This publication presents the second part of the commented translation into Russian of the Introduction (muqaddima) to the tafasir “Jami‘ al-bayan fī ta’wil al-Qur’an” [The Comprehensive Exposition of the interpretation of the Qur’an] by Muhammad ibn Jarir at-Tabari (839–923). It contains sections dedicated to tafsir. The fi rst of them enumerates three aspects (wujūh) of the interpretation of the Qur’an — (1) the part, which only God knowns — eschatological ayats; (2) the part, whose interpretation is possible only with the support of prophetic traditions — ayats of the Law; and (3) the part, which might be understood by everyone who knows the language of the Qur’an. In the two following sections, groups of traditions about the admissibility and inadmissibility of exegesis are compared. On bases of their analysis, the theologian approves the legitimacy of tafsir. The last section lists the “praiseworthy” and “reprehensible” early commentators on the Holy Scriptures of Islam. 

The present work completes the cycle of essays on the history of the tradition of translations of the Qur’an into European languages, the initial parts of which were published in the previous issues of the journal. This study is devoted to the analytical review of the most recent translations of the Qur’an into Russian, which appeared at the beginning of the 21st century. It describes the works of A. Gafurov, E. Quliyev, Ch. Guseynov, A. Kyazimov, B. Shidfar, N. Zeynalov, the “Sadra” publishing house, the Spiritual Administration of Muslims of the Republic of Tatarstan, as well as publications edited by A. Bakhtiyarov and “Tafsir Hilal” by Muhammad Sadiq Muhammad Yusuf. The conclusion is made about the predominantly theological and confessional nature of the present-day translations. 

The article reveals little-studied aspects of Muslim thought in Late Russian Empire in the context of modernism-tradition dichotomy. The author proposes three case studies that demonstrate the contribution made by Russian Muslim scholars Murad Ramzi, Gasan Alqadari and Khalil Rahimov to moderate modernism at the turn of the nineteenth and twentieth centuries in Russia. 

The relevance of the topic is due to the growing globalization, openness of modern society, mobility and migration of the population from one cultural environment to another, which lead to their closer interaction, to the rejection of the former self-sufficient, closed, isolated social systems. In these conditions, interreligious dialogue offers ways for better mutual understanding of believers of different faiths, search for common values, points of intersection, building on their basis respectful, constructive relations to solve joint tasks in a new, constantly changing world while maintaining the inviolability of their dogmas and ritual practices. The article talks about the interreligious interaction of Islamic and Russian Orthodox clergy when working with religious servicemen in military units located on the territory of the Orenburg region, provides practical examples of activities and joint activities among conscripts, the younger generation to foster patriotism, mutual understanding, mutual assistance, strengthening morale, fraternal relations, which are so necessary both at home and in battle. 

The article tells about the imams and muezzins of the Tatar Sloboda (settlement) of Moscow, located in the Zamoskvorechye district (southern part of Moscow), as well as separate ethno-social communities of Moscow, in the beginning of the 19ᵗʰ century. Most оf the information about them is stored in various archives in Russia and is not known to researchers. Archival documents cited in the article, previously unpublished, are being introduced into scientific circulation for the first time. 

The article is devoted to the role of Muslim religious leaders of the Volga- Ural region in the social movement of 1917. After the February Revolution of 1917, the participation of the clergy in the change of leadership of the Orenburg Mohammedan Spiritual Assembly (OMDS), as well as the creation of clergy societies, in the work of All- Russian Muslim and provincial Muslim congresses could be seen. The paper is intended to investigation of this phenomenon in a number of regions. It should be noted that the OMDS clergy for more than a century of its activity (1788–1917) set an example of civic loyalty and loyalty to the authorities of the Russian Empire. At the same time, especially starting from the revolution of 1905–7, it became concerned about the role of the OMDS in relations with the authorities and its own flock, issues of self-organization of the clergy, ways of organizing the system of Muslim religious education. Therefore, the presence of representatives of the Muslim clergy was noted not only at their own professional venues, but also at general civic events of Muslims. The paper deals with the role of religious leaders in the social movement of Muslims in the Volga- Ural region in 1917. and their contribution to it. 

The article examines the activities of the Muslim clergy of the North Caucasus in the period between the February and October revolutions of 1917, i. e. of a social group that was at the forefront of political processes in the region. The social boundaries of this group and its role in the life of the peoples of the region of the period under consideration are substantiated. The initiatives of the Muslim clergy concerning changes in the social life of the North Caucasian society are analysed. The evolution of its political line is traced from close interaction with the national intelligentsia, characteristic of the spring of 1917, to claims to the fullness of political power, clearly defined by the summer of 1917. Attention is paid to attempts to implement the idea of creating a theocratic state in the North Caucasus. The lack of political unity among the Muslim clergy is emphasized, the reasons for the deepening of contradictions in the period following the October Revolution of 1917 are explained. The role of this social group in the political processes in the North Caucasus between the February and October revolutions of 1917 is assessed. 

The author analyses the Front of Defenders of Islam as the largest legal organisation of Indonesian supporters of political Islam, which existed in Indonesia from 1998 to December 2020, when its activities were stopped by the authorities. It is assumed that the religiously motivated political radicalism develops as a heterogeneous phenomenon, and its secondary character became its main feature. Therefore, the Front is analysed in the context of the recent history of the Islamic alternative to the processes of democratic transition and trends of modernisation and secularization also. The author believes that the radicals of the Front were unable to off er an original political program, and their ideology actualised the fragmentation of Indonesian society and the inability of some traditional groups to integrate into a dynamically changing society. The author analyses various forms of intellectual activities of religiously motivated political radicals, including criticism of liberalism, rejection of secularisation, denial of modernisation in general and its forms imagined as extreme in Indonesia by some intellectuals in particular. The author believes that after the prohibition of the Front in December 2020, far-right political Islam in modern Indonesia entered a new stage of its development. The delegitimation of the Front, on the one hand, could become an incentive for the revitalisation of other similar groups in Indonesia. On the other hand, the legal marginalisation of supporters of far-right political Islam and their displacement to the periphery of the legal space can become an incentive for the growth of extremism, inspiring change new tactics of adherents of extreme currents in Indonesian Islam.