ЭМОМАЛИ РАХМОН : ВЕЛИКИЙ ИМАМ И НАЦИОНАЛЬНАЯ САМОБЫТНОСТЬ ( англ. версия )

                          GREAT IMAM AND NATIONAL IDENTITY            Emomali Rahmon,           President of Tajikistan            Throughout the long and rich history of the Tajik people's civilization, and particularly during its Islamic period, quite a number of brilliant and ingenious persons came into the world who played a significant role in the formation and perfection of national culture, authenticity and identity. Thanks to their indefatigable efforts and humanistic accomplishments, the genuine character and historical and cultural identity of the nation were preserved, which provided a fertile field for its further progress.            Every ethnos or nation is constantly in need of their historic values. These values are carefully made use of in spiritual and moral upbringing of new generations. The spreading of Islam opened for the Tajik people a window to a new world. The Tajik national culture has intricately intertwined with that of Islam. For their turn, the Tajik people's historical values have considerably enriched the Islamic culture.            In the noble case of creating national and historic values, the leading role was played by many outstanding sons of the Tajik people, including imam Isma'il Bukhary, representatives of the Barmakid house, Ya'qub and Layth Saffary, the Samanid dynasty and particularly its most notable representative, Isma'il Samani.            Among these unique personalities, a special place belongs to the outstanding son of the Tajik people, Abu Hanifa Nu'man bin Thabit.            The activities of this really ingenious man in the field of science are still fraught with many yet undisclosed mysteries which are awaiting for a vast research. To date disputes and discussions have not ceased as regards his ancestors' native place, his family name and kunya. Yet, an undisputable fact should be stressed that the majority of past authors and contemporary scholars acknowledge that, undoubtedly, the Great Imam belonged by birth to a Tajik family from the eastern part of the Greater Khorasan where the forefathers of the Tajiks lived who created the now world-famous culture.            It's worthy noting that the 5th and the 6th centuries were the period wherein the development of the Tajik people's civilization received a new impetus. The Great Imam and his kin belonged to the Tajik nobility of the time. According to historical sources, this noble and influential clan lived on the territory of either the historic Kabul or Bamian, while other authors claim it lived in Marw or northern Bokhtar.            After the Islamic invasion reached the eastern parts of Khorasan, Kabul was captured in the 60s of the 7th century. As a result, Abu Hanifa's grandfather Marzban, an authoritative tribal chief, was taken prisoner. Yet afterwards, thanks to his wisdom and vast knowledge, he was honored with the patronage of the Arab tribe Banu Taym. Then Marzban's son Thabit moved to Kufa and became a wealthy man in this city, largely inhabited by Persian-speaking populace. This ambience of Aryan-stock folks helped Thabit's family preserve their ethnic and historical authenticity and identity.            It should be stressed that the 60-90s of the 7th century were a very intricate period for the religion of Islam. The Arab Khalifate turned into a powerful state of the time, encompassing vast provinces and developed regions o the world. New social transformations made it necessary to regulate various aspects of people's every-day life. At that period, the task could be only solved by Islam, with its legal provisions. Meanwhile, Islam itself confronted with serious tests. At that time, Muslims took as their main guide the heavenly book, the Noble Koran, and prophetic hadiths, but the course of life posed new social problems in front of people. In other words, the established social system required constant reforming and perfection. That naturally led to the sharpening of religious, spiritual, social and political struggle and the development of kalam (scholastic theology), philosophy and Sufism.            It was precisely at this crucial time that on the spring's first day, Navruz, a son came into the world in Thabit's family, named Nu'man. While in his teens, the child learned by heart the Noble Koran. Then, he studied other sciences with famous and reputed teachers of the time. In the age of 15 he, together with his father, made a pilgrimage to the Lord's House.            Making use of this opportunity, he met with one of the Noblest Prophet's companions, which encounter communicated him to the circle of the Prophet's followers. Then, during a lengthy period, he took lessons from the reputed faqih (Islamic jurist) Hammad bin Suleyman which later helped him occupy a prominent position.            Soon after this, a radical turn occurred in his life, since he completely devoted himself to studying Islamic sciences. The main field of his studies and research was the kalam. At that time, scholastic discussions were the pivot of scholars' scientific and intellectual search. At gatherings of learned and illuminated people, the main topic of disputes and arguments focused on the kalam's studies. Abu Hanifa was an active participant therein, always proposing his original and forcible judgments. Before dying, his teacher Hammad commissioned Abu Hanifa with the leadership of Kufa's scientific circle. At that time, he was teaching to more than 700 disciples.           Today, the time has come for profound and comprehensive study of this great thinker's views and attitudes in the field of kalam. Such is the honorable duty of present and future researchers.           We must master the spiritual heritage of our ancestors and outstanding scientific, religious, literary, political and public figures of or people, make use of their invaluable works in educating the contemporary society in the spirit of respect for ancestors, so that we may build a liberal and flourishing state, devoid of fanaticism and contradictions. We must enrich our youth's spiritual world, since the future of this country and the state depends in great measure on the development of young people's personalities, knowledge, world-view and national self-conscience.            It is commonly acknowledged that the main field of the Great Imam's historical accomplishments was fiqh, Islamic jurisprudence.            His occupation with fiqh was quite natural, because, having thoroughly studied Islamic sciences, he clearly understood that fiqh was the only true way to determine and observe the regulations of the Koran and Prophet's sunnah (tradition) in the life of the Muslim ummah (community), the latter being confronted at that time with acute social, ideological and religious problems and difficulties and therefore needed a true guidance.           It is natural that the fundamental source of Islam's legal systemis based on the Koran's prescriptions which lay the grounds for Islamic law, shari'a. Yet, true understanding of these prescriptions requires constant efforts.  Imam Abu Hanifa realized it more than other mujtahids (authoritative scholars of Islamic law), so he worked incessantly in this direction. He made use of various sources, learned from reputed men, repeatedly visited main centres of Islamic sciences and took over their achievements. The Imam was a bright example of a really faithful and god-fearing person. With full responsibility and sincerity he coordinated his acts with the prescriptions of the Great Koran, hadiths and tradition of the Prophet of Islam.           The holy Imam possessed all virtuous qualities. He was laconic and smart. He detested bragging and boasting. He instructed: "Respect the ruler and do not tell lies before him. Be open-handed. Don't be afraid of telling the truth even if a king himself is standing in front of you".           Imam Abu Hanifa chose a correct and moderate line in relation to sunnah, the second source of Islamic fiqh and the law determining the life of Muslims. This, first of all, reflects his sincere devotion to sunnah. Along with this, one should bear in mind, that at the time the science of hadiths had not been formed up yet, because the hadiths themselves were not codified. Beside this, due to constantly sharpening political struggle and religious contradictions, there was a real danger of false interpretation and distortions of hadiths.           It is known that ijma' (consensus), being a collective judgment of mujtahids, is considered to be the third source of Islamic fiqh. Yet at that time, the process of recognizing these judgments as being legal was very intricate and took place in circumstances of acute ideological confrontation. That is why the objects of lengthy discussions were, first of all, clear criteria of the truthfulness of ijtihad (interpretation of the Koran's prescriptions), the qualities of mujtahids, limits of stating opinions, working out and approval of a collective judgment (ijma'). For its turn, ijma' has played a significant historical role in the formation and development of Islamic fiqh as a comprehensive and efficient legal system. Ijma' supported the development of Islamic thought, bolstered the spirit of creativity, strengthened the scientific and intellectual fundament of Islamic fiqh's system and made creation, progress and development the main directions of Muslims' social life. The great accomplishment of Abu Hanifa was that he recognized ijma' as an independent source of Islamic legislation.           We all know that thanks to the development of the Islamic civilization in 7-9th centuries, Islamic society turned into one of the world's most developed societies. In this process, ijma' was widely made use of, and the "doors" of ijtihad were open for all. Having taken over great values of the past and the present, the most active and intellectually potent part of society tended to fasten its leading position. Nevertheless, one should not forget that ijma' faced many objective and subjective problems.          First, due to the sensitivity of religious issues, it was extremely difficult to reach a consensus. It was particularly hard at the period when the Prophet's companions and followers were still active and their religious and social authority was indisputable.           Second, the range of issues and topics subject to ijma' was relatively limited.           Third, due to territorial expansion and constant sharpening of ideological, religious and social contradictions, it was not easy for Islamic ummah to implement ijma' in practice.           Fourth, the formation of ijma' as one of the most important sources of Islamic fiqh took place in the circumstances of the development of ideological trends (kalam and philosophy), as well as main branches of traditional science, including history, geography, astronomy, mathematics, medicine etc. This deeply influenced the contents, topics and peculiarities of ijma'.           Fifth, ijma' clearly reflected the historical and vital necessity to respond to new social transformations, changes and phenomena which had a complex and contradictory character, that made their true interpretation very difficult. Realizing the aforesaid factors and society's constantly growing demands, Imam Abu Hanifa paid much attention to another source of Islamic fiqh, qiyas (reasoning by analogy). Thanks to this, qiyas turned into a sphere of a wider use of logical and intellectual arguments.           Since then, three quarters of all knowledge connected with fiqh and taken over from Koran and sunnah are related to the name of the Great Imam. As it was to be expected, qiyas gave rise to disputes and even contradictions among groupings that had different views and adhered to dogmatic approach. They all insisted on following the outward side of the prescriptions of Koran and hadiths. Meanwhile, qiyas is in natural and logical connection with Koran's prescriptions and Prophet's sayings. The issues that were solved by means of qiyas had in their essence a common and similar character; moreover, they were very close to practical needs of society.           It should be particularly stressed that the fundamental and primary source of qiyas consists of Koran's prescriptions and Prophet's hadiths. Having preserved the essential and principal connection with them, qiyas at the same time paid more attention to nuances and complexities of human society's structure, thus playing a significant role in regulating most intricate aspects of its life.           The constant deepening of qiyas practice in Islamic fiqh gradually led to fiqh's system becoming wider in scope. Thanks to this, Islamic civilization gained a new energy and took over great values of humankind. Basing on his inherited astuteness, Imam Abu Hanifa came to a just conclusion that popular customs and traditions may become an important source of regulating life and the entire social sphere of human society. These values, derived from lengthy experience, were perfected throughout the course of history thanks to people's wisdom and social tolerance. Of course, their historical, social and spiritual content is complex and at times contradictory. The cause thereof is objective and purely human. These values occupy an important place in historical ideology and social world-view of nations and peoples. At the time, there was a compelling necessity to bring them in line with principles and values of the world's great religions, first of all, Islam. Clearly realizing this, the Great Imam declared that wide use of these important social instruments was justified and desirable. One should especially note that this circumstance proved a very significant factor of the formation and development of the Hanafi madhhab (school of jurisprudence) which eventually turned into the largest madhhab in Islam.            Wide use of principles, rules and instruments of the Great Imam's madhhab plays an important role in Islamic fiqh. The formation of this school is the most significant historical accomplishment of the Great Imam. His disciples and famous representatives of his school, first of all, imam Abu Yusuf and imam Muhammad Shaybani, had a big merit in gathering his ideological and jurisprudential legacy, and its building into a harmonious system. Thanks to their efforts, this system was preserved, codified and perfected. They also played an important role in the development of fiqh's principles and in their practical implementation in various spheres of social and spiritual life.            The formation and historical evolution of the Hanafi madhhab were connected with the necessity of a clearer and broader regulation of social issues. This historical necessity required the codification of true hadiths, and the result sought-for would be a series of their collections.            A bright example thereof is the collection Jami' al-Sahih ("The True Collection") compiled by an outstanding son of the Tajik people Isma'il Bukhari. One should not forget that the majority of the composers of such authoritative and commonly acknowledged collections of hadiths were representatives of the Tajik people. The compilation of these collections considerably fortified the fundament of Islamic fiqh and particularly its Hanafi madhhab.            Various historical sources testify that the Great Imam and his school of jurisprudence played a significant role in preserving and strengthening national and ethnical identity, historical authenticity and cultural and religious values of the peoples subordinate to the Islamic Khalifate. If we see today that Muslim peoples fully possess their identity and authenticity, languages and cultures, original and unique historical customs and traditions, and are occupied with fruitful and creative activities, we should bear in mind that this is the merit of this great man and his madhhab.            The period when the Great Imam lived and his school of jurisprudence was formed up is considered a very complex historical stage. At that time, there was no supportive ground for the formation and development of a national state; national principles and values were rejected due to the hegemonic and in fact imperial policy conducted by the Khalifate; extremist and radical religious trends and organizations stirred to activity; broad circles of local nobility took over principles and values of prevalent culture, forgetting their historical national identity, which led to the rapid fading of ancient peoples' authenticity.  Only a limited number of factors, including strong foundations of culture and civilization, as well as broad freedom-seeking movement, could preserve the historical identity of the peoples subordinate to the Khalifate.             At this difficult period Imam Abu Hanifa declared that his native tongue, the  Tajik language, may be made use of as a second language of worshiping, cultural and social activities. He thus secured a legal basis for its protection and preservation.            These historical merits of the Great Imam clearly prove that Islam is not against language which is the primary basis of peoples and nations' identity and existence. Guided by instructions and prescriptions of its ingenious and prominent representatives, our people cherished its language as a unique treasure, protected it by all means, developed and spread it across the world.            Gaining such a high status by the Tajik language became an important factor in the strengthening of self-consciousness and development of the Tajik people's culture and civilization. It is worthy noting that the circumstance that the Tajik people followed the Hanafi madhhab resulted in the strengthening of its unity and cohesion, and hindered the development of radical and extremist movements, organizations and trends. The Great Imam taught that the unity of thoughts, words and actions is a prerequisite for the survival and existence of any nation. Moreover, the Hanafi madhhab has fortified some foundations and elements of national identity and character, first of all, good neighborliness and cooperation, tolerance and hospitality, temperance and eagerness for studying. The Hanafi madhhab is in full harmony with the spirit and content of our people's historical existence.             It is known that thanks to outstanding sons of Khorasan's sunlit earth, the Hanafi madhhab spread over vast territories of Central Asia, Asia Minor, western China and historical India, and thence to some parts of South East Asia, turning everywhere into a prevalent madhhab. Even these days, in Egypt and Syria, Jordan and Iraq, some other countries, whenever there is a need to pass out a fatwa (legal conclusion), the regulations of the Hanafi madhhab are made use of. Such a high status of the Hanafiyya assisted in that national traditions, customs, commendable values and principles of the Tajik traditional society came to be spread in historically important regions of the world. Thanks to this, the Tajik language became the main language of governance, culture, literature and communication between peoples and tribes of northern and central parts of the historical India, preserving this high position for nearly 700 years. It was on this ancient soil that the Tajik-Persian literature reached its apex, India being a famous centre of the Tajik literature and culture up to early 20th century. The outstanding Tajik-speaking poets of India — Amir Khusrav Dehlavi, Mirzo Abdulqodir Bedil, Zebunniso, Mirzo Asadulloh Gholib and Muhammad Iqbal — constitute the pride of our rich literature.            Brought from the Greater Khorasan into India were also Islamic sciences, schools of kalam, Sufi orders and other of Islamic civilization. Here, Islamic sciences, Sufism and mystical literature received a new impetus, and practical results of this development were later made use of in Khorasan and Transoxiana. For example, the Tajik translation of Koran, carried out in the 18th century by the famous Indian commentator and scholar, shah Valiulloh Dehlavi, due to its correctness, simplicity and euphony, became widespread not only in India, but in Central Asia, Iran and Western Asia as well. Moreover, it occupied a central position among other Tajik translations of Koran. It is worthy noting that at the period of our national independence a new Tajik translation of Koran has been issued which has become a book in constant use for our citizens.            History testifies that due to a number of objective and subjective factors, particularly because of constant invasions of nomadic tribes from the north, lowering of inter-regional ground roads' significance for transit and trade, reduction of trade's volumes in Central Asia, rising of superstitions, fanaticism, conflicts and contradictions, the 14-19th centuries became a period of social, scientific and cultural stagnation and fall.            At this difficult stage, the Hanafi madhhab once again helped preserve the Central Asian peoples' identity. Thanks to it, the lofty values of the Tajik civilization did not lost their high social status in the region. Realizing the significance of the Hanafi madhhab, the prominent representatives of the period, Abdulqodir Bedil and Ahmad Makhdum Donish, declared that the protection of the Great Imam's madhhab was an honorable task for themselves and all Muslims.           In late 20th and early 21st century we have witnessed drastic and fundamental changes whose character is very intricate and contradictory. These changes will have a deep and constant impact on the historical fate of humankind.           We are observing that the impetuous and contradictory process of globalization, along with its positive aspects, has also a negative effect on primary and original values of peoples, cultures and historical civilizations.            The sharpening struggle of dominance-seeking powers and their various structures for the acquisition of vital and strategic sources of economic growth poses a constantly rising threat for all countries and peoples. This threat is still more evident for Islamic countries, because they possess vast natural resources and are situated in main geopolitical and geostrategic points of the world.             Common anxiety is caused by the fact that in this struggle illegal and destructive methods are widely used, which are outside the frames of international norms. Some states and influential circles misuse radical and extremist groups for the sake of their geopolitical interests. Moreover, such extremist and even terrorist groups, operating under cover of Islam, are used as subversive means against Muslim states. It's a pity that relevant agencies of these states so far have not paid any serious attention to such negative phenomena.            It is quite natural that the main source of the emerging of radical and extremist trends and movements originates from multiple social problems, including poverty, unemployment, hard living conditions, low educational level etc. Some internal political forces give these problems a religious character, thus opening a wide field for subversive actions of self-interested groups.            Certainly, in such circumstances religious and confessional contradictions and confrontations are sharpening, because the use of religion in purely political, class and personal goals is a history-proven method.  Nevertheless, we may state with pride that the Great Imam's teaching decisively condemns actions of instigators leading to that a Muslim would shed blood of a brother Muslim for the sake of aliens' interests. In its essence, the ideological and cultural heritage of Abu Hanifa is of great importance for strengthening peaceful coexistence of all Muslims and particularly for solidifying the national unity of the Tajik people. Indeed, in the whole course of its history, Abu Hanifa's madhhab has been a significant factor of national and human unity, conciliation, lasting peace and stability in society. We should effectively use this creative teaching in our every day life.            As we have already mentioned, even today some states and various self-interested forces, extremist groups and organizations are threatening, under cover of religious slogans, the stability and security of developing Muslim countries. To prevent such undesirable phenomena, we must use the theory and life experience of the Great Imam.           Those religious groups and circles which deny the great practical value of Islam's madhhabs and are enticed with aliens' investments, are ultimately ignoring traditional Islamic values, instigating religious and confessional contradictions and creating an atmosphere of animosity, hatred and conflicts in society.           Nowadays we are witnessing the sharpening of rivalry and conflict of cultures, as well as the propagation of the idea of "the confrontation of civilization", which is proposed by self-interested circles. This phenomenon hides a great threat within itself, and the prevention of this threat must be sought for by every sensible and responsible human. We should not forget that conflicts arising on religious and confessional ground always lead to national tragedy.           In these circumstances, the superiority of the Great Imam's madhhab in what regards tolerance and creativity is becoming more and more evident. The wide scope of Abu Hanifa's scientific and humanistic ideas urges us to rely, at this time of dynamic changes, on the force of wisdom, knowledge, education, as well as on his principles and values, words and actions. Wide world-view, reasonable and deep understanding, knowing how to penetrate into the essence of intricate and contradictory processes and phenomena, hope upon God merciful and gracious — this is the key to our successes, new accomplishments and a better future.           The life and legacy of the Great Imam and his ever-living teaching< which like a mirror reflects various aspects of our country's religious and cultural life, will guide us on our way toward implementing our creative mission. We must use them for the sake of living in peace with representatives of other religions and faiths. Such is one of our main duties, us being Muslims. God merciful and gracious is benevolent to the righteous.                                                           Translated by NIAT "Khovar"