Dr. Aidar Youzeev1
Senior researcher of the Institute of History
the Academy of Sciences of Tatarstan
Tatar religious reformation
We are using the broad meaning of the European term "religious reformation" (protestantism) in reference to similiar religious process in the Muslim world in general and in Tatar region in particular. The main characteristic form of Muslim religious reformation unlike that of the European reformation did not touch upon religious dogmas and beliefs but merely on Muslim consciousness.
The beginning of Tatar religious reformation is connected with the names of Abdurrahman Utize-Imiani (1754-1834) and Abdannasir Kursavi (1776-1812) and its subsequent development involving its most prominent reformer of the XIX century Shihabbaddin Marjani (1818-1889). There are two periods of Tatar reformation in the XVIII-XIX centuries: the first was connected with names of A.Utize-Imiani and A.Kursavi. The main feature of this period was the criticism of traditionalism. The second period was represented by Sh.Marjani and its main feature was the redirecting of consciousness of Muslims towards the adaptation of Islam to the modern sciences. Tatar reformation was greatly influenced by economic and cultural environment like that of European reformation.
In contemporary Tatarstan, there is a similiar religious process to that of Kazan area in the XVIII-XIX centuries. It could be described as the modern Tatar religious reformation. It is mainly connected with the sovereignty of Tatarstan which was proclaimed by all of its people (component nationalities) in August 1990.
This author is far from rejecting the Marxist approach completely. We consider it as a powerful instrument for the investigation of economic factors, as one of many approaches and as a trend that describes the "economic arena" on which the historical events take place. However, Marxist philosophy of history that considers the historical process as a consequence of change in socio-economic formations, should be recognized as erroneous especially in the light of events in Eastern Europe. The main drawback of this philosophy of history lies in its over-simplification of the problems of Man, its existential essence, as was many times pointed out by Russian philosophers of the Golden Age of the late XIX century. On the other hand, religious thinkers like N.Berdiaev (1874-1948) and S.Bulgakov (1871-1944) over-exaggerated the irrational aspect of Man.
We believe that the only thinker who managed to strike a balance between the scientific approach and the existential one was the great economist and sociologist Max Weber (1864-1920). Hence we turn to his methodology of historical and sociological ideal types, as well as to his broad conception, as an adequate methodological framework.
According to M.Weber, the history of civilization can be described by the concept of social-action rationalization. This process goes on with some deviations, but all the civilizations are involved in it. "The exchange of internal adherence to usual customs by regular accommodation of the considerations of interest is one of the essential components of "rationalization" of action".2
Increase of "zweckrationale" (objective rationalization of action) is expressed in the rationalization of the means of economy and in the rationalization of management in politics, science and culture. Not only the ways of thinking, but the ways of feeling are rationalized. Step by step, science penetrates into the economy, and then into management and private life.
When any religion develops, in the process of transformation of some complex ideas into complicated religious worldview, the process of eliminating the elements of magic takes place. An example of this is the process of transformation of primitive magic into religion and the processes of transformation of undeveloped religion into a developed one.
The most vivid example of rationalization is the European reformation of the XVI-XVII centuries - which gave rise to Protestantism its direct contact of a Man with God and the idea of personal belief as the most direct way to Salvation and the consequent simplification of religious ceremonies to christening and Eucharist. "In combination with the strict doctrine of God's absolute transcendence and the worthlessness - of all created things, this internal apartness Man is the basis for the negative attitude of Puritanism to all the emotional elements of culture and subjective religiousness (since they cannot help the soul to achieve salvation but rather lead to occurence of mere illusions and became the major reason for the rejection of all this spiritual culture in general".3
While in the West the process of rationalization took place in a spontaneous way, beginning from the bottom and up to the high strata of society, in Russia it took the forms of state and religious reforms conducted by the upper classes. For example, "Raskol" - split in the Russian Orthodox Church in the XVII century. Peter the Great's reforms in the XVIII century etc, which attracted the strong resistance of the folk. Tatar religious reformation was not an exception.
The main goal of the Tatar religious reformation in Kazan area in the XVIII-XIX centuries was the accommodation of religious dogmas within scientific truths, and the elimination of the magical elements (especially in kalam - speculative theology and sufism mystic Islam). Tatar religious reformation took place according to laws of its own and was influenced by economic and cultural environment. All the three most prominent Tatar reformers - A.Utize-lmiani, A.Kursavi and Sh.Marjani - were brought up in strict Islamic traditions and all were educated in Bukhara and Samarkand religious centres, where there had been no Western science at all. Only one of them - Marjani - had personal contacts with the teaching staff
of Kazan University, but only in the seventies and eighties of the XIX century, when his reforms were at highest degree of maturity. He was acquainted with professor l.F.Gotwald and with W.W.Weliaminov-Zernov an academician of St.Petersburg University. In 1876 Marjani was elected a full member of the Society for Archaeology, History and Ethnography (Kazan University). However, these personal contacts were not always useful and smooth. For instance, professor l.F.Gotwald in spite of their friendly relationship successfully censored Marjanies books. Gotwald was at that time a government censor of Islamic publications.
The main impulse for the reformation was given by the Edict of Katherin II (1729-1796) in which she put an end to the persecution of Muslims and the destruction of mosques, and allowed the Russian Muslims to hold their own Spiritual Religious Assembly in Ufa (1778). After the Edict, Islamic theology began its unrestricted development according to its own laws. As veritable supporters of rationalization in the Weberian sense Tatar reformers directed the heaviest blows of criticism against the irrational elements of traditionalism and worked for the channelling of Muslim consciousness towards the adoption of Islam to the modern sciences.
However, in spite of the severe criticism of the irrational elements in Islam, none of the reformers rejected the basic tenets of Islam. Even the concept "of the reopening of the doors of ijtihad" was directed to the purification of the faith and the purification of the Islamic heritage from the later irrational elements. For Tatar thought of the second half of the XIX century, the question of the essence and structure of scientific knowledge became of the most important issues, and attempts were made to answer such questions as: What is the role of science in society? Its relationship to beliefs?
It was Marjani who gave the answers the highly extolled scientific knowledge. From his point of view, science does not contradict the knowledge of religion, but coexists with it. He tried to solve the problem of correlation between religious truths and scientific knowledge not by rejecting science, like the Muslim ulema (religious scholars) and mudarris (theologians teachers), but by trying to bring science and religion into peaceful coexistence. Marjani asserted that the study of the sciences is an important part of social progress, while religion leads to moral improvement of society.
The modern Tatar religious reformation had at its inception two manifestations: the first of which we called "pseudo religious reformation". Its main representatives are traditionalists who would not condone any changes in Islam. This group is lead by T.Thajuddin - who is now the mufti of Ufa and Siberia. All the efforts made by this mufti are mainly connected with one trend of the policy of Moscow central powers - desire to reconcile Islam and the official religion of Russians - Christianity. An example is the failed attempt to represent the shape of cross in the mosque "Thauba" in the city of Naberezni Chelni (August, 1992).
The second manifestation of Tatar religious reformation is still in its formation stage, and this we call "real religious reformation". Its representatives are lead by the Mufti of Tatarstan Gusman-hazrat. This realistic reformation movement is influenced by the policy of Tatarstan sovereignty. These clerics understand the necessity of religious reforms in Tatarstan. By their efforts in Tatarstan modern Muslim schools and theological institutes which offer higher education are being opened, publish modern theological publications.
Thus, the Tatar religious reformation of the XVIII-XIX centuries started in the Volga region and was influenced by economic and cultural factors. In the beginning Tatar religious reformers called for the accommodation of religious dogmas within scientific truths through the concept of the "reopening of the doors of ijtihad". The modern Tatar religious reformation which is still in its formation stage, has inherited the main traditions of the Tatar religious reformation of the XVIII-XIX centuries.
1Home address: Dr. Aidar Youzeev, 420033 Kazan, Batyrschin str., 22-33, Tatarstan, Russian Federation.
Tel: +7 8432 552715.
2 Weber M. Selected works. - Moscow, 1990. - P.22 (in Russian language).
3 Weber M. Selected works. - Moscow, 1990. - P.144.
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