This publication describes the history of the formation and development of the Hanafi theological and legal school. It analyzes the influence of the companions of the Prophet Muhammad on the development of basic methodological principles by the eponym of this school — Abu Hanifa. The paper presents the generally accepted classification of the jurists of this madhhab, describes their role in the formation of the Hanafi tradition. It also provides a brief overview of the main classical and modern works on Hanafi law, including domestic theologians — Sh. Marjani, A. Kursavi, G. Barudi and A.-H. Maksudi, as well as translations of classical works into Russian.

The present article focuses on understanding the phenomenon of Jadidism in the context of the global Islamic renewal movement. It consists of an introduction, two paragraphs and a conclusion. In the introduction, the author indicates the relevance and extent of discussion of the topic. It emphasizes the admissibility of various approaches to the thematization of this phenomenon. The first paragraph deals with some modern concepts in the historiography of the Jadid issue. It also criticizes an attempt to shut down this issue with a revisionist deconstruction of the opposition between Jadidism and Kadimism as presented in the works of D. DeWeese and some of his Russian supporters. The author argues for the absence of serious grounds for rejecting this opposition, for the rhetorical nature of its criticism and for the irrelevance of the revisionists’ arguments. In the second paragraph, the author shifts the focus from criticism of opponents to a “positive” presentation of some of the fundamental theses that must be taken into account when studying the Jadid movement. Based on the conceptual distinction between religiosity and religion, the author describes Jadidism as a new type of religiosity that has emerged as a result of responding to the challenges of modernity. At the same time, the term “modernity” itself is interpreted in the light of the theory of multiple versions of modernity. This helps to avoid an overly facile evaluation of Islamic modernism as an inherently Eurocentric phenomenon. Furthermore, the second paragraph points out that Islamic modernism, including Jadidism, is deeply rooted in the Islamic tradition of tajdid. The author concludes with his interpretation of the essence of the Jadid project.

The paper discusses some peculiarities of translating the names of suras of the Qurʼān into Chinese based on the study of the most common Chinese translation made in the second half of the last century by the Muslim intellectual Muhammad Ma Jian. The work examines suras possessing the most significant discrepancies between the original Arabic names and the corresponding Chinese equivalents. The study is accompanied by commentary on the potential reasons for these variations while taking into account factors of an ethnocultural and linguistic nature. In a number of cases, comparisons with translations of the Qurʼān into Russian are also provided. The interdisciplinary nature of the work is manifested in the application of methods of source study, historical and philological, and comparative analysis. Having researched the main milestones in the history of translations of the Qurʼān into Chinese in the context of the spread of Islam in China, the authors come to the conclusion that the peculiarities of the translation of the names of suras into Chinese are largely due to the history of their occurrence and the variability of the original names since the written record of the Holy Text. At the same time, Muhammad Ma Jian’s belonging to the Hui community and Chinese traditions and customs also influenced the process of choosing equivalents. Obviously, the search for correspondences relied on the synthesis of methods based on the analysis of different variants of the names of suras and the need for ethnocultural adaptation of individual concepts in order to ensure the adequate perception of certain concepts by the inhabitants of the China. The problems of translating the Qurʼān into Chinese are largely related to the typological difference between the two linguistic systems. In this regard, the analysis of the translations of the names of suras of the Qurʼān into Chinese seems to be the most optimal starting point for the study of this topic.

Due to the necessity for continuous contacts between the Russian principalities, the Golden Horde khans, and the khan’s administration, in the 13th century specific structures designed to serve them were created. They partly survived even after the Moscow principality gained independence and were engaged in organizing diplomatic missions with neighboring states. The most stable element of these services were the Tatar servicemen of the Grand Prince. In the earliest period they were called Ordyncy [members of the Horde] and Delyus. With the creation of the Posolskij Prikaz, they become servant Tatars and Cossack inhabitants of a stanitsas of the Foreign Ministry and initially interpreters and translators from oriental languages were recruited among them. The status of the Ordyncy as personal servants of the Grand Prince allowed them to enjoy certain privileges, in particular, they had mosques in the places of their concentrated residing. Archival documents contain sporadic mentions of their imams. At first, the number of such Tatars could reach several hundreds. However, their number gradually decreased. Tatars lost the privilege to be the interpreters and translators of the Foreign Ministry, although descendants of the translators of the Posolskij Prikaz, who in some cases remained Muslims, continued to serve in the Collegium and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. At the same time one can trace their mosque in the Zamoskvorechye District of Moscow as far back as the 18th century.

The article discusses the period of the reign of Khedive Isma‘il from the standpoint of his influence on the formation of the education system in Egypt. The author gives a brief overview of Khedive’s socio-economic reforms, especially noting his achievements in the field of education. This article analyzes the “Law of Rajab 10th” (1868), the main purpose of which was to promote public education and establish a new type of school under the auspices of the state. The law developed plans for the construction of modern schools of a new type in each city, prepared projects for the reorganization of Koranic schools (kuttabs) and set the task of expanding the state education system. In addition, textbooks were unified and were now published after the approval of the Ministry of Education. The author elaborates on the structure of the education system formed during this period, noting the cultural continuity and historical educational traditions that had not been sacrificed to new knowledge, but were joined in a single model, representing the convergence of religious and secular education. The article points out that during the reign of Khedive Isma‘il the first public schools for girls were opened, and since that female education has become popular among the upper classes of Egyptian society. At the same time, with the support and encouragement of the Khedive, there was a growth of schools of foreign communities. Ultimately, the author comes to the conclusion that despite the financial difficulties that prevented the implementation of all planned educational reforms, this reform proved to be the most useful and necessary at that time. During this period, a clear and orderly system of education management was created, and a plan for a unified state education that should work for the benefit of society was developed.

The article is dedicated to the evolution of the Muslim community in the Republic of Tatarstan (RT) in 2022. This publication continues a series of articles examining the Muslim community of Tatarstan in the 2000s and early 2020s. The article concludes that stability in the religious field is generally maintained in the Republic of Tatarstan. In the context of a Special Military Operation (SMO or SVO in Russian), as previously during the pandemic, social activism has become increasingly important. The most important socio-political issue for the Tatar religious figures of Russia was the preparation for and participation in the state-level celebration of 1,100 anniversary of adoption of Islam by the Bulgars. The law enforcement agencies in the republic continue to identify and punish representatives of extremist organizations banned in the Russian Federation.

Chechens are the largest population in the North Caucasus and the sixth largest in the Russian Federation (right after Russians, Ukrainians, Tatars, Bashkirs, Chuvashs). According to official data, there are currently 1,516,387 people living in the republic, of whom 1,206,551 are Chechens. A large number of Chechens live in European countries. Although there are no exact official figures, various researchers place the figure between 150,000 and 300,000, with most Chechens living in France, Belgium, Norway, Austria, Poland, and Germany. The Middle Eastern and Turkish diasporas of Chechens are not so numerous, but they have a longer period of residence there, as they mostly consist of the descendants of immigrants from the second half of the 19th century. Chechens are Sunni of Shafi‘i Madhab, adhere to the Naqshbandi and Qadiri tariqats, which are divided into fraternities called virds, and according to various estimates, there are up to 34 of them in the republic. The Nogays and Kumyks living in the Chechen Republic belong to the Hanafi madhab, while the Avars (Chamalals) of the mountain village of Kenkhi (population over 1500) belong to the Shafi‘i madhab.

The growing role of religion in interethnic relations, the importance of the Islamic factor in the socio-political sphere of society, the risks of religious radicalism necessitate annual monitoring of the development of the Islamic community in the Russian Federation. The article is devoted to the state of the Islamic community of the Republic of Bashkortostan in 2021–2022. The material used for analysis includes reports from state agencies, press reports, information on websites and pages of Islamic organizations, and materials from field work. Based on the data obtained, the main factors that influenced the development of Islam in the republic during the specified period were identified.

The article provides a comprehensive analysis of the state of the Muslim ummah of the Orenburg region in 2022, the main directions of its cultural, educational, youth-oriented, social and charitable work. It is shown how with the beginning of the Special military operation of the Russian Armed Forces in Ukraine the Islamic community of the region was consolidated for solving urgent problems of military-patriotic and social service. Along with the emergence of new challenges and potential hotbeds of tension and conflict, the ongoing threats of radicalization and extremism have also manifested themselves.