed - the first republic in the Muslim East, based on the separation of religion and state.

The ideology of this state was based on the principles of “Turkism”, democracy and Islam, which plays the role of the general basis of culture. The Musavatist state wanted to create “the image of a Western democratic secular state, transferred to Azerbaijani Muslim and mainly Shiite soil.” But it was not possible to create such a society due to the October Revolution of 1917.

An interesting fact is that the Bolshevik government, like the tsarist government, supported the Muslim population of these territories to strengthen its positions in the Caucasus and Central Asia. The Bolsheviks were also forced to take into account the colossal role of Islam in the consciousness of the population of Azerbaijan, and, apparently, that is why the attitude towards the Muslim clergy was more liberal than, for example, the attitude towards the Orthodox Church in Russia. In this regard, it is enough to mention the interview given by a peasant from the Baku region to a journalist from the local newspaper “Keskhul” about his identity, in which he claimed that he was a Muslim.

Islam was initially considered by the Bolsheviks as an ally in the fight against the Entente countries. This fact is confirmed by the appeals that the new government addressed to the “Working Muslims of Russia” and the “Muslims of the East,” in which the oppressed followers of Islam were called upon to resolutely fight for their liberation. The Islamic clergy in Central Asia, the Caucasus and Russia itself were able to integrate with the new proletarian state. It seemed that the authorities were using Muslims to fight the colonial powers, and often the Muslim clergy addressed appeals to the working people.

Ali Abasov writes that the clergy drew parallels between Islam and Marxism, which denies all types of inequality and exploitation between people.

The fight against Islam began in the second half of the 20s, in particular in 1927. This process was then repeated with some interruptions in 1928 and 1933, and especially in 1937.

For example, the campaign to remove the veil, which became widespread, ultimately contributed to the fact that the majority of women in Azerbaijan received secondary and higher secular education, and women engaged in active social, industrial and scientific activities.

In 1927, in Central Asia and the Caucasus, waqfs were abolished, Sharia and adat courts that considered religious and everyday matters, and confessional schools were liquidated. Now, according to the Constitution, believers are granted “freedom of religion, but not of religious propaganda.”

Of the 1,369 mosques (of which 969 were Shiite, 400 Sunni) that existed in Azerbaijan in the first half of 1928, already in 1933 there were 17 mosques left throughout the republic, of which 11 were Shiite, 2 Sunni and 2 mixed, where Shiites and The Sunnis prayed one by one. A massive wave of repression affected both the clergy and the intellectual elite.

An interesting event takes place in last years Great Patriotic War. In 1944, by decree of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR, the Spiritual Administration of Muslims of Transcaucasia (DUMZ) was recreated - headed by the Shiite Sheikh al-Islam akhund Agha Alizade, whose deputy was a Sunni. This establishment of official Islam began to open mosques again.

The higher clergy became part of the executive branch of the USSR. Begins in 1954 new stage attack on religion, characterized by harsh atheistic propaganda, the closure of mosques that functioned under Stalin, as well as the banning of newly emerging sects. As a result, there are only 16 operating mosques left in Azerbaijan, 2 of which are in Baku. The fight against religion in the 50-60s was characterized, first of all, by anti-religious agitation among the population. Dozens of anti-Muslim books and pamphlets were written.

But folk Islam has always lived - this has been the traditional form of its existence in Azerbaijan from time immemorial. In the conditions of the practical absence of literate religious (charismatic) figures, visiting holy places (feasts), of which there are more than 500 in the republic, was the only method of satisfying one’s religious needs. Shiite Muslims continued to celebrate the month of Muharram, mourning the imams, and especially the tragic events associated with the Day of Ashura. Interestingly, the authorities did not particularly interfere with this.

People visited holy places (though this was not on a mass scale) during mourning for Shiite imams in the month of Muharram, in the month of Ramadan and during the holiday of Eid al-Fitr (in Azerbaijani Ramadan - Bayramy or Orujlug), during the holiday Kurban Bayram, other numerous religious events, as well as on ordinary days. Another significant holiday celebrated by Muslims was the “Birthday of the Prophet Muhammad” holiday, which contributed to the gatherings of Muslims and their communication - Mawlid an-Nabi (Mavlud - Azerbaijani).

As for Sufism, it should be said that the ban on the activities of Sufi brotherhoods in Central Asia and the Caucasus was caused not only by the fact that atheism became the basis of communist ideology and politics. The Soviet government was primarily dissatisfied with the fact that most Sufi groups had a well-organized structure based on the unquestioning submission of the murid to the murshid. This structure has more than once favored the formation and consolidation of well-organized and disciplined combat groups capable of armed resistance. It was officially reported that there are no Sufi communities in the South Caucasus, in particular in Azerbaijan. Apparently, representatives of Sufi brotherhoods operating in the western and northwestern regions moved abroad or went deep underground. But in Azerbaijan, even in Soviet times, representatives of intellectual - mystical Gnosticism (Shiite Sufism or Irfan) survived. These are dervishes - rosekhans, marsiyakhans or maddahi - (glorifying the Prophet Muhammad and Shiite imams). Over the past two centuries, more than 80 dervishes - rousekhans - have changed in the territory of northern Azerbaijan. Despite the prohibitions and propaganda of atheism, the people still did not forget their Islamic culture. Any Soviet Azerbaijani knew that traditionally Azerbaijanis are Muslims. Almost the entire population of Azerbaijan (maybe with rare exceptions, which I have not heard of) continued to observe the custom of son circumcision - syundat (even the communist elite). Many families, along with civil marriage in the registry office, also concluded a marriage contract (kabin) according to Sharia in the mosque. This was observed in both cities and rural areas.

In the 60s, the “Chelebi” sect resumed its activities in the south of Karabakh. Representatives of this Sunni sect were distinguished by their extremely respectful attitude towards Ali’s personality, and therefore they were also called “Alevi”. The followers of this sect were immigrants from Asia Minor and were even able to take power into their own hands for a while in two Karabakh villages.

An interesting idea about Islam in Azerbaijan is put forward by Tadeusz Svetokhovsky, and to some extent we can agree with him in this regard. He writes that in fact, the Soviet period in Azerbaijan led to the flourishing of the spirit of taqiyya, i.e. One of the guiding principles of Shia Islam is “prudent concealment of one’s faith.”

In 1985, there were only 18 registered mosques in Azerbaijan out of 53 registered religious communities (25 Baptist and other non-Orthodox communities, 4 Orthodox churches, 3 synagogues, 2 Armenian churches and numerous holy places - pirs scattered throughout all regions. Registered mullahs in 1982 There were 123 people, unregistered - 112. In the 80s, no more than 20 people could perform the Hajj per year throughout the USSR, of which 2-3 were Azerbaijanis. In 1990, there were only 16 people in Azerbaijan with a religious education received in Azerbaijan. Madrasah “Mir Arab” in Bukhara and at the Tashkent Islamic University. All of them worked in the Spiritual Administration of Muslims of the Caucasus or in mosques in the city of Baku.

Some information about Islam in Azerbaijan in the modern period

Gorbachev's perestroika gave the peoples of the Soviet Union genuine freedom of conscience. In Baku and the regions of Azerbaijan, the process of returning to believers mosques that were once given over to cultural objects has begun. The slow process of the revival of Islam in the republic begins, and a peculiar fusion of Turkism and Islam was laid as the foundation of national identity. Rotary, including in religious sphere, turned out to be events related to the “Black January” of 1990, when the funeral of the victims of the events of January 22, 1990 was headed by the head of the Spiritual Administration of Muslims of Transcaucasia, Sheikh al-Islam Allah Shukur Pashazade. For the first time, a funeral of state and public significance was held not according to Soviet mourning rules, but according to Islamic-Shiite canons.

Azerbaijan, like other Muslim republics of the post-Soviet space, is today going through a complex and highly controversial process social development. The inconsistency of this process lies primarily in the fact that, on the one hand, the country achieved its sovereignty relatively recently and is, one might say, still at the initial stage of independence. The republic is also characterized by the variability of many socio-economic and cultural problems, including problems caused by the war with Armenia (annexation of about 20% of the national territory, the presence of approximately 1 million refugees); on the other hand, it is rapidly moving along the path of new market relations, there is a clear tendency to orient the country’s economic development towards Western models.

The inconsistency of socio-economic development gives rise to inconsistency in the spiritual sphere: on the one hand, traditional values ​​and guidelines, the usual way of life are being lost, the impact on the life of society of various manifestations of Western mass culture is increasing, on the other hand, the appeal to national, primarily religious traditions as models of spirituality - as throughout the entire territory of the former USSR, the level of religiosity is increasing in Azerbaijan and, accordingly, the power and influence of religious institutions is increasing.

After the collapse of the USSR, in November 1992, the Supreme Religious Council of the Peoples of the Caucasus was established, the chairman of which was Sheikh al-Islam of Azerbaijan Allah Shukur Pashazadeh.

In the early 90s, the “Azerbaijan Party of Islamic Progress”, the “Islamic Party of Azerbaijan”, the societies “Azad Rukhaniler” (“Free Spiritual Persons”) and “Tovbe” (“Repentance”) operated in Azerbaijan (without official registration), and also the semi-religious society “Gardashlyg”, which at one time supported the ex-president of the republic Ayaz Mutalibov during his election campaign.

Ali Abasov notes that “in the activities of these organizations, which combine conservative religiosity with a willingness to support pro-Russian forces in the fight against liberal and national democratic movements, one can see a continuation of the political line that Ittihad personified during the period of the Azerbaijan Democratic Republic. Along with the decision of their own tasks, these Islamic parties, as Rafik Aliyev writes, “...more often served as an instrument for carrying out the policies of more experienced and influential political forces.” And therefore in many Moscow and Western media mass media There were reports about the growth of Islamism in Azerbaijan and the danger of exporting the Islamic revolution to Azerbaijan - because Azerbaijan, predominantly Shia, has historically close ties to Iran. But such media fears were not destined to come true. Despite the rise of interest in religion, there has never been support for the idea of ​​​​creating a theocratic state on the territory of Azerbaijan. And the Islamist parties of that time saw Russia as their ally in the fight against the United States and in friendship with Iran.

In connection with the above-mentioned processes, in 1992 the Milli Majlis of Azerbaijan adopted the Law “On Freedom of Religion,” which proclaimed the separation of religion from the state, non-interference in each other’s affairs, and equality before the law of all religions. It talked about the streamlining of religious organizations and their representatives.

The translation of the Quran into Azerbaijani language alone underwent more than five editions between 1991 and 2004. Religious education, both secondary and higher, acquired great scope. Since 1992, the Islamic Theological Faculty has been operating at Baku State University. Before this, the Islamic University was also opened under the Spiritual Administration of Muslims of the Caucasus. This university has its branches in the cities of Sumgayit, Mingachevir and Zagatala. A large number of madrassas have also been opened in the country. A huge number of students study officially (assigned from the Islamic University) and unofficially in Islamic institutes and religious schools in Istanbul, Tehran, Qom, Cairo, Benghazi, Damascus and other cities in the Middle East.

The official ceremony in Azerbaijan is partly related to Muslim ritual. The President of the Republic, upon assuming office, takes the oath on the Koran in the presence of the chief clergyman Muslims of the Caucasus Sheikh al-Islam. Clergy are invited to read prayers on the day of national mourning on January 20. Public and private radio and television channels broadcast programs on Islamic themes, religious chants, and excerpts from the Koran and hadiths of the Prophet Muhammad several times a week.

The president of the country and officials, as a rule, participate in religious holidays of sacrifice (Kurban Bayram) and the holiday of breaking the fast (a holiday marking the end of fasting in the month of Ramadan). Heydar Aliyev became the first Azerbaijani leader since 1920 to perform the Hajj. In addition, the President encourages numerous Muslim conferences and seminars.

During these thirteen years of independence, visiting holy places has become even more widespread. And even the officialdom often visits these holy graves. For example, ex-President Heydar Aliyev participated in and personally supervised the construction of a new mosque on a holy site that had existed since the 13th century, where, according to legend, one of the sisters of Shiite imams was buried. This holy place is located near the village of Shikhov near the city of Baku. New turbas (grave structures) and mosques are built on other holy graves. For example, a majestic mosque was built in the village of Nardaran, where, according to legend, one of the Shiite imam’s relatives is also buried.

Another holy grave is called the Azerbaijani Mecca, namely, the burial place of the holy healer Mir-Movsum Aga, located in the village of Shuvyalan near Baku, which was widely popular among residents of the capital and its environs in the first half of the 20th century. Now people come here for pilgrimage not only from all over Azerbaijan, but also from many countries of the Muslim world.

Since 1991, after Azerbaijan became a member of the Islamic Conference organization, the country began to create close relations with the Muslim world. Active activities Azerbaijan expanded into the ranks of the OIC, especially after the visit of the late President Heydar Aliyev to Saudi Arabia in July 1994 and after the December meeting of the heads of state of the OIC members in Tehran in late 1997. Then, various scientific and socio-political conferences dedicated to Islam were held in our country. The structure of official Islam, the Office of Muslims of the Caucasus, headed by Sheikh al-Islam Allah Shukur Pashazade, also intensified its activities.

The activation of religious organizations in Azerbaijan and the process of rapprochement between the country and Muslim states are strengthening Islamic trends among the population. If during the Soviet period people's departure from religion occurred slowly, then during the period of independence they returned to Islam at a rapid pace. This is evidenced by the rapid growth in the number of mosques (from 18 in 1990 to 1,250 in 2000); today there are 1,300 mosques in the republic. In addition, the number of citizens making pilgrimage to Mecca is growing every year.

Now in the secular Azerbaijani state, 94% of believers are Muslims, of which 65-75% are Shiites, the remaining Muslims (approximately 20-25%) are Sunnis.

As for traditional Sufism, we should also mention the representatives of intellectual and mystical Gnosticism - Irfan Sufism, namely the Rosehan dervishes.

Basically, these Shiite Gnostic Sufis live in the villages of the Absheron Peninsula - in Buzovny, Mashtaghi, Nardaran, Mardakan, Kurdakhan, Shagan, Zira and Turkyan. There are also dervishes-rouzekhans in the Masalli, Lenkoran and Sabirabad regions of modern Azerbaijan. The Rosehans have a wonderful voice and are composers themselves. They perform Azerbaijani mugams, written to the verses of classic Sufi poetry. They themselves compose religious songs - ilahi or madhiyya - unique odes of praise in which they glorify God, the Prophet Muhammad, the Ahli-Bayt (i.e. his family) and 12 Shiite imams. They perform such songs at various events (each of which has its own name) organized during the mourning month of Muharram. They perform solemn religious songs during the Muslim fast in the month of Ramadan and during the holiday of Eid al-Fitr (in Azerbaijani - Ramadan Bayram and Orujlug Bayram), which ends this month, as well as during the holiday of sacrifice (Kurban Bayram ). Rosehan dervishes also perform at religious weddings where they are invited. These weddings are called dervish weddings (darvish toyu). A large number of Muslims attend such events. In their musical sermons they proclaim love for God, love for the Motherland and parents, family, children, love for everything beautiful that was created by the Almighty. The activities of these dervishes - rousekhans play a big role in the moral education of society and even at times strengthening statehood.

Among the modern Azerbaijani Islamic mystics of dervishes-rouzekhans, the names of Haji-Mashadi Yashar Hasan-ogly Jahid Nardarani (born 1956) - maddah-dervish-rosekhan - the creator of the dervish group “Ahli-Beit” should be mentioned. This group also includes a resident of the village of Mardyakani, Hadji-Mashadi Agil (born 1952) and Hadji Nazir from the village of Turkyan. A large number of There are dervishes-rosekhans in the village of Buzovny. Their murshids (mentors) were Husain Ibadallah, dervish from Kurdakhana Ali Sukhbat, Dervish Haji Arz Allah and Haji Safa from the village of Mashtagi.

In Azerbaijan, dervishes-rosekhans are the creators of the synthesis of religious and mugham music, i.e. creators of religious mystical musical art.

Members of the Ahli Beit group have been laureates of the mystical music festival for three years in a row, which is held on the initiative of the Ministry of Culture of the Turkish Republic. These dervishes-rosekhans were and are under the full patronage of official Islam and do not interfere in politics. The skill of these Shiite dervishes-rosekhans passes from generation to generation and does not die. First of all, because it is rooted in folk traditions and intellectual-mystical Gnosticism was one of the forms of regional Islam along with the veneration of saints.

Simultaneously with traditional Islam (i.e. Shiite and Sunni), in the 90s of the last century and to this day, various sects of the Salafi persuasion of Islam (sects of the radical persuasion of Islam) began to penetrate into the territory of the republic. They come mainly from Pakistan, Afghanistan and Turkey; extreme Shiite radical missionaries come from Iran. Some of them sow hostile ideas among Muslims, presenting the worldview of their community as the basis of Islam and opposing other Muslim movements. Their penetration was especially widespread in the early 90s, when the democratic authorities were unable to develop a new doctrine and fill the ideological void. Many young people who do not have sufficient literacy in the field of religion, who are not familiar with the form of Islam in their homeland, began to fall under the influence of newly minted missionaries from these groups and join the ranks of their sects. They preach here as representatives of classical Wahhabism Saudi Arabia, as well as radical fundamentalist groups calling themselves “Wahhabis.” For example, in 2001, a trial took place against members of a subsect of the well-known pro-Iranian organization Hezbollah (Party of Allah). The activities of this organization were transferred to the south of the country, where the religiosity of the population and sympathy for Iran are very high. In the Lerik and Yardimli regions there functioned the pro-Iranian society “Imami” - “Imamits”, “Ganj Imamilyar” - “Young Imamily”, “Zeinabilar” - “Supporters of Zeinab”, uniting religious women and many others. As a result of surveys I conducted in the Agdash region, I came to the conclusion that missionaries of the Salafi movement “Tablig-i-Jamaat”, which arose in Pakistan in 1927, appeared here and are actively interfering in political life of this country. Subsects of this movement have extensive activities in the United States (common among Afro-Asians) and in all European countries, as well as in Malaysia, the Philippines, Bangladesh, India, Morocco, Central Asia, Uzbekistan and Kyrgyzstan. In the Zakatala region, militant branches of the Sufi brotherhoods Naqshbandiyya, Qadiriyya, and Shaziliyya intensified their activities. Shaziliyya's subgroup, the Sa'idiyya brotherhood, founded by the Avar sheikh Said, carries out subversive activities, enters into an alliance with radical Salafi groups and distributes leaflets calling for the creation of a theocratic state in Azerbaijan.

In addition, a very interesting situation is observed in the relations between the new Sufi and newly arrived Salafi groups in Azerbaijan, when the ideologically contradictory currents of Islam - Sufism and Wahhabism - unite with each other. Sufi brotherhoods are merging with Salafist sects. This trend is also observed in Central Asia (for example, in Tajikistan during the civil war in the 90s of the 20th century).

The Constitution of Azerbaijan, adopted in 1995, while emphasizing the secular nature of the Azerbaijan Republic, at the same time provides for freedom of conscience of religious beliefs and beliefs. The equality of religions is enshrined in the Constitution. There are no priority religions for the state, all religions existing on the territory of the country are equal before the law, political power strictly adheres to the principle of separation of religion from the state. The criteria of morality and morality, national and spiritual values ​​are closely related to religion, and this has a certain impact on the nature of power. According to Rafik Aliyev, in the republic today the public consciousness contains, in order of importance, three components: ‘Azerbaijanism’, the idea of ​​a unitary secular statehood and the moral and ethical values ​​of Islam.

Islam is indeed being revived in the country and, what is very interesting, the revival of traditional Islam, accepted from time immemorial, goes in parallel with the penetration of “Salafi”, so-called, into the republic. “fundamentalist” movements of Islam, previously not widespread in Azerbaijan. In the current development of the country, the tasks of strengthening the moral foundations of the individual and society as a whole, preserving and developing the humanistic potential and traditions of national cultures are becoming extremely urgent. This sharply increases interest in religion and its values. There is a turning of public thought to Islam, for Islam is associated with the culture of the past, historical, cultural traditions and moral values. And, in my opinion, the process of revival of religion in Azerbaijan cannot lead to the strengthening of radical Islamic sects and the rise of political Islam to power. I agree with the opinion of Arif Yunusov that “the degree of religious tolerance and openness of Azerbaijani society, its urbanization and proximity to Western values ​​and a secular model of statehood do not give grounds to talk about such a scenario for Azerbaijan, at least within the next 10-15 years". However, the development of religious life depends on the overall development and stability in all spheres of life in the country.

See: Malashenko A. Islamic revival in modern Russia. Moscow, 1998. P.6–9; Aliyev R. Islam. Baku, 2004, (Second edition in Azerbaijani language). C.3.

In the village of Buzovny not far from Baku, one of the quarters is still called the Nazarian or Nestorian quarter. (Nazranlilar mahallesi). The descendants of the ancient Albanian Christians - followers of the Syrian Nestorians - still live in Azerbaijan - the Udis (a small nation of 6 thousand people living today in Azerbaijan in Nija, Kabala and Oguz). In 1836, according to the Regulations of the Russian authorities on Armenian Church Albanian church organization was liquidated. To this day, Albanian churches and monasteries have been preserved on the territory of Azerbaijan. Albanian Christians of Udi ethnic group For more than a century and a half, they retained their identity, without actually having a church of a religious pastor, but they were unable to do so either during Tsarist Russia or during the times. of the Soviet Union to return what rightfully belongs to them. Recently, through the efforts of the Azerbaijani state, the Albanian-Udi Church was revived. The Albanian-Udin Christian community of Azerbaijan was registered by the State Committee of the Republic of Azerbaijan for Work with Religious Entities.

Buniyatov Z. Azerbaijan in the 7th-9th centuries. Baku (in Azerbaijani), 1985 P.79; Pashazade A. Islam in the Caucasus (in Azerbaijani). Baku, 1991. P.43; Velikhanly N. The Arab Caliphate and Azerbaijan. Baku, 1993 (in Azerbaijani). pp. 22–25; Aliyev R. Islam and Azerbaijani culture. Baku, 1998 (in Azerbaijani). pp. 31–32; Bolshakov O.G. The history of the caliphate during the era of the Great Conquests. Moscow, 2000. P.101–102 (633–656). About pre-Islamic religious beliefs on the territory of Azerbaijan on the territory of Azerbaijan, see Yunusov Arif. Islam in Azerbaijan. Baku, 2004. P.13–28.

The Khurramite people's liberation war led by Babak in the 9th century, which shook the foundations of the Arab Caliphate. Only after this uprising did Islam finally triumph in Azerbaijan. On this see: Buniyatov Z. Uk.soch. C.213–257, as well as Yunusov A. Decree. op. pp.51–56.

Hanafi madhhab (founder Abu Hanifa died in 767). The madhhab arose in the 8th century in the city of Kufa (Iraq). See Al-Hanafiyya // IES, Moscow, 1991. P. 273.

Shafi'i madhhab - the founder of this Sunni madhhab is Imam Muhammad al-Shafi'i (d. 820). The madhhab was founded at the turn of the 8th-9th centuries and was formed under the strong influence of the Hanifat and Maliki madhhabs and adopted their features. See Ash-Shafi'iyya // IES. P.295.

Maliki madhhab - got its name from the name of its founder Malik b. Anas (713–795). According to the Maliki madhhab, the main sources of law are the Koran and the Sunnah, which is considered as a continuation of the Koran. See Al-Malikiyya // IES. P. 156.

‘ulama (lit. scholar in Ar.) is a collective name for experts in theology, historical and religious traditions and ethical and legal norms of Islam, both theorists and practitioners in the field of traditional forms of education, legal proceedings based on Sharia and the performance of rituals.

Sumbatzade A.S. Uk. op. P.133; Aliyev Rafik. Islam and Azerbaijani culture. Baku, 1998. P.56–57.

The spread of Shiism in Azerbaijan began during the Abbasid dynasty in the mid-7th century, when Shiites persecuted by the authorities began to flock to the provinces of the caliphate, in particular to Iran and Azerbaijan. Ashurbeyli Sarah. State of the Shirvanshahs. Baku, 1997. pp. 280–358.

These Sufis contributed to the creation of the Sufi tradition itself, different from other ideological and religious movements in Islam, and they also created works that recorded the main provisions of “Ufi science” (or “t-tasawwuf”). For example, different from ilm-l-alsaf of the philosophy of thinkers who were guided by the ancient model of philosophizing, striving to comprehend the truth with the help of evidence based on reliable premises. Subsequently, philosophy prominent representatives which Nizami and Bakhmaniyar were in Azerbaijan, was successfully combined with Sufism. Sufi symbolism, images and motifs were widely used by these authors in their works, both poetic and prose. For information about Ilm-al-falsafa, see Al-alsafa // IES. pp. 250–251.

The Imami, one of the main branches of Shia Islam, are “moderate” Shiites who recognize twelve imams from the clan of ‘Ali b. Abi Talib (hence their other name - al-snaashariyya from the clan of Ali b. Abi Talib. The ideological predecessors of the Imami were those Shiites who preached that, by virtue of “divine establishment,” imamat (spiritual power) belongs exclusively to the clan of Ali and is transmitted through “clear instructions (an-nass) from the mouth of the Prophet or a previous imam.

Abasov Ali. Islam in modern Azerbaijan: Images and realities. Collection “Azerbaijan and Russia: societies and states.” Moscow, 2001. P. 283.

Svetokhovsky Taduesh. Islam and national identity in the border territories: Azerbaijan // Religion and Politics in the Caucasus (edited by A. Iskandaryan). Yerevan, 2004. P.8. During the period of the khanates, the head of the Shiite clergy was a mujtahid and a representative of the highest rank of Shiite mujtahids - the ayatollah. The remaining representatives of the clergy were divided into two groups - higher and lower. The first included Sheikh al-Islam, muftis and qadis. During this period, the Shiites elected a sheikh al-Islam from among the most respected mujtahids, and among the Sunnis the mufti was the highest spiritual authority. But by the beginning of the 19th century, the Azerbaijani khanates did not have the position of mufti. In those of them where Sunnis made up the majority (Sheki, Shirvan khanates, as well as the city of Derbent), the khan himself was at the head of the clergy. He appointed one or two effendi or kazis to each mahal (quarter) to perform court decisions. In khanates with a predominant Shiite population, the clergy was headed by a sheikh al-Islam, who was appointed by the khan from among his favorites and paid this sheikh al-Islam a significant salary. Sheikh al-Islams were intermediaries between the secular authorities and the Shiite clergy. See Yunusov Arif. Uk.op. P.91-92.

Aliyev Rafik. Islam and culture of Azerbaijan. pp. 85-96. At the beginning of the 19th century, there were about 500-700 madrasahs (religious schools at mosques) in Azerbaijan - and maktabs of primary educational institutions, in which education lasted from 6-8 to 10-15 years. In the Caucasus, the first Russian school was opened in Tiflis in 1802; physics, chemistry, mathematics, history and geography, Russian and Georgian were studied here. Since 1819, the “Tatar language” (Azerbaijani Turkic) began to be taught in these Tiflis schools. In 1830, the first official secular school was opened in Shusha. Such schools were opened in Nukha (Sheki), Baku, Ganja, Shemakha and Nakhichevan. The first special women's school in Azerbaijan was opened in Shamakhi. In 1879, the Azerbaijani Turkic department of the Gori Seminary was opened.

The division of Muslims into Shiites and Sunnis dates back to early history Islam. Immediately after the death of the Prophet Muhammad in the 7th century, a dispute arose over who should lead the Muslim community in the Arab Caliphate. Some believers advocated for elected caliphs, while others advocated for the rights of Muhammad's beloved son-in-law Ali ibn Abu Talib. This is how Islam was first divided.

There was also a direct testament of the prophet, according to which Ali was to become his successor, but, as often happens, the authority of Muhammad, unshakable during life, did not play a decisive role after death. Supporters of his will believed that the ummah (community) should be led by imams “appointed by God” - Ali and his descendants from Fatima, and believed that the power of Ali and his heirs was from God. Ali's supporters began to be called Shiites, which literally means “supporters, adherents.”

Their opponents objected that neither the Koran nor the second most important Sunnah (a set of rules and principles supplementing the Koran, based on examples from the life of Muhammad, his actions, statements in the form in which they were transmitted by his companions) says nothing about imams and about the divine rights to power of the Ali clan. The prophet himself did not say anything about this. The Shiites responded that the prophet's instructions were subject to interpretation - but only by those who had a special right to do so. Opponents considered such views to be heresy and said that the Sunnah should be perceived in the form in which the companions of the prophet compiled it, without any changes or interpretations. This direction of adherents of strict adherence to the Sunnah is called “Sunnism”.

In 632, just two years after his election, Caliph Abu Bakr died, appointing Umar ibn Khattab as his successor. Twelve years later, in 644, Umar was killed in Medina and was succeeded by Uthman ibn Affan from the influential Arab Umayyad family. Another 12 years later, in 656, he was killed, and that same Ali was elected the fourth caliph. But the ruler of Syria and a relative of Umar, Muawiya, accused Ali of involvement in the murder of the former caliph, and he was supported by the noble families of the young empire. A long period of Civil War and the split of the Caliphate. In 661, Ali was stabbed to death with a poisoned dagger in the Kufa mosque.

After Ali's death, Muawiyah seized power. He concluded a peace treaty with Ali's son, Imam Hassan, according to which, after his death, power was to pass to Hassan. A few years later, Hasan died and his younger brother Hussein became the new imam. And in 680 Muawiyah died. He transferred the throne to his son Yazid, abolishing the election of caliphs and turning this institution into a regular hereditary monarchy. Imam Hussein did not recognize Yazid's authority. The confrontation did not last long and ended in disaster for Hussein and his supporters. In the same year 680, on October 10, he and his family and closest supporters, after a grueling siege, were attacked in Karbala (Iraq) by the troops of the caliph under the command of a former supporter of Ali, a certain Shimr. In this battle, Hussein himself, his two sons, including a six-month-old baby, several relatives and almost all his supporters were killed.

The Karbala massacre outraged the entire ummah. And for the Shiites, Imam Hussein became a martyr for the faith and the most revered of the imams. The city of Karbala, where the imam is buried, is considered the most sacred place for Shiites after Mecca and Medina. Every year, Shiites honor his memory during the Ashura mourning ceremonies. The shocking custom “Shakhsey Vakhsey” is known. Funeral processions take place through the streets; men take part in them, beating themselves with chains to the beat of drums as a sign of grief. The scars and wounds received in this case are considered a sign of religious piety. Women dressed in black stand along the road, screaming and beating their chests. In old Iran, it was customary to carry a stuffed lion through the streets. Moved by the actor, the effigy would from time to time, with a clumsy movement, scoop up straw and pour it on its head, symbolizing a saddened nation sprinkling ashes on its head. However, from the European point of view, a very comic effect was achieved.

In Iran, during the days of Ashura, taziye are still presented in squares - unique religious mysteries dedicated to both the death of Imam Hussein and the events that preceded it. This tradition is more than a thousand years old, and the taziye have become the same national symbol for Iran, as Kabuki theater is for Japan. Each character is given a costume and image that has not changed over the centuries. Imam Hussein is dressed in green - a symbol of holiness, like other "holy" heroes, and his face is covered with a veil. The main negative character Shimr is dressed in red - a symbol of death and betrayal. In taziyya, the actor does not act, but “portrays” his character. This is not an acting performance, but work for the glory of God, in memory and for the glory of deceased saints. That is why the actor playing Shimr can, during the course of the mystery, curse the villainy of his hero and complain that he has to play such a terrible role.

As Evgeniy Bertels wrote in his book “The Persian Theatre,” “it is a significant difficulty to find actors to play the roles of villains. The public has already ceased to distinguish between what is a theatrical performance and what is everyday life, and interferes in the performance, wanting to give historical events new turn. Because of this, the performers of some roles have a very hard time; they are often beaten to the point that at the end of the celebrations they for a long time have to wait. Anticipating such a sad outcome, they try to prevent it and try to play the role as less realistically as possible, interrupting speeches with various exclamations and showering curses on their own atrocities. But this doesn’t help much, the energy accumulated in the hall seeks an outcome and, in the absence of another object, involuntarily falls on the unfortunate Omars and Shimrs.”

With the death of Imam Hussein, the institution of imams did not disappear. His son Zain al Abidin survived the massacre at Karbala, recognized the Umayyad rule and continued the dynasty. Imams had no political power, but had enormous spiritual influence over the Shiites. The last, eleventh Imam, Hasan al Askari, died in 873, and the "Muslim Megovings" ceased to exist. According to Shiite tradition, Hassan left behind a son, Muhammad, the “twelfth imam,” who was hidden by God at the age of five and still exists today. This hidden imam must appear as the Messiah (Mahdi); some Shiites (the so-called Twelvers) are still waiting for his return. The imam was popularly called Ayatollah Khomeini, the leader of the Iranian revolution of 1979, which established a Shiite theocratic regime in the country.

For Sunnis, the Shiite understanding of the function of the imam as a mediator between God and man is a heresy, since they adhere to the concept of direct worship of Allah, without intermediaries. An imam is, from their point of view, an ordinary religious figure who has earned authority through his theological knowledge, the head of a mosque, and their institution of clergy is devoid of a mystical aura. Sunnis revere the first four "Rightly Guided Caliphs" and do not recognize the Ali dynasty. Shiites recognize only Ali. Shiites revere the sayings of imams along with the Koran and Sunnah.

Differences persist in Sunni and Shiite interpretations of Sharia (Islamic law). For example, Shiites do not adhere to the Sunni rule of considering a divorce valid from the moment it is declared by the husband. In turn, Sunnis do not accept the Shiite practice of temporary marriage.

IN modern world Sunnis make up the majority of Muslims, Shiites make up just over ten percent. Shiites are common in Iran, Azerbaijan, parts of Afghanistan, India, Pakistan, Tajikistan and Arab countries (with the exception of North Africa). The main Shiite state and the spiritual center of this direction of Islam is Iran.

Why was there a division between Sunnis and Shiites? May 26th, 2015

It’s painful to read the news, where it has been reported again and again that the militants “ Islamic State“(IS) are capturing and destroying ancient cultural and historical monuments that have survived thousands of years. Remember the old story about destruction. Then, one of the most significant was the destruction of monuments ancient Mosul. And recently they captured the Syrian city of Palmyra, which contains unique ancient ruins. But this is the most beautiful! And the religious wars are to blame.

The division of Muslims into Shiites and Sunnis dates back to the early history of Islam. Immediately after the death of the Prophet Muhammad in the 7th century, a dispute arose over who should lead the Muslim community in the Arab Caliphate. Some believers advocated for elected caliphs, while others advocated for the rights of Muhammad's beloved son-in-law Ali ibn Abu Talib.

This is how Islam was first divided. This is what happened next...

There was also a direct testament of the prophet, according to which Ali was to become his successor, but, as often happens, the authority of Muhammad, unshakable during life, did not play a decisive role after death. Supporters of his will believed that the ummah (community) should be led by imams “appointed by God” - Ali and his descendants from Fatima, and believed that the power of Ali and his heirs was from God. Ali's supporters began to be called Shiites, which literally means “supporters, adherents.”

Their opponents objected that neither the Koran nor the second most important Sunnah (a set of rules and principles supplementing the Koran, based on examples from the life of Muhammad, his actions, statements in the form in which they were transmitted by his companions) says nothing about imams and about the divine rights to power of the Ali clan. The prophet himself did not say anything about this. The Shiites responded that the prophet's instructions were subject to interpretation - but only by those who had a special right to do so. Opponents considered such views to be heresy and said that the Sunnah should be perceived in the form in which the companions of the prophet compiled it, without any changes or interpretations. This direction of supporters of strict adherence to the Sunnah is called “Sunnism”.

For Sunnis, the Shiite understanding of the function of the imam as a mediator between God and man is a heresy, since they adhere to the concept of direct worship of Allah, without intermediaries. An imam is, from their point of view, an ordinary religious figure who has earned authority through his theological knowledge, the head of a mosque, and their institution of clergy is devoid of a mystical aura. Sunnis revere the first four "Rightly Guided Caliphs" and do not recognize the Ali dynasty. Shiites recognize only Ali. Shiites revere the sayings of imams along with the Koran and Sunnah.

Differences persist in Sunni and Shiite interpretations of Sharia (Islamic law). For example, Shiites do not adhere to the Sunni rule of considering a divorce valid from the moment it is declared by the husband. In turn, Sunnis do not accept the Shiite practice of temporary marriage.

In the modern world, Sunnis make up the majority of Muslims, Shiites - just over ten percent. Shiites are common in Iran, Azerbaijan, parts of Afghanistan, India, Pakistan, Tajikistan and Arab countries (with the exception of North Africa). The main Shiite state and the spiritual center of this direction of Islam is Iran.

Conflicts between Shiites and Sunnis still occur, but nowadays they are more often of a political nature. With rare exceptions (Iran, Azerbaijan, Syria), in countries inhabited by Shiites, all political and economic power belongs to Sunnis. Shiites feel offended, their discontent is taken advantage of by radical Islamic groups, Iran and Western countries, who have long mastered the science of pitting Muslims against each other and supporting radical Islam for the sake of the “victory of democracy.” Shiites have vigorously fought for power in Lebanon and last year rebelled in Bahrain to protest the Sunni minority's usurpation of political power and oil revenues.

In Iraq, after the US armed intervention, the Shiites came to power, and a civil war began in the country between them and former owners- Sunnis, and the secular regime gave way to obscurantism. In Syria, the situation is the opposite - power there belongs to the Alawites, one of the directions of Shiism. Under the pretext of fighting the dominance of the Shiites in the late 70s, the terrorist group "Muslim Brotherhood" launched a war against ruling regime, in 1982, rebels captured the city of Hama. The rebellion was crushed and thousands of people died. Now the war has resumed - but only now, as in Libya, the bandits are called rebels, they are openly supported by all progressive Western humanity, led by the United States.

In the former USSR, Shiites live mainly in Azerbaijan. In Russia they are represented by the same Azerbaijanis, as well as a small number of Tats and Lezgins in Dagestan.

There are no serious conflicts in the post-Soviet space yet. Most Muslims have a very vague idea of ​​the difference between Shiites and Sunnis, and Azerbaijanis living in Russia, in the absence of Shiite mosques, often visit Sunni ones.

In 2010, there was a conflict between the chairman of the presidium of the Spiritual Administration of Muslims of the European part of Russia, the chairman of the Council of Muftis of Russia, Sunni Ravil Gainutdin, and the head of the Administration of Muslims of the Caucasus, Shiite Allahshukur Pashazade. The latter was accused of being a Shiite, and the majority of Muslims in Russia and the CIS are Sunnis, therefore, a Shiite should not rule the Sunnis. The Council of Muftis of Russia frightened the Sunnis with “Shiite revenge” and accused Pashazade of working against Russia, supporting Chechen militants, and having too close relations with the Russian Orthodox Church and the oppression of Sunnis in Azerbaijan. In response, the Caucasus Muslim Board accused the Mufti Council of attempting to disrupt the Interreligious Summit in Baku and of inciting discord between Sunnis and Shiites.

Experts believe that the roots of the conflict lie in the founding congress of the CIS Muslim Advisory Council in Moscow in 2009, at which Allahshukur Pashazade was elected head of a new alliance of traditional Muslims. The initiative was highly praised by the Russian President, and the Council of Muftis, which demonstratively boycotted it, was a loser. Western intelligence agencies are also suspected of inciting the conflict.

Let's also remember how it happened, as well as. Here's another story about and what it is and The original article is on the website InfoGlaz.rf Link to the article from which this copy was made -