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18 Change and Stability in the Middle East: How Do We Get There From Here? Muscatine, USA, 1991. pp. 5.
"Islam v sovremennom mire ", Moscow, 2015, Vol. 11, N1, pp. 119-134.
L. Gayazov,
Research associate, Institute of History named after S. Mardzhani, Academy of Sciences of the Republic of Tatarstan FEATURES OF TATAR TRADITIONAL ISLAM IN THE POST-SOVIET PERIOD
The religious component has become increasingly important in the Russian society. It is important to analyze the development of the religious sphere of society. The study of the religious situation in the post-Soviet period can be done using the concepts of M. Epstein. He identified three forms of the concept of "poor religion" for religious reflection of society in the post-Soviet period: traditionalism, neo-paganism and "poor religion" [17].
Islam can be described within the concept so that the main specific of Russian Islam is the extremely low degree of religiosity of the former Soviet Muslims and their level of knowledge of Islam [1, p. 411].
The phenomenon of "poor religion" in relation to the Tatars can be discussed in the context of not the post-Soviet period only, but the whole of the colonial period, which began after the conquest of Kazan in 1552. High Islamic culture was reduced to the level of domestic
Islam as an urban culture was destroyed, and they gradually became the rural people. Recurrent waves of Christianization led to the impoverishment of culture. The Tatars had lost their spiritual traditions with its every wave that led to the "impoverishment" of their religion.
The Tatars had to lead a secluded life for self-preservation in the colonial period. Confessional social and domestic identities were the basics of worldview, and ensure the preservation of the nation. But the rural character of the development led to the disappearance of intellectual and spiritual elite of the Tatar people. Despite the almost universal literacy, the Tatars did not have their own theological school. There has been a certain revival with the rise of "Orenburg Mohammedan Spiritual Assembly" in 1789, which became the spiritual center of the Muslims of Russia and led to the emergence of theologians at the Tatar people.
The Tatars had to go to Central Asia for basic education due to the lack of theological centers in their own country, but Central Asia experienced intellectual stagnation at the turn of 18-19 centuries. Thus the Tartars could not accept the new ideas of time without the high intellectual tradition, because of their centuries-long isolation. But they were receptive to the new ideas and their strong dependence on the alien ideas stems from here.
The inability to accept the received knowledge has led to the European orientation of Jadidism, alien to Islam. The final transformation of the Tatar identity occurred in the Soviet period. A key role was played by replacing the Arabic alphabet to the Latin script first and the Cyrillic alphabet then. This replacement of the alphabet has resulted in the loss of Islamic component in the Tatar identity [17, p. 207].
Thus, the "poor religion" is essentially the "Tatar Islam" since the loss of the Tatar statehood, the destruction of the institutions of the Tatar people development up to the present day.
Mythological Stories in Tatar Traditionalism
Traditionalism is a very complex and ambiguous phenomenon in the Tatar society of the post-Soviet period. Epstein defines it as follows: "The first form is a" religious revival", that is: the society returns to its previous state before the spread of atheism," converts bring emotional fervor and dogmatic ignorance, romance of protective nationalism and messianic hope in the lives of their churches, but still remain within the traditions, slightly narrowing or expanding them"
[17].
These features are characteristic of Tatar traditionalism in full. As for the commonly used definition, those religions are called by the term "traditional" that have long existed in the territory of a state, forming its socio-political and cultural character" [2, p. 23].
The Tatars religious traditionalism is associated with its main ideologist - Imam V. Yakupov, a book publisher. Basic theoretical principles of traditional Islam are presented in his book "To Prophets of Islam." According to his research, the traditionalism in the post-Soviet period is one of the trends in the religious life of the Tatar society, along with neo-paganism, and "poor religion".
Thus, the idea is postulated that the Tartars have apprehended Islam initially as "prophetic." The ideologists of the Tatar traditionalism had an opportunity to call "Tatar" Islam as the most appropriate, with such concepts as "pure Islam", "Islam tradition", "Tatar Islam", "good Islam" and so on [19, p. 4]. V. Yakupov introduces the term "prophetic" Islam, in other words - Islam professed by Prophet Muhammad and his companions. He states that the
ancestors of the Tatars - Bulgars, represented by their leader Aydar Khan, accepted Islam from the companions of the Prophet in 9 of the Hijra already.
The concept of the Tatars "Prophetic" Islam is based on the Tatar legend of the three companions. According to the legend, the Prophet has sent three of his companions to spread Islam among Bulgars. Once the daughter of Khan Aydar became ill and no one could heal her. Then the Vizier suggested to seek help from the Companions of the Prophet, who were famous healers. They cured his daughter, and the khan with his people accepted Islam. But scientists proved in their writings convincingly that this legend had nothing to do with historical reality [8, 13, 14].
Muslims turn to the legend in the past, and it was considered normal: first, the basic identity of the Tatars was confessional, and secondly, there was no historical school of the Tatars and oral folklore was the only form of historical consciousness, expressed in the form of myths and legends. Today it is unacceptable to build concepts on the basis of legends, with the development of historical science. Especially that Shihabutdin Marjani, Tatar theologian and founder of the Tatar historical science, called for writing an objective, unbiased, not mythological history [19, p. 5]. He believes that the Tatar mythical creatures are jinns, and explains their presence in the Tatar fairy tales as if the influence of Islam [19, p. 6].
However, V. Yakupov does not restrict his research to this legend only, but he resorts to the mythologizing of history. In particular, he denies the pagan period in the history of the Tatar ethnic group, assuming that the adoption of Islam has affected the quality of the faith so that it is not necessary to mention certain pre-Islamic beliefs [6; 5, pp. 17-18].
In other words, he believes that the Tatars have always been monotheists and they did not have the pagan period. This position has been criticized by the scientific community [19, p. 4]. According to Islam, all prophets were Muslims, in other words, Islamic prophetic line began with Adam and ended on the prophet Muhammad. The Prophet was sent to every nation and to the Tatars as well. According to V. Yakupov, the Tatar people learned these covenants and immediately became follower of the Prophet Muhammad and accepted his Sharia when he appeared on earth in the 7th century [22, p. 7].
V. Yakupov has a similar approach in relation to other issues. He writes that the Tatars were able to convey the pure prophetic Islam to modern times, without distortion of the heresies of later times, 18 and later centuries. The Tatars received Islam from the Prophet's companions, and store it as Amanat.
The Samanid State played an important role in spreading Islam in the Middle Volga [12, p. 424]. The researchers emphasize that Islam penetrated into the Middle Volga region through Central Asia due to the trade relations [4]. Two theses are followed from this statement. First: the Tartars embraced Islam directly from the Prophet, and not through Central Asia, second: Tatar Islam has not changed to this day.
The first point concerns the manner of adoption of Islam by our ancestors. Modern researchers came to the conclusion that the adoption of Islam by the Bulgars was not a one-time event, it was spread over quite a long period. It happened after the beginning of the Arab-Khazar wars, after the conquest of Khazar Khanate in 737 by armies of the Arabs. As for the second point, the assertion that the Tatar Islam has not changed to this day, is incorrect. Firstly, this thesis contradicts the logic of the historical process. The whole book culture, state and institutional system were destroyed, most spiritual teachers were killed after the fall of the Khanate of Kazan. The progressive development of
Islam among the Tatars was interrupted by the events [17]. Secondly, M. Epstein wrote that the militant atheism of the Soviet Union has formed several generations of faithless people. Is it possible to revive traditional forms of religion, if it has passed a long way of persecution and denial?
Essence of the Tatars traditional Islam
The Tatars traditional Islam has been criticized in many publications recently. D. Garayev says that the project "Tatar Islam" never took place, as well as the concepts of "Russian Islam" and the "Euro-Islam" before it. Muslims believe that the authorities have imposed these stillborn projects. The phrase "traditional Islam" is used today, but as you know, every tradition is defined by continuity. And there is a temporary gap in almost 100 years! Almost all had been lost for a century [3].
Expert I. Saet says that Islam is education above all, like any other religion. Tradition is not transmitted through texts, it is the key difference between traditional Islam and non-Muslim sects. The tradition is passed from person to person, it is a historical axiom, although the text of the Koran and the Sunnah of the Prophet Muhammad are extremely important. The teacher is the main figure in the tradition, and not just a lecturer or teacher who read the lessons. He is the one who educates the students on his own example, creates an environment in which they live, which they are saturated and are able to pass on the tradition [11].
Sufi tradition is precisely the oral tradition [16, p. 426]. Former traditional Tatar Islam that ancestors passed down from generation to generation, even under the tsarist regime, almost died in the Soviet Union. Most importantly, the totalitarian regime has destroyed tradition
of knowledge transfer, the Muslim education system. The chain has been interrupted, the years of persecution was fatal to the tradition [11].
There is a statement by M. Kemper, that half of Tatar imams were Sufis before the revolution [23]. A. Karibullin claims that Sufism was practically the only form of Islam, not only among the peoples of the Volga-Ural region, but also in many other parts of the Muslim East [7, p. 133]. Sufism was authentic traditional Islam of the Tatars. The inability of the Tatars religious leaders to endow the concept of "traditional Islam" with the right content is an example of the "dogmatic ignorance," as M. Epstein says.
V. Yakupov has concluded that the Tatars did not work out their own original version of Islam. Countless arguments about Jadidism are a set of concepts that have not been able to find supporters of theological incoherence of Jadidism. The meaning of Jadidism is undefined until now. Every scholar in Kazan has its own understanding of the word, which does not coincide with the views of others. The Tatars are divided into supporters of the pre-revolutionary Hanafism, Wahhabism, hizbuttahrira and other trends in the confessional terms, but their own theological model is not visible. The lack of consolidation on religious grounds does the Tartars just human raw material for foreign Muslim projects. Formulation of "Islamic ideas" is important for the Tatars, as never before, and would allow determine their place in the ummah, directions and prospects of development in the framework of Islam, understand who are the partners and allies, and who - opponents in the Muslim ummah on the basis of this idea [20].
Specifics of the Tatars traditionalism
The Messianic aspirations are the characteristic features of the religious situation in the post-Soviet Tatarstan. V. Yakupov suggests that the Tatar intelligentsia and the government should recognize the
need to preserve and develop the Tartar version of Islam, while there is a monopoly on this genuine spirit of the Koranic Islam. This positive experience can be replicated throughout the world, particularly in Europe. The ancestors preserved its prophetic spirit and the whole world will gradually go to it [20].
There is a strong influence of the ideas of nationalism, including on the Tatar religious figures. V. Yakupov considers this a unique case of Islam preservation in the centuries-old Christian occupation and forcible baptism. So there is something real, basic, close to the prophetic ideal of Islam professed by the Tartars, which makes it so stable, in spite of the remoteness from the centers of Islamic civilization. The absence of significant deviations and heresies, the attraction to moderate and adequate understanding of Islam are amazing and inexplicable at first sight [18].
The phenomenon of ethnization of religion is observed in the traditionalist discourse. The ideologists of the Tatars traditionalism tend to spread it not only among the Tatar people, but they believe that Islam of the Tatars can serve as the ideological basis for the rest of the world. It should be noted that the phenomenon of ethnization of religion of the Tatars appeared not in the Soviet period, but in the pre-revolutionary epoch, and dates back to the pan-Turkic movement [9, p. 405].
Ethnization of religion is a key trend in the Tatar traditionalism. There is no appeal to a universal Islam, but Islam binding to the region. All other Islamic trends seem false in this discourse and are subjected to harsh criticism. Islam in foreign packaging is not entirely harmless (Wahhabi-Salafi, Tablighi, Nursi), because these young adepts are beginning to identify themselves as part of these societies, and Russia and Tatarstan are enemies for them, for the expansion of the territory, and nothing more [19, p. 28]. V. Yakupov admires the purity of Tatar Islam [21, p. 509]. He especially criticizes "Arab" Islam, which defines
as a "Wahhabi-Salafi", arguing that it is incorrect to represent the national problems of the Arab tribes as common Islamic [19, p. 29].
V. Yakupov writes about the need to separate nationalistic and actual Muslim in Arabism [24, p. 114]. This thesis is in contradiction with apologetics of the Tatars traditional Islam, represented as the most "pure", and the claim that it has the potential to spread to the whole world. Thus, the phenomenon of ethnization of religion and the phenomenon of messiahship can be seen in the Tatar traditionalist discourse. The concept of M. Epstein describes the specifics of the religious situation in Russian society after the collapse of the Soviet Union pretty accurate. It allows analyze the religious sphere of the Tatar people, because it is an integral part of the Russian society.
Conclusion
The concept of Tatar traditional Islam has not been developed within the post-Soviet period, as follows from the analysis of Tatar religious discourse. The Tatars religious leaders resorted to mythologizing, used historical subjects in order to compensate the absence of the concept of the Tatars religious revival in some degree. Religious consciousness has been subject of ethnization. All of this is explained by the phenomenon of "poor religion".
The religious identity of the Tatar people was in a deformed shape to the post-Soviet period, so close relationship of religious and ethnic identities are not surprising. The Tatars religious figures in the post-Soviet period did not realize that religious revival is possible only with the help of other Muslim societies, as the Tatars traditional Islam is a living tradition, that has been destroyed during the Soviet period.
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