The Shafi'i madhhab is very rigid, so some comrades have to be very careful when they are abu_unus. Notable Works of the Shafi‘i Madhhab

On the religious policy of the Muftiate and the authorities of Azerbaijan in the Zakatala region

To date, the territory of the compact settlement of the southern Avars (Belokan, Zakatal and Kakh regions of Azerbaijan) is more than 95% populated by Muslims. The exceptions are Georgians - Orthodox Christians in the Kakh region, who make up 15% of the population of the region, as well as followers of Western Christian sects, living mainly in the Georgian villages of Zakatal and Belokan regions. Among the latter, Baptists, for example, live in the Georgian village of Aliabad in the Zagatal region, where their number reaches 70 people.

Of the Muslims, at least 90% of practicing Muslims are Sunni Shafiites, that is, they belong to the madhhab (religious and legal school) that is most common in Dagestan (90% of the population), as well as among ethnic Dagestanis in Transcaucasia. The exception is Azerbaijanis - recent immigrants from other regions of Azerbaijan, as well as Georgia and Armenia.

According to the State Committee of Azerbaijan for Work with Religious Organizations, the number of the Shiite population of the country is 65%, the Sunni - 35%, and the actions of the official structures of the Azerbaijan Republic are actually aimed at supporting the Shiite direction and weakening the Sunnis in every possible way. In particular, this also applies to the actions of Mufti of Azerbaijan Allahshukur Pashazade, who is accused of “looking at religion as a means of generating income.”

In the conditions of almost complete confessional unity of the population of the Zagatala region, the actions of the official clergy, as well as the authorities of the Republic of Azerbaijan to change this situation, as well as support small religious groups of non-local origin, are initially conflictogenic, that is, aimed at confrontation with the local population. In this plane, conflicts are noticeable in several directions, and the first of them is the illegal interference of the state structures of the Republic of Azerbaijan in the appointment of religious figures in the region.

The official representative (kazi) of Pasha-zade in the territory of Zagatal, Belokan and Kakh regions is an Azerbaijani - a native of the Sheki region, a Sunni of the Hanafi madhhab, while the vast majority of both Avars and Tsakhurians, as well as Azerbaijanis and Muslim Georgians are Shafiites. This is Ibrahimov Ibrahim Jarullah oglu, born in 1957, who lives in the village of Behe ​​Tala, Zagatala region. He was also appointed rector of the Zakatala branch of the Baku Islamic University and a madrasah in Aliabad village.

The appointment of Ibragimov took place against the will of the majority of the population of these regions and almost all the imams of mosques in this zone. Traditionally, even under Soviet rule, this post was occupied by Shafiites - ethnic Avars and Tsakhurs. So, for example, in the last years of the Soviet period, the imam of Tsor was Nasukh Aliyev from the Avaro-Tsakhur village in the past, the village of Mukhakh of the Zagatala region. Before him, he was Kahav-apandi from the Avar village of Chardakh, and even earlier - Shahban-apandi from the Avar village of Ekhedi Tala.

Repressions against local dibirs

The appointment of Ibragimov can be compared with the appointment of a Catholic bishop from Poland as the head of the Orthodox of the Southern Federal District of Russia. With the support of Ibragimov, the persecution of the Avar dibirs, who were the murids of Said-apandi of Chirkeysky or who were educated in religious schools associated with his authority, takes place. That is, with the direct participation of Ibragimov, who, of course, worked in accordance with the instructions received from Baku, in 2000-2006 several dozen rural dibirs were removed from their positions.

So, Aliyev Saipudin Nasukhovich (b. 1960, father - Tsakhurian, mother - Avar) - the son of the above-mentioned Nasukh Aliyev, a hereditary Sufi of the Naqshbandi tariqat, was removed from the position of the Mukhah dibir. The US Ambassador to Azerbaijan, Ann Derse, visited the village of Mukhakh as part of her visit to the Zaqatala region in May 2008. Here she met with the former dibir of the village, Saipudin Aliyev. As Ibragimov told APA news agency, this dibir is "a follower of the Nakshibendi sect, which is considered one of the radical offshoots of Islam, his dismissal from the post of imam is connected precisely with this." In this case, it is clear that Ibragimov is trying to label almost all forms of Sunni religious communities that do not obey his patron as radical extremists. Moreover, it is not hidden that the dismissal of Saypudin Aliyev from the post of dibir in the village of Mukhakh was connected only with the fact that he is a follower of the Naqshbandi tariqa. In this vein, linking such "radicals" with the events of September 11, 2001 in the USA is not far off.

The imam of one of the largest Avar villages in the Zakatala region, Shahban Majidov, the grandson of the aforementioned Shahban-apandi, was dismissed with the same charges. The former imam of the Avar village of 8,000 people, Ekhedi Tala, is one of the descendants of Sheikh Khapiza-apandi, who lived at the beginning of the last century. All three are from respected and famous for their theological traditions tukhums. All three enjoyed unquestioned authority in their jamaats.

For example, during the removal of the dibir of the main Dzhar mosque for all Avars - Piriyev Sultan Mukhumayevich (b. 1965) - the head of the district Rafail Majidov and the head of the Zakatala regional department of the Ministry of National Security were present. The latter, in front of the entire jamaat, stated that “in accordance with the policy of the state, this person is not suitable for the position of imam of the main mosque for the Avars.” Piriyev had to go to the upper quarter mosque of Jara to pray, and the mosque itself was locked for several days.

Dibir Kabakhcholib - the largest purely Avar settlement in the region - was removed in May 2007. The reason for the removal of Idris Chirtiev was that he studied in Dagestan and read sermons in his native, Avar, language. Then, in February 2008, the district MNB and the police raided the homes of individuals "suspected of links to radical religious groups." According to the deputy head of the Belokansk regional police department, Logman Ismailov, they “found in the apartment of a resident of the village of Shambul, Makham Chikhinov (born in 1953), 313 copies of prohibited religious literature and 12 video cassettes; , 107 copies of banned books and 1 videocassette were confiscated.” The repressions against these religious leaders were caused by the fact that they collected signatures on a petition to the President of the Republic of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev, so that in Belokan and neighboring regions they would be allowed to perform the adhan (call to prayer) from the minarets, teach children in the madrasah and read Friday sermons in mosques on Avar language.

Along with the above bodies, the religious leaders of Tsor also applied to the state bodies of Russia located in Dagestan. In such an appeal dated March 17, 2008, signed by 7 dibirs, buduns and members of the boards of trustees at the mosques of the Belokan, Zagatala and Kakh regions, it is also said that the books are mostly of the Shafiite madhhab, there are “MahIali”, “IkhIya” , books by Said-apandi of Chirkei, etc., while "Wahhabi literature is freely sold in Zagatala stores." Now the owners of the books have been told that the books have allegedly been sent to Baku, to the Academy of Sciences for examination. And on Azerbaijani television they say that in total 4,500 books were taken away in the Belokan region, of which 400 are not subject to return, and the rest are allegedly returned. In fact, only those 400 books were confiscated in the Belokansky district, most of which are more than 100 years old. They, in the opinion of the Dibirs, will not be returned: “Thus, the people are being artificially deprived of their history, since at the end of many religious books both local chronicles and other historical and cultural materials of the Avar people are recorded.” They also note that "the last 6-7 years in the Zakatala region there has been a practice of seizing or buying old handwritten books from the Avar population."

The opinion of the authorities or special services often becomes decisive in the elections of the dibir of a village, as happened, for example, in Makave. In January 2009, a council of the village community was held here, which chose the dibir. One of the candidates was Musa Shabanov, the son of the former Dibir, Khadzhiakhmed, who, for unknown reasons, was disliked by the authorities, and whose candidacy was rejected precisely for these reasons. Magomednuri Abdullayev was elected, who died three months later, on April 29, 2009. The deceased just three months ago replaced his predecessor, Gazi Gaziev, who was a protege of Ibragim Ibragimov, as imam. The community of the village stood up against Gaziev, and Ibragimov had to retreat.

In those cases when it was not possible to directly place an Azerbaijani as a mullah in an Avarian village, Baku set in motion another option. Instead of educated and patriotic Avar youth, semi-literate old people began to be appointed dibirs (at the behest of the aforementioned Ibragimov and Pasha-zade). So, for example, in the village of Dzhar, Zakatalsky district, Sultan Piriyev was replaced by the then former security guard of the Zakatalsky regional department of the KGB of the AzSSR. The latter first changed the language of the sermon. Within the walls of the ancient Dzhar Cathedral Mosque, which stood within the capital of the Avar national state of the 17th-19th centuries, the native language of the Dzhars, that is, Avar, was discarded. As a result, he was not even in the second, but in the third plan. Instead of the Avar language, the sermon, in accordance with the policy of Baku, was conducted by a pensioner in the Azerbaijani language.

As a result of this policy, almost all Dibirs (about 40 people) who were educated in Dagestan were removed from their posts. Of these, only two dibirs remained - in the villages of Dinchi of the Zagatala and Beret-rosu of the Belokan districts. At the same time, the clergy, who were educated in Iran, Turkey and the Arab countries, do not cause any complaints from the authorities. Instead of filmed dibirs, they put other people who were educated at the Zakatala branch of the Baku Islamic University, where the Turks are Hanafi (direction in Islam), while 95% of the population of the region are Shafiites. The religious practices of Hanafism and Shafiism do not coincide, which causes conflict in the region. Such a policy, of course, is not the willfulness of local authorities, which in such an authoritarian state is an unacceptable luxury for an official, but a directive coming from the authorities of the Azerbaijan Republic.

Opposition to the tarikat

At the same time, the Avar region is pursuing a policy of counteracting the tarikat, the Sufi teaching in Islam, whose representatives have never taken anti-state positions. Despite the fact that the Tariqat sheikh, Mallamukhammad, is a student of Said-apandi of Chirkey, who received ijaz (“permission” for independent preaching) from him, and his followers showed themselves to be law-abiding citizens of the AR, patriots of the state in which they live (son Sheikh volunteered for the Karabakh front at the behest of his father and died there in the early 1990s), the security forces of the Azerbaijan Republic are pursuing a strict policy of suppressing any of his activities. All the followers of the sheikh are summoned for preventive talks at the Ministry of National Security, where they are told that they are all registered and the "Said tariqa" will be banned in Azerbaijan. Said-apandi himself was twice deported from the region, once he was not even allowed to perform lunch prayers in the mosque. There are practically no adherents of Wahhabism among the Avars of the region, which causes particular dissatisfaction with the authorities of the Azerbaijan Republic, since it deprives them of a reason for repressions (clothed with legitimacy in the eyes of the world community) against the Avars under the guise of fighting religious extremists.

Secondly, the actions of the Azerbaijani authorities provoke tension in relations between the Sunnis, who make up more than 90% of the population of the region, and the Shiites, who, in terms of specific weight, will not exceed 1-2%. The following example was cited in the electronic media, which met with a negative reaction among the population of Zakatala: “Nazim Zamanov lives in the Avar village of Khasan-bina of the Zakatala region. In the autumn of 2006, after the Friday prayer, he left the central mosque of the city of Zakatala and went to the bazaar. On the way, he met a Shiite dibir, a native of Nakhichevan, Genghis, who, at his approach, began to vilify the Prophet Muhammad (s.a.s.), calling him the last words, also called the scoundrels of the righteous caliphs, except for Ali (a.s.).

Genghis is a kind of on-call cleric for the Shiites living in Zagatala. The Shiites, of course, do not have their own mosque in Tsor, however, all sorts of officials and other colonists who arrived in the Avar region for the funeral, call him for the birth of a child and other procedures. This 50-year-old Nakhichevanian lives in the city of Zakatala, on Gazi Aslanov Street. In the past, a well-known politician, an activist of the Popular Front of Azerbaijan, now hangs around his fellow countryman - Nakhichevan, head of the Zagatala region Asif Askerov, and other Shiite officials.

Naturally, Zamanov could not endure such blasphemy and outright impudence and hit Chingiz, which, in fact, he was counting on. Zamanov calmly went home, but in the evening the police from the Zakatala department came after him and arrested him. The judge of the Zagatala district court, on instructions from "above", sentenced Zamanov to 1.5 years in prison. His fellow villager, who simply turned out to be Zamanov's companion, had to pay 2 thousand dollars to be left alone. Zamanov himself, after serving 1 year and 3 months as a prisoner under a light article, was included in the list of prisoners who were subject to release during the next mass amnesty by decree of the President of the Republic of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev. After being released in December 2007, Nazim Zamanov found himself in the city of Zagatala a few days later, where, as luck would have it, he was met by the head of the district police department, who, immediately calling a squad, dragged him to the police station. So, the head of the district police department, spitting on the decree of Ilham Aliyev, imprisoned Zamanov for another three months ... This is how the Avars of Tsor in their historical homeland become criminals.

It is worth mentioning that Shiite Azerbaijanis began to arrive in Tsor only after the 1940s. However, after the collapse of the USSR and the increase in the influence of the Nakhchivans within the framework of independent Azerbaijan, this insignificant stratum of the population actually took a privileged position as opposed to the Sunni majority of the region, which turned out to be largely removed from power levers even at the regional level.

Most of the Azerbaijanis who migrated to Tzor are Sunnis, although they belong to the Hanafi madhhab. So, for example, Azerbaijanis from Georgia in their mass migrate to Tsor from the regions of Sagarejo (Sunni Hanafi), Lagodekhi (a third are Sunni Shafiites, the rest are Shiites), Telavi (the village of Karadzhala are Sunni Hanafi). To a lesser extent, migrants from the Kvemo Kartli region are represented, where the Shia ritual practice, in particular the Shahsei-Vakhsei, became almost the only manifestation of religiosity during the years of Soviet power, although in the past the numerical ratio between Shiites and Sunnis in this region was in favor of the latter. . Azerbaijanis from the Sheki region are also 90% Sunnis, and in these conditions, the most numerous Shiite community in Tsor is Nakhichevan. There are already reports of attempts by this minority to influence the minds of the population through dibirs placed from above in order to persuade them to accept Shia ritual practices.

Azan ban

The illegal actions of the authorities to ban the azan in the Zakatala region, especially against the background of more lenient measures in this respect in other regions, set the believing part of the population against the Azerbaijani state as a whole. First, on December 12, 2007, the head of the administration of the Zagatala district, Asif Askerov, forbade the performance of azan in the city's central mosque through speakers, but later it took on more stringent and inadequate forms - a complete ban on azan. In particular, in the village of Ekhedi Tala, Zagatala region, it was allowed to read the azan from the minaret only after the visit of the US Ambassador to Azerbaijan, Ann Derse, on May 5, 2008, and after the ambassador's departure, the reading of the call to prayer was again prohibited.

In the Belokan region, this ban came into effect even earlier, at the end of November, which caused protests from believers and appeals to the Caucasian Muslims Office and the State Committee of the Republic of Azerbaijan for Work with Religious Organizations. The appeal says that more than a month ago, the call to the azan through amplifiers was banned in the region, and all appeals of the faithful to the regional executive power and personally to Asif Mammadov remain without result. In addition, an appeal by a group of believers asking for permission to hold a protest rally was rejected. The aforementioned address of the Avar dibirs dated March 17, 2008 says: “... For the past six months there have been various kinds of insinuations of the religious and secular authorities of the AR with the azan. At first there was a ban on the call to prayer through sound amplifiers. Then - a ban and live performance. Now they say back that it is still possible to fulfill the call live. At the same time, in the nearest, ethnically Azerbaijani, Sheki region, there were no bans and there are none, as in all other Azerbaijani regions.”

Believers explained this step of the authorities in different ways. And since the authorities did not publicly comment on the reasons that prompted the ban on the azan, their own conclusions were in use: “Someone found in this a secret conspiracy of the Yezidis, who, posing as Muslims, at the same time honor Maleki-Tavus (peacock angel, which is the prototype of the Muslim shaitan), someone saw in this the intrigues of the Shiites in relation to the Sunnis, some explained the actions of the authorities by the inconvenience that creates a loud broadcasting of the azan (through loudspeakers) for citizens living or working in buildings located next to mosques.

A month and a half later, the Alazan-INFO news agency reported: “The adhan was not heard in Zakatala for the entire past month. According to the Yeni Musavat newspaper, the azan, which announced the time of obligatory prayer for Muslims five times a day, was banned in Zakatala after a verbal order from the head of the executive power of the Zakatala region, Asif Askerov. It can be said that Askerov only supported the initiative of official Baku. At a meeting with representatives of the district's clergy, Askerov had to literally demand that they reassure the population, which was dissatisfied with the ban on azan. The population of Zakatala was not warned about the decision of the authorities to ban adhan, and this action was not publicly argued, which was regarded by the general population as an act of ill will towards religion.

Ban on the Avar language in mosques

The greatest rejection among the inhabitants of the Zagatala region is caused by the tacit decision of the AR authorities to ban the use of the Avar language at religious meetings and during sermons in the mosque. This decision is motivated by the fact that there may be “Azerbaijani citizens who do not speak the languages ​​of the peoples of the Caucasus” in the mosque. In the above-mentioned appeal of the Avar dibirs of Tsora, it is said that the representative of the Mufti of Azerbaijan Pasha-zade in the Zakatala region obliges to preach in mosques in the Azerbaijani language, even in purely Avar villages: “For this purpose, Azerbaijanis are sent to the mosques, who then write complaints about that the sermons are delivered in an "incomprehensible" language. Ibragimov then summons the village mullah, shows him the statement and orders him to stop using the Avar language in the mosque. Thus, millions of Kurds, Laz, Albanians, Bulgarians and other peoples were turned into Turks, now these methods are being tested with us.” Reports that the above-mentioned representative of the Mufti of Azerbaijan, as well as his proteges, are the conductors of the line to oust the Avar language from the spiritual sphere of the Tsor Avars and replace it with the Azerbaijani language, appeared in the press.

Attempts to portray the Avars as Wahhabis

The indignation of the local population is also caused by attempts to depict the Avars of Tsor as Wahhabis at the slightest manifestation of dissatisfaction with the policy pursued by Baku. In particular, in January 2002, the media of the Republic of Azerbaijan reported that the strongest positions of the Wahhabis were in the northwest (Zakatala, Belokan and Kakh regions) and northeast (Kusar and Khachmas regions) of the country, as well as in the center ( Baku and Ganja cities, Shamakhi region). At the same time, there are allegedly about 450 Wahhabis in the Belokan region, and 150 in the Zakatala region, 380 in the Kusar region, and up to 300 Wahhabis in the Khachmas region. Continuing the theme, R. Novruzoglu refers to the "published in Dagestan" magazine "Es-salam" (in fact, such a magazine was not published in Dagestan), which published the results of the polls. They were allegedly held in November 2000 and June 2001 in the northern regions of Azerbaijan, and the “Avar mufti” (there is no such post in Dagestan) Muhammad Darbishev took part in their conduct. Considering that the Azerbaijani authorities are very jealous of even the simple arrival of religious leaders from Dagestan to the region, the information about their conducting surveys seems to be a clear fabrication, especially since Darbishev himself denies any participation in surveys or studies on the territory of Azerbaijan.

In this case, we are dealing with disinformation designed to attribute any religious activity among the Avars to the machinations of the Wahhabis. At the same time, independent researchers note that in the "Avar communities in Belokany-Zakatala" recruitment of militants is carried out, as we see, so far unsuccessful.

According to the author of the article “The view of the Jar people on the ban on azan in the Zakatala district” on the website of the news agency “Kabal”, according to rumors thrown in by the initiators of the ban on azan, this decision is connected with “the struggle carried out by the leadership of the district and the police forces against representatives of Wahhabism.” However, he notes: “...To be completely honest, one should not lose sight of the fact that Wahhabism spread in the Zakatala region, at least not without the knowledge of the same forces that are supposedly fighting them today. Rather, according to our sources, this direction of Islam was purposefully popularized here in order to have a subject of struggle in the future, under the pretext of which it is possible to carry out repressions against the indigenous population of the region - the Avars. However, Wahhabism, unfortunately for the initiators of this project, did not take root in the environment in which it was expected. The Dzhar Avars were outside the sphere of influence of this movement in Islam and continue to adhere to the traditional norms of religion in the region. At the same time, Azerbaijani villages and places of compact residence of Tsakhurians in the regional center turned out to be very susceptible to it, which “confuses” the special services of the Azerbaijan Republic.

In part, the words of the author, who, apparently, is a resident of the village of Ekhedi Tala, Zagatala district, are also confirmed by the Avar dibirs in the above-mentioned appeal dated March 17, 2008. According to religious figures, the representative of Mufti Pasha-zade, Ibrahim Ibragimov, introduces Tsora into the religious practice of Muslims the following changes:

1. “Constantly at monthly meetings, mullahs (dibirs) orders not to read prayers for the deceased at the cemetery, although this has always been practiced by our ancestors, since the arrival of Islam in our region. This practice, that is, the ban on reading the Koran, is typical of Wahhabism. In cases where the reading of the Koran at the cemetery was nevertheless practiced, the police intervened, as in the case of the detention of dibir and intimidation of the villagers of the Zagatala region.

2. It prohibits holding mawlids, that is, religious events with a meal dedicated to the commemoration of the Prophet Muhammad, may Allah bless him and welcome him. Ibragimov attracts both the district leadership and law enforcement agencies to his initiative. Mawlids are again characteristic of Sufi practice and unacceptable for Wahhabism. It is also forbidden to teach children the Koran and prayer without permission from Baku, Zakatala, parents and a teacher's license!

3. Ibragimov is also actively campaigning, and recently he even orders not to do the lunch prayer after Friday. He explains his order by the fact that religion does not provide for 6 farzes a day. Such appeals are again characteristic of Wahhabism.”

Ibragimov tries to put these initiatives into practice, violating the laws of the Azerbaijan Republic - every Thursday dibirs gather in the Zakatala branch of the BIU, and Ibragimov hands them the texts of sermons that they must read on Friday. According to the Avar dibirs, the above actions cause dissatisfaction of the local population, which can be expressed in an open form: “... Which, in our opinion, is what official Baku is trying to achieve, acting through the hands of Ibragimov, in order to make him a scapegoat in case of failure. In the case of open forms of protest against the arbitrariness of the authorities, it seems to us, the Avars will be presented in the media as Wahhabis, which Ibragimov is now actively trying to make of us, and repressions will begin. Therefore, the Avar clergy do their best to reassure the public, but it is becoming increasingly difficult for us to restrain the emotions of the irritated population. The entire policy of the authorities of the Republic of Azerbaijan, judging by their real actions, and not words (which they always disagreed with deeds), is aimed at semi-forced squeezing of the Avars, who have lived in three regions in the Alazani River valley for centuries, into Dagestan with the subsequent settlement of Azerbaijanis from Georgia here . Both processes are already moving in parallel, and if this situation continues, then in 30 years there will be no Avars left in the Zakatala region.”

Over the past couple of years, we have been facing some easing on the part of Baku of its tough policy in the religious and linguistic spheres, but real progress has not yet come. First of all, it is in the interests of Baku to pursue a balanced policy in this region that takes into account the interests of the local population, and not individual nationalistically inclined persons in the state system. On the part of Ilham Aliyev personally, democratic initiatives are noticeable, but at the middle level and in some governing bodies, this area is still supervised by people who want to pursue a discriminatory policy. It is these people, and not the simple population of the regions, who are a threat to the national security of Azerbaijan, while the Avars have always extended a helping hand to them in difficult times for the Azerbaijani people. This is evidenced by the beginning of the 20th century, when the Zakatala armed formations under the command of Ahmed Dibirov helped preserve the territorial integrity of Azerbaijan, and Nazhmudin Gotsinsky, at the call of the Baku Muslims, came to their aid. And now, first of all, the degree of loyalty of the Avar population in the north-west of Azerbaijan depends on the policy of Baku, which proved its initially positive attitude towards Azerbaijani statehood, which is being tested by ill-considered actions of individual authorities.

References: Latifoglu Z. “Azerbaijani authorities also violate religious rights” // Novoe Vremya newspaper. Baku, 19.04.2003 The Zagatala branch of the BIU was opened in 2003, financed by the Turkish Youth Assistance Fund. Heydarov H. “US Ambassador to Azerbaijan met with a former imam, a follower of the Nakshibendi sect, considered one of the radical offshoots of Islam” // APA news agency. 05/08/2008 Saipulaev A. "Will the Belokan Avars become Shiites?" // Newspaper "New Business". Makhachkala, 04/17/2009 Golodinsky Sh. “Protest against curses against the Prophet is punishable in Azerbaijan by 1.5 years in prison” // IA “Kabal”. 06/25/2008 Saipulaev A. “Will the Belokan Avars become Shiites?” // Newspaper "New Business". Makhachkala, 04/17/2009 “A ban on amplifying the sound of the azan has been introduced in the Zagatala region” // Islam.az. Baku, 13.12.2007 Erkenov E. “Prayer call. Who in Azerbaijan interferes with azan” // Newspaper “Current time”. Makhachkala, 6.06.2008 Saipulaev A. “Will the Belokan Avars become Shiites?” // Newspaper "New Business". Makhachkala, 17.04.2009 “Calling to Allah...” // IA “Alazan-INFO”. 12/25/2007 Erkenov E. “Prayer call. Who in Azerbaijan interferes with azan” // Newspaper “Current time”. Makhachkala, 06/06/2008 "With a prayer in the heart" // IA "Alazan-INFO". 4.02.2008 Erkenov E. “Prayer call. Who in Azerbaijan interferes with azan” // Newspaper “Current time”. Makhachkala, June 6, 2008 Nadiroglu R. “Wahhabites settled in the northern regions of Azerbaijan” // Zerkalo newspaper. Baku, 4.01.2002 “Azerbaijan: transformations?” Report #156 of the International Crisis Group. Baku/ Brussels, May 13, 2004, pp. 31–32. Churmutazul G. "The view of the Jar people on the prohibition of adhan in the Zakatala district" // IA "Kabal". February 5, 2008

The first centuries of the spread of Islam were the heyday of theological thought. During this period, various areas of Qur'anic sciences, hadith studies and fiqh developed intensively. Intellectual advancement often took place through face-to-face debates among the greatest Muslim scholars, among whom were the founders of madhhabs.

The theologian who perfected his teaching not only through scrupulous study of sources, but also through open debate with colleagues was Muhammad al-Shafi'i. One of the most widespread Sunni madhhabs in fiqh is named after this scholar.

The Life of Imam Ash-Shafi'i

BUTbu Abdullah Muhammad ibn Idris ash-Shafi'i He was born in 150 Hijri (767 Miladi) in the city of Gaza. Parents were from Holy Mecca and ended up in Palestine, since the head of the family was engaged in military affairs. Muhammad's father died when his son was two years old. And his mother decided to go back to Mecca. Muhammad al-Shafi'i himself was from among the Quraysh, while his genealogy is in contact with the Banu Hashim clan, from which the Final Messenger of the Almighty (s.g.v.) descends.

In Mecca, the future founder of the new religious and legal madhhab devoted all his time to study and science. According to some sources, at the age of eight, Muhammad ash-Shafi'i knew the Holy Quran by heart. By the age of ten, he had learned the fundamental work Al-Muwatta. After moving from Mecca to Medina, Muhammad began to go to the lessons of the author of this work, imam, who was struck by the breadth of knowledge and abilities of the student.

Already at a more mature age, ash-Shafi'i attended the classes of one of the founders of the Hanafi madhhab Muhammad ash-Shaibani. An interesting story connects him with the latter. While in Najran, Imam al-Shafi'i was accused of spreading calls for the displacement of the existing government in the state. In addition, they hastened to rank him among the Shiites, which further aggravated the already difficult situation of the scientist. Imam al-Shafi'i was transported to Syria, where he had a conversation with the head of state Harun al-Rashid. The views of the imam aroused sympathy in the caliph, but the release from prison came only after the intercession of Muhammad ash-Shaybani, who at that time worked as the chief judge (kady) in Baghdad. Ash-Shaibani insisted that Muhammad ash-Shafi'i move to his city.

At the same time, visiting the lessons of the Baghdad kadiy left mixed impressions on the imam. On the one hand, ash-Shafi’i discovered the subtleties of the Hanafi madhhab with the deepest interest, and on the other hand, he resolutely did not like the criticism of Imam Malik ibn Anas, which often came from the lips of Muhammad ash-Shaibani. At the same time, Imam al-Shafi'i did not want to have a public dispute with his friend. Ash-Shaybani, having learned about the objections of his student, insisted that everyone could watch their intellectual dispute. As a result, the victory in the debate on the legacy of Imam Malik ibn Anas remained with Muhammad ash-Shafi'i. It is noteworthy that the outcome of the theological confrontation did not affect the friendship of the two scientists. Muhammad ash-Shaibani admitted his defeat, but his good feelings towards ash-Shafi'i only intensified. This example is good in that it shows how discussions should be conducted among Muslims. The existing disagreements about minor points should not become a real bone of contention between people who profess the same faith.

At the same time, the founder of the Shafi'i madhhab received patronage from Caliph Harun ar-Rashid. This significantly affected his financial situation, which, in turn, affected the imam's ability to travel and enrich his ideas about the world around him. Subsequently, Muhammad ash-Shafi'i settled in Cairo, where he died in 204 Hijri (820 Miladi).

What distinguishes the Shafi'i madhhab

The madhhab of Imam al-Shafi'i is a kind of reaction to the Maliki theological and legal schools, under the influence of which it was originally formed. Within its framework, an attempt was made to remove some of the contradictions between the previously formed madhhabs and simplify them. So, for example, the Shafiites in deriving theological and legal judgments turn to the words of the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) and the practice of the Madinan Ansar, not paying too much attention to this, like the Maliki. In addition, the Maliki position on theological decisions made for public benefit (istislah) is reflected within the framework of the Shafi'i madhhab. It will not be erroneous to say that the Shafi'i madhhab occupied an intermediate position between the supporters of the use of reason in deriving judgments (ashab ar-rayi) and the camp of literalists (ashab al-hadith).

Naturally, Holy Quran and Noble Sunnah do not cease to be the main sources of law within this madhhab. However, the Shafiites turn to hadiths only if the relevant aspects are not reflected in the Qur'an. At the same time, it is important that the hadiths were transmitted through the Medinan companions. The unanimous opinion of Muslim scholars ( ijma) also occupies a separate place in the hierarchy of methods of the Shafi'i madhhab. From the previously created theological and legal schools, such sources migrated as kiyas(judgment by analogy) and istikhsan(correction of qiyas if its norms do not work in the new conditions).

The Shafi'i madhhab is currently one of the most widespread theological and legal schools. His followers can be found in various parts of the world: Malaysia, Indonesia, Egypt, East Africa, Lebanon, Syria, Pakistan, India, Jordan, Turkey, Iraq, Yemen, Palestine. In addition, this madhhab is also represented in Russia - the Chechens, Avars and Ingush traditionally adhere to its provisions in religious practice.

What was Islam like in the North Caucasus? What madhhabs are traditional for this territory of Russia? How did the Chechen war affect the development of Islam? Who is at the head of political power in the North Caucasus - secular people or the religious elite? Akhmet Yarlykapov, a senior researcher at the Center for Caucasian Problems at MGIMO, tried to answer these questions.

What is the North Caucasus? This is the territory inhabited by national minorities, the territory of national republics. Dagestan, the largest republic in the North Caucasus, is home to 3 million people. Chechnya, Ingushetia, Kabardino-Balkaria, Ossetia, Karachay-Cherkessia, Adygea are an enclave within the Krasnodar Territory. It is worth noting that the indigenous Muslims of the Stavropol Territory are Nogais, and the Krasnodar Territory are Adygs.

Before the collapse of the USSR, the distribution of Islamic currents across the territory of the North Caucasus was as follows: Sunni Hanafi prevailed in Adygea, Karachay-Cherkessia, Kabardino-Balkaria, Stavropol, in the north of Dagestan and north-east of Chechnya; the Shafi'i madhhab was followed by the population of Ingushetia, Chechnya and Dagestan; Shafi Sufis predominated in Ingushetia (Qadiriyya), Chechnya (Qadiriyya and Nakshbandiyya) and Dagestan (Qadiriyya, Nakshbandiyya, Shaziliyya).

The main players were the Sunnis. Since the time of the existence of the Golden Horde, the North Caucasus has been a traditional territory for the spread of Sunnis of the Hanafi and Shafi schools. The Sunnis finally settled here in the era of the Ottomans through the Crimean Tatars and Nogais. The Shafi'i madhhab came from the south, from the territory of Mesopotamia. Initially, he established himself on the territory of Dagestan, and then smoothly moved to Chechnya. If we talk about the Ossetians, they are traditionally Hanafi. Their Islamization began under the Kabardian princes.

The Shiite direction is also widespread in the North Caucasus - this is the southern part of the Republic of Dagestan, the Azerbaijanis (their most powerful community is in Derbent) and some Lezgin villages.

In the late 1980s, a radical transformation took place. At that time, the state of Islam was rather depressing: an acute shortage of educational personnel, a high level of secularization, and visible processes of Russification of the population.

Male circumcision has virtually ceased. Often, even some mullahs were not circumcised, citing the fact that this is a sunnah, not a fard. Islam in this territory is more preserved as a symbol, part of a certain ethnic identity: they called themselves Muslims, because they were Kabardians, for example. The vast majority of the population did not practice Islam. This time is distinguished by the phenomenon of folk Islam - controversial customs and rituals, for example, funerals, commemorations. Hence the need for re-Islamization arose: people re-accepted Islam, became Muslims, since Islam by that time had been almost completely lost.

Practicing Sufi groups played a huge role in the North-East of the Caucasus. They kept the wirds, and their role became even more significant due to the deportation.

Thanks to local Sufi groups, the Ulama managed to maintain an Islamic education, from which, unfortunately, some Wahhabis left.

The close connection of Islamic practices with taip and tukhum, and in the case of the Ingush and Chechens, increased deportation. The return of Islam to these lands is associated with 1989, when one could observe a sharp increase in mosques - from 20 to 2000. If we talk about the actors in the revival of religion in the Caucasus, then in the northwest they were mullahs (unfortunately, poorly educated), foreign missionaries (in Adygea - the so-called "Turks", but in fact - the Adygs from Turkey, who retained their culture and language) and local youth who were educated abroad - Egypt, Saudi Arabia, Syria, Qatar, Libya, Iran.

Do not be surprised that Iran is on this list. There is a wonderful Sunni center there. Another thing is that Sunni students were put under serious pressure by Iranian Shiites, which led to the rapid return of students to their homeland. In addition, they were monitored throughout their stay in Iran.

This also includes missionaries from Chechnya and Dagestan, and they came in whole buses. Attempts were made to open support centers. By the 1990s, there were already a lot of unflattering reviews about such activities in the spirit of “we are Hanafis, and you are Shiites and promote Sufism.” In the northeast, a huge role was assigned to local mullahs. Many panic reports were written about the imminent construction of mosques and their opening. On a local basis, relying on local traditions, about 16 Islamic universities were opened in the Republic of Dagestan ...

Read about the relationship between Islam and politics in the North Caucasus in our next article.

Ilmira Gafiyatullina, Kazan

My close relative decided to arm himself with "an unequivocal criterion of Wahhabism." To do this, he asked one of the well-known religious figures of the republic about him and received the following answer: “All those who leave after the Friday prayer without making lunch are Wahhabis.”

How should you disagree?

The fact that in all matters it is imperative to follow only one madhhab or imam, today you will not hear much from anyone. At least not directly. However, ideas like the one voiced above are firmly seated in the minds of many people, and the proof of this is some “unambiguous criteria for Wahhabism”, which often represent the opinions of the most authoritative Islamic scholars.

Praise be to Allah, the peak of this problem is far in the past, when some ignoramuses went so far as to invent hadiths in favor of the truth of their madhhab or the depravity of the “alien” (see “Nuzkhatu an-nazr”, “Tadriba r-rawi”).

Our righteous predecessors, starting with the companions of the Messenger of Allah  (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him), often disagreed with each other in fatwas, but this did not lead to disagreement in their hearts ...

How it was?

caliph Harun al-Rashid led the prayer after he performed the bloodletting. praying for him Abu Yusuf(one of the most authoritative scholars of the Hanafi madhhab) did not complete his prayer, although, in his opinion, bloodletting spoils ablution. Ahmad ibn Hanbal also believed that bloodletting and bleeding from the nose violated ablution, however, when asked if he would pray for someone who did not perform ablution after bleeding, he replied: "How can I not pray for Malik or Said ibn al Musayib?!»

Imam ash-Shafi'i performed morning prayer near the grave Abu Hanifa. At the same time, he did not read the “kunut” prayer out of respect for the deceased, after which he said: “Perhaps we have leaned towards the opinion of the madhhab of the people of Iraq”(that is, to the opinion of Abu Hanifa). Abu Yusuf, after taking a bath, led the Friday prayers. After its completion, when people had already dispersed, he was informed that a dead mouse had been found in the pool of the bath. Abu Yusuf said: “In this case, we will take the opinion of our brothers from Medina: if the volume of water has reached two kullat, then it is not defiled”.

The opinion that always and in everything it is necessary to follow only one madhhab is fanaticism, which is based on nothing. Even if a person has chosen some extreme view in fiqh, following famous scholars and believing that this is the most correct in the light of Sharia and this is required by religion, it is unfair to accuse him of extremism. In these cases, it is enough for a Muslim to rely on the provisions of one madhhab or the correct ijtihad (forming an opinion based on the Qur'an and Sunnah) of a scientist, built on Sharia evidence. And if the founders of the madhhabs believed that growing a beard is obligatory and shaving it is forbidden, then how can one who followed them be called an extremist or Wahhabi? Just because it goes against the grain Arsene and Rinata? Is the question of the dinner prayer after the Friday prayer so unambiguous as to judge by it who is a Wahhabi and who is not?

Why are scholars needed when there is the Koran and the Sunnah?

The problem described above is not as acute as the one that appeared in opposition to it. Every youth today is in a hurry to cast aside the scientists and “follow” the Koran, sometimes not even knowing which side to open it from. “Why do we need madhhabs if we have the Koran and the Sunnah?” - the popularity of this stupid expression is directly proportional to our ignorance. It is surprising why such ignoramuses, when they are afflicted with illness, instead of turning to the primary sources of medicine, go to the doctor?

Do such people even think what the hadeeth of the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) is? These are words or actions spoken or done by the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) under certain circumstances, at a certain time, with a certain intention, in a certain context. They could be private or general. Be categorical and not very. His actions and words could be rigidly tied to circumstances or individually directed, or they could be general. The circumstances themselves could also be ambiguous. In other words or actions performed later, the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) could cancel or soften what he said or did before. And, after all, the Qur'an and the Sunnah are the sources of law, and not fiqh itself. The number of verses of the Qur'an and the hadith of the Prophet  (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him), unlike the number of life circumstances, is limited. And all of them must be considered in the context of each other. An ignoramus who does not know the Arabic language is not able to deduce even one legal norm. And if he knew how many nuances must be taken into account in order to make the right decision on at least one issue on which there are no unambiguous instructions in the Qur'an and Sunnah, he would never repeat these stupid words.

This is certainly not to say that one cannot directly follow the hadiths of the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) or the verses of the Qur'an. This is the other extreme. The point is that if an illiterate person decides that the hadith he read contradicts the opinion of the scholar he follows, this is not necessarily the case. The ignoramus who proposes to reject the imams and follow the Koran and the Sunnah, in fact, proposes either to follow him himself, or the one who once convinced him of this.

This is not called following the Qur'an and the Sunnah. This is called changing the madhhab of Imam al-Shafi’i to the madhhab of “uncle Kurban". And this is at a time when Imam ash-Shafi'i, like any other mujtahid (a scholar who has reached the level of extracting norms from the Koran and the Sunnah), is allowed and laudable to follow, and "uncle Kurban" is forbidden. Allah Almighty said: "Ask those who know if you don't know"(Surah an-Nahl, verse 43). Scholars agree that this verse tells people who do not know Shari'ah and its arguments to follow those who know them. The scholars of jurisprudence have chosen this verse as a fundamental proof of the rightness of the ignorant to follow the mujtahid scholar.

“Indeed, the Shari’a scholar is the one whose words are followed and whose decisions are obeyed. He is followed only because he knows the Shariah and makes decisions based on it, and for no other reason. A scholar brings from the Messenger of Allah  (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) what he brought from Allah. Thus, an illiterate person receives from a scholar what the latter brought from the Prophet  (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him), and follows him, not because the scholar himself has the right to make decisions. This right is inherently not reserved for anyone. This right refers to the Shari'ah sent down by the Messenger of Allah  (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him), and it is reserved only for him, since he is infallible ”( Imam Ash-Shatibi, al-Itisam, volume 3, p. 250) is the best answer, to which we have nothing to add, to fanatics who consider the madhhabs of the Imams to be an alternative to the madhhab of the Messenger of Allah  (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him).

In the same book (Volume 2, p. 173), Ash-Shatibi writes that the first cause of heresy and schismatics is the conviction of a person that he is a scholar who can do ijtihad, although he has not yet reached the required level. Such a person, considering his "research" scientific, draws opinions on the most complex issues, not fully understanding their essence. The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said: “Allah does not take away knowledge by tearing it out of (the heads of) people, but takes away knowledge by taking away scientists, until there is not a single scientist left, and people choose the leaders of the ignoramuses whom they will ask; and they will give fatwas without knowledge. They will go astray and lead astray (others)."

One day imam Malik sobbed for a quarter of the day. Asked him: "Did you have any misfortune?" He replied: "No... a fatwa was asked from someone who does not have knowledge."

When will following a madhhab be fanaticism?

Madh-hab is a legal school that has become the result of centuries-old work of Islamic jurists in a consistent, detailed and accessible explanation of the Qur'an and Sunnah with all complementarities and mutual exclusions on a scientific basis. There is no problem in following one madhhab, just as there is no problem in following different recognized scholars (who have reached the degree of ijtihad, referring to their relative understanding on a certain issue). For there is no difference whether the truth comes to you from one scholar or from many. And ijtihad mujtahid is true for the illiterate until proven otherwise.

Following the madhhab will indeed be fanaticism in the following cases:

1) when the next one is convinced that only his madhhab is the truth, and all the rest are in error;

2) when the next one himself reached the degree of ijtihad, analyzed a specific issue and came to an opinion that differs from the one he followed, but at the same time continues to follow what he was on;

3) when the next one unequivocally learned from the words of other scholars about the objective reason for the scholar's error in the madhhab in a particular issue - for example, that he was based on a fictitious hadith or did not know a reliable one related to this topic - and continues to follow this erroneous opinion .

The meaning of the words of Imam ash-Shafi'i: "If the hadith is authentic, then this is my madhhab"

As for those who promote the indiscriminate rejection of scholars in favor of recited hadiths and who cite as an argument the words of Imam al-Shafi'i and other scholars who claimed that an authentic hadith is their madhhab, then more than clearly answered this Imam an-Nawawi: “What Imam ash-Shafi’i said does not mean that anyone who sees a reliable hadith can say: “This is the madhhab of ash-Shafi’i” and follow the explicit meaning of the hadith. These words apply only to one who has reached the degree of ijtihad in the madhhab according to what was mentioned above from his qualities, or who has approached such a degree. The condition for this is a strong assumption that Imam ash-Shafi'i did not know this hadith, or did not know that the hadith was reliable, and this can be achieved after studying all the books of imam ash-Shafi'i and the books of his companions who received knowledge from him and from similar works . This is a very difficult condition, which is rarely met by anyone, and it is set because al-Shafi'i often did not act in accordance with the explicit meaning of many hadiths that he knew and saw, however, he had an argument indicating that this hadith was not accepted or that that the hadeeth is canceled refers to a particular case, has a figurative meaning, etc.”(“Al-Majmu'”, Volume 1, p. 64).

Madh-hab is the theological and legal school in Islam. There are currently four Madhhaba: Hanafi, Maliki, Shafi'i and Hanbali.

From the very beginning of the spread of Islam, Muslims showed the deepest interest in public discussions to find out how to deal with unknown and complex issues (civil, criminal, financial, political, etc.) that constantly arose in new territories, taking into account the conformity of these actions with the principles Islam. This led to the creation of a whole system of religious laws based on the Koran and the Sunnah and a set of legal norms derived from Sharia law.

Based on the conclusion that the Quran and the Sunnah of the Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him) contain answers to any questions, the task of the fuqahs (experts in religious laws) was to "extract" these instructions. For this they used:

- the agreed opinion of prominent Ulama (ijma"), including the Sahaba of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him);

- judgment by analogy with the Koran and Sunnah (qiyas);

- rejection of the decision by analogy or its adjustment if it is inappropriate (istiskhan, introduced by Abu Hanifa);

- making a decision based on its usefulness for society (istislah, developed and applied by Imam Malik).

An auxiliary source in the Hanafi school is local law (“urf, or adats). The element of general agreement, which is a prerequisite for Sharia, gave this system flexibility and receptivity, allowing it to work and develop over the centuries, right up to the present day, over a vast territory.

The religious-legislative system, according to its purpose, covered all aspects of the life of a Muslim. Initially, the study of religious laws spread in Medina, when it was the capital of the Caliphate and all the unfamiliar problems that Muslims faced in the new territories were solved here. Gradually, the leading place in this area passed to the cities of Iraq: Kufa, Basra, then Baghdad, which became the largest center of education in various areas of science and religion. It was here that Islamic jurisprudence turned into an independent systematic and serious discipline.

The need to refer to the legal justification of certain norms in Islam led to the emergence of four schools of jurisprudence - schools of thought(madhhab - “way”), founded by the largest theologians and named, subsequently, by their names. All of them originated in the first century of the Abbasid rule and are recognized as authoritative and canonical, right up to the present day. The above provisions for the development of religious legal norms are common to all four schools of thought, although each of them has its own characteristics; specific madhhab accents and interpretations in some matters make them independent. These four Madhhaba the following:

Madh-hab of Imam Abu Hanifa

This madhhab founded by Imam Abu Hanifa (d. 767) and his disciples - Abu Yusuf (d. 798) and Muhammad al-Shaybani (d. c. 804). Hanafi madhhab initially followed the path of logical and rational reasoning (ashab ar-ra "y), which Khorasan and Central Asia became strongholds in the 9th-10th centuries. The khans of the Golden Horde and the Great Mughals adhered to it. In the Ottoman sultanate this madhhab was proclaimed state. To date, followers Hanafi madhhab make up about half of the world's Muslim population. It is distributed in Turkey, Afghanistan, Pakistan, India, China, Syria, the Balkans, and partly in Indonesia. Most Muslims in Russia and the CIS countries (in Central Asia and Kazakhstan, in the Volga region, in the Urals, in Siberia, in the Crimea, in the North Caucasus - with the exception of Chechens, Ingush and Dagestanis; partially in Azerbaijan) also adhere to Madhhaba Imam Abu Hanifa.

Madh-hab of Imam Malik

This madhhab founded by Imam Malik ibn Anas (d. 795). The Maliki school was created as rationalistic (ashab al-ra "y). Here the principles of "independent judgment for the sake of public benefit" (istislah), judgment by analogy (qiyas), preferred decision (istiskhan) were applied. The point of view of the followers Maliki madhhab: "Everything that leads to the forbidden must be forbidden, and what leads to the permitted must be allowed (zara" and) ". Today Madhhaba Imam Malik adhere to the Muslims of North and Tropical Africa up to the Sudan and Egypt.

Madh-hab of Imam ash-Shafi'i

This madhhab named after its founder, Imam Muhammad al-Shafi'i (d. 820). Shafi'i madhhab pays special attention to the religious knowledge and comments of the companions of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) and faqihs from among the Medinese, although not to such a strong extent as among the Malikites. The followers of this madhhab recognize the principle of “judgment for the public good”. The norms of custom ("urf") can serve as an aid to decisions, but at a lower level than those of followers Hanafi madhhab. Complex logical reasoning is rejected. Generally, Madhhab of Imam Ash-Shafi'i as if he occupied a niche between the supporters of askhabu ar-ra "y and askhabu al-hadith. Due to its simplification, Shafi'i madhhab distributed very widely in Egypt and East Africa, Malaysia and Indonesia, Syria, Lebanon, Palestine, Jordan, Bahrain, East India, partly in Pakistan, Turkey, Iraq and Yemen. The followers of this Madhhaba Russian Muslims are also: Chechens, Ingush, Dagestanis (except Nogais).

Madh-hab of Imam Ahmad

This madhhab founded by Imam Ahmad ibn Hanbal (d. 855). The Hanbalis, like all their predecessors, recognized the Koran as the main source of law. The second most important source was considered the Sunnah of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him). Imam Ahmad followed the principle of marfu‘, i.e. only information that ascended to the Prophet himself (peace and blessings be upon him) was recognized. Imam Ahmad, like all imams, took into account the unanimous opinion (ijma‘) of the Sahab and gave him the third place in the system of sources of Islamic law. Once common in Iraq, Khorasan, Syria and Hijaz, now Hanbali madhhab Valid only in Saudi Arabia and the Gulf states.

Particularly noteworthy is the fact that madhhabs arose and developed not as groups isolated from each other, but as communities interconnected and complementing each other, interpenetrating and not having clearly defined boundaries. The best evidence of this is the fact that all theologians are founders and major figures schools of thought, were students of each other (ash-Shaybani - a student of Abu Hanifa, Abu Yusuf and Malik, was the teacher of ash-Shafi'i; ash-Shafi'i, who also studied with Malik, was the teacher of Ahmad ibn Hanbal; Abu Yusuf was also the teacher of Ibn Hanbal) . This is indicated by their relationship to each other. For example, after several years spent in Mecca, Imam ash-Shafi'i went to Medina, where he became a student of the great Malik ibn Anas, the founder of the Maliki madhhab. For 9 days, Imam ash-Shafi'i learned his book "Muwatta". Later, Imam al-Shafi'i will say about himself: "Whatever I heard, I never forgot it."

When Imam Malik saw his memory, knowledge and wit, he exclaimed: “Oh, Abu Abdullah, fear the Almighty and avoid sins! Truly great things await you. Allah placed a light in your heart, so do not extinguish it by disobeying the Creator!”

The famous scholar Abu Bakr al-Bayhaki called ash-Shafi'i the teacher who was of the greatest importance to Imam Ahmad. Imam Ahmad was especially attached to Imam al-Shafi'i, which is clearly seen from the stories in his books. Imam Shafiee also deeply respected Imam Ahmad for the sincerity of his intentions and outstanding scholarship. Ash-Shafi'i, despite being a prominent scholar of his time, turned to Imam Ahmad whenever he had difficulties regarding hadith. Imam Shafi'i called Imam Ahmad "the one with the deepest knowledge in matters of hadith."