The problem of Volga Region Islamization in the Works of Shihabaddin Mardjani

Abstract

Among the 19th century Tatar historians Shihabaddin Mardjani (1818-1889) can be named as a pioneer of the historical science in the European sense. More than 30 works devoted to various subjects of Islamic theology belong to his pen. There are historical ones among his works. Sh. Mardjani’s contribution to human sciences was so significant that his works were recognized even during the Soviet era. While the rest of Tatar pre-revolutionary period (until 1917) legacies were under the ban, Mardjani was presented as a historian without mentioning his achievements in Islamic sciences. In our research we are examining the topic of Islamization of the Volga area in Mardjani’s works. As it is known, the official date of adoption of Islam by Tatar ancestors, i.e. Bulgharians, was in year 922 according to Christian calendar. However, some Tatar historians of 18th-19th centuries (e.g. Hisamaddin Muslimi, Tajaddin Yalchigul) argued that Islam has already been practiced in the Volga region in the first centuries of Islam, while the first missionaries were the Companions of the Prophet Muhammad. Shihabaddin Mardjani criticized them for using unreliable information and sources in their works. According to Mardjani the Islamization of the Volga region happened at the same time as Arabs entered Spain at the beginning of 8th century, while in Bulghar Islam appeared in the 8th-9th centuries. In Mardjani’s opinion, the final acceptance and strengthening of Islam in the region happened during Uzbek Khan reign over the Golden Horde (1313-1342).