A handwritten essay on Muslim dogma by Muhammad-Shakir Buavi, the student of Marjani

Abstract

The article is devoted to the description of the comment on the text “Shara’it al-iman” (Conditions of Faith), which is widespread among the Muslim Tatars of the Middle Volga and the Ural regions. The commentary was compiled by the imam of the Third Cathedral Mosque of Kazan, Muhammad-Shakir Buavi. The work provides brief biographical information about the author and a description of the comment itself. “Shara’it al-Iman” consists of formulas of monotheism and the affirmation of Muhammad’s mission, the corresponding two testimonies of Islam, two prayers and two glorifications, a definition of the Muslim faith, and a formula of faith in general and in particular. The commentary sets out the Muslim creed in accordance with the traditional for Turkic-speaking Muslims Maturidi school of Kalam, with consideration – in a number of issues – of the position of the Ash‘arites. The content of the comment is expanded by the information from Sufi sources, as well as by the works on fiqh, tafsir, and by the presence of hadith.