The article deals with the comprehensive study of one of the oldest Qur’anic codexes (mushaf) the so-called “Qur’an of Uthman” from Katta Langar, fragments of which are kept in collections in Russia and Uzbekistan. Based on the paleographic and codicological analysis, the dating of the manuscript has been clarifi ed from the end of the 1st century to the latter half of the 2nd century in the Hij ri calendar (700–767 AD), and its connection with the Basran tradition of writing has been established. By comparing historical sources, this study hypothesizes that the codex originates from Baghdad and may be related to the codex of the Abbasid caliphs.

The article analyzes the peculiarities of the formation of the image of Qayum Nasyri in 1945, the year of victory in the Great Patriotic War (1941–1945). The image of the educator, associated with progressive Russian thought and the social movement in the second half of the 19th century, emerges in the materials of scientific sessions dedicated to the 120th anniversary of his birth, on the pages of the magazine “Soviet Edebiyaty” (“Soviet literature”), and in separate publications. This image generally corresponds to the concept of the history of the Tatar people, developed following the adoption of the Decree of the Central Committee of the All-Union Communist Party of Bolsheviks “On the Status and Measures of Improving MassPolitical and Ideological Work of the Tatar Party Organization” on August 9, 1944. During the Great Patriotic War, Q. Nasyri was inducted into the pantheon of heroes recognized in Soviet Tatarstan, which was formed by scientists in line with the concept of the Russian people as an “elder brother”. In the year of the Great Victory, it is noted that Q. Nasyri was the first Tatar figure, who studied the activities of Russian rulers, from Vladimir I (d. 1015) to Peter I (1672–1725), describing their victories over external enemies.

The life of the Muslim community revolves around the mosque. Due to the antiquity of Moscow’s Muslim community, the study the history of the Russian capital’s old mosques is essential. Based on the archival documents, the article examines the mosques of Moscow that existed prior to the construction of the stone Historical Mosque in Zamoskvorechye district, including the wooden mosques of the Tatar Sloboda: Ozerkovskaya, Staro-Tolmachevskaya and Ovchinnikovskaya. The study introduces from the mid-18th to the early 19th centuries pertaining to these mosques including a report from 1748 by priest F. Vasilyev about the mosque on A. I. Tevkelev’s land.

The publication presents recently discovered archival documents dating back to 1929 that shed light on the circumstances of the life of Musa Bigiev (1875–1949) a year and a half before his departure from the country. The article explores some aspects of M. Bigiev’s social activities in the last years of his life in the USSR before emigration in 1930. It also considers the testimonies of M. Bigiev’s contemporaries, providing insights into the reason for his relatively late departure from the homeland. The main part of the article introduces into scientific discourse a number of recently discovered archival documents related to M. Bigiev’s biography on the eve of his emigration. The case containing archival documents preserved in the Central State Archive of St. Petersburg was declassified in 2023. The materials of the case indicate that in 1929 M. Bigiev was deprived of voting rights. The paper presents a short retrospective of the policy of discrimination against citizens of the RSFSR on social grounds by depriving them of their voting rights, as well as how the deprivation of rights dramatically complicated and worsened the living conditions of the so-called “deprived”, putting them on the brink of survival. M. Bigiev, who was classified by the authorities as a minister of religious worship, also became a victim of this policy. The documents highlight the struggle of M. Bigiev, who made several attempts tried to persuade state authorities at various levels to restore his right to vote and to be elected. The materials indicate that his attempts repeatedly ended in failure. Among the discovered materials, the most valuable are the autobiographical papers written under the dictation of M. Bigiev and certified by his signature. They bring clarity to some points of M. Bigiev’s biography, which have remained ambiguous to date. The studied materials allow us to draw several important conclusions about the stages and events of the Tatar religious philosopher’s life. The appendix contains a list of documents of the archive case.

The article provides a comprehensive analysis of the transformation of the institution of Sharia courts in Kabarda from 1917 to the 1930s as an element of Soviet national and religious policy in the North Caucasus. The study is based on a wide range of archival sources, including documents from local and central authorities, court transcripts, and statistical materials. The research identifies the main stages of the evolution of state-Islamic relations: from the initial pragmatic recognition of Sharia courts during the Civil War to their systematic restriction and complete elimination by the end of the 1920s. Special attention is given to the analysis of contradictions in Soviet legal policy, which combined tactical concessions with a strategic focus on unifying the legal space. The study shows that, despite the formal liquidation of Sharia courts, Islamic legal culture retained its influence at an informal level. It is concluded that the process of transformation of Sharia judicial proceedings reflected the general logic of Soviet state-building, characterized by a consistent tightening of religious policy and the targeted eradication of religious legal practices by the early 1930s.

This article continues a series of recent studies devoted to the first complete printed editions of the Qur’an in the Arabic language published in the Russian Empire. This paper explores the printing of the Arabic text of the Qur’an in Russia, which began in St. Petersburg in the last quarter of the 18th century, during the reign of Empress Catherine II (1762– 1796), and was continued in Kazan from the 19th century onward. The significance of studying the St. Petersburg editions of the Qur’an and all historical aspects of their production stems from the fact that their structure set the standard followed in modern printed editions of the Qur’an with subsequent additions and clarifications. In this regard, the article emphasizes the special contribution of Tatar intellectuals and print workers at the Asian Printing House to the development of printing the Qur’an in Russia in the late 18th century. It discusses the Tatar typesetters at the printing house: Kurban-Gali Iskhakov (born in 1759), Khamza Mamyshev (c. 1769–1770), and Gali Rakhmatullin (birth date unknown, active in the 18th century), supplemented by brief biographical notes. Nevertheless, the collective contribution of all known participants in the production of the St. Petersburg editions of the Qur’an emphasizes the key role of the Tatar Mullah and master calligrapher Usman Ismail. He designed the original Arabic typeface and annotations accompanying the Qur’anic text in these editions. The article also introduces recently discovered sources, that significantly enrich biographical information of Mullah Usman Ismail, including an approximate birth date (c. 1743–1744) and previously unknown details about his family background. The author concludes that an objective assessment of Mullah Usman Ismail’s contribution justifies securinghis place in the history of the printed Qur’an’s dissemination in Russia and Europe, as well as including him in the pantheon of eminent Muslim figures of his era.

The article examines the approach of the foremost philosopher of classical Islam, Ibn Sina (Avicenna; c. 980–1037), to a fundamental epistemological question raised by Aristotle in his treatise “On the Soul” (431b17–19), which did not receive further development in his works: the possibility for the mind, residing in the human body, to conceive the immaterial intelligibiles. The paper explores the Avicenna’s critique of the concept of the union (ittiḥād) of the knower and the known, which by that time had become widespread among the Peripatetics and was usually traced back to the Neoplatonist Porphyry (234?–305? C.E). In this context, the author analyzes the doctrine of the ascent of the Gnostic outlined by the philosopher in his work “Remarks and Admonitions”.

This article presents the full text of Nogai mirza Sultanash Aksak-Kelmametev’s (Sultan-Ahmed b. Aksak Kel-Mukhammed Tinma-metev; active in politics from the 1630s to the mid-17th century) letter to Tsar Alexei Mikhailovich (r. 1645–1676), dated 1645. The document is preserved in Fond 127 (“Russia’s Relations with the Nogai Tatars”) at the Russian State Archive of Ancient Acts (RGADA). The publication includes a facsimile of the original document, its scholarly transcription in Latin script, and a historical translation into Russian. The introductory article and commentary provide insights into the document’s context, related to the oath of allegiance taken by the Nogai nobility to the new tsar and the complex military and political situation in the steppe. This research introduces a valuable source on the history of Russian-Nogai relations in the mid-17th century and highlights the distinctive diplomatic discourse of the Nogai elite.

This review presents the results of the roundtable dedicated to the 20-year anniversary of the peer-reviewed academic journal “Islam in the modern world” (2005–2020). The event, organized by Medina Publishing House, was attended by members of the international editorial board and the journal’s editors. The meeting took place in the format of presentations and academic discussions. The review outlines the key results of the academic event, which was held on December, 15, 2025, in Moscow, bringing together leading scholars and researchers in the fi elds of Islamic theology, Islamic studies, Oriental studies, and Religious studies.