The article is dedicated to the analysis of the continuity of hidden knowledge in classical Islam on the basis of the system-communication approach that draws the attention of the researcher to specifi c forms and models of communication. As an example, the author refers to the origin and development of the famous Sufi tradition of al-Qushayriya, which goes back to Abu ’l-Qasim al-Qushayri (d. 477/1072). The development and creative enrichment of the tradition is associated with the names of Abu Khalaf al-Tabari, a student of al-Qushayri, and Abu Bakr al-Darbandi, a student of Abu Khalaf al-Tabari. The sources of the study were three encyclopedic dictionaries of key Sufi terms of the 11–12th centuries, used as practical manuals for beginner Sufi s. These are “ar-Risala” by al-Qushayri, “Salvat al-‘arifi n” by al-Tabari and “Rayhan al-haqa’iq” by al-Darbandi. The selection of special terms and formulas, related to specifi c ways of information transfer, allows us to separate tradition and innovation for the system-communication analysis in each of the writings.

The author declares that there is no conflict of interest.

The paper follows the path of development (and degradation) of the Iskander Pasha Jamaat, emerged from one of the branches of the Naqshbandi tariqa during the democratization process in Turkey in the second half of the 20th century. Originally an underground brotherhood, the community became a kind of an “invisible” university for many individuals in Turkish politics and public life. The community contributed to the emergence of parties of political Islam. After it parted with its leadership, it almost became a party itself, but was eventually reduced to a holding group and an interest circle. The study is based on a wide range of sources and research literature, including the following primary sources: the books and sermons of Mehmet Zahid Kotku and Esad Coşan, statements of Nureddin Coşan, biographical publications of the sheikhs’ students, and also an interview the author conducted with the leadership of the foundation affi liated with the jamaat.

The author declares that there is no conflict of interest.

In search for the historical examples to mobilize the masses for the anti-colonial struggle, during the period from 1918 to 1948 Arab public, political and religious fi gures regularly appealed to the history of the Crusades. They developed the interpretations proposed by public and religious fi gures of the 19th – early 20th century and found new excuses and contexts for the use of references to the era of the Crusades. After World War One, Arab public, political, and religious leaders for the fi rst time began to criticize European interpretations of the events and consequences of the Crusades. Simultaneously, they challenged European attempts to legitimize their presence in the Arab world by referring to this historical period. Such criticism was expressed not only in publicist works and public speeches, but also in the offi cial high-level political dialogue. Arab public fi gures also considered the end of the Crusades, lamentable for Europe, as a warning to modern European colonialists, while, according to their opinion, the victories of Muslim commanders who expelled the Crusaders from the Middle East, should have served as an example for the Arab politicians of their time. The transition of “anti-crusader rhetoric” to anti-Christian one in the speeches of a number of Arab nationalists led to disunity in their ranks, as it was perceived by Christian Arabs as their exclusion from the national struggle. At the same time, the Maronite Christians appealed to the history of the Crusades to confi rm their long-standing ties with France in order to enlist its support.

The author declares that there is no conflict of interest.

On the basis of archival documents, the article traces the history of public organization «Union of Russian Students in Egypt», established in 1920 among the Russian emigrant community. After the Revolution of 1917, there was a mass departure of Russian refugees from the country. Among the refugees were also the students of Russian universities. By the turn of fate, some of them arrived in Egypt, a country that had a rich tradition of Islamic education, but not the European one. Russian emigrants had to unite in special societies and unions, so that they could together resist the hardships and destitution they experienced. Russian students also decided to create their own organization. Its purpose was to provide the members with the opportunity to continue their education, as well as to off er them fi nancial assistance when it was possible. However, the organization was faced with many social and fi nancial problems. The association took the initiative to fi nd work for students, and to organize foreign language courses. In addition, they organized the cultural life and activities of students as much as possible. Due to the eff orts of the initiative group, a library was created, a hostel was organized, and a canteen was put into function, while students participated in theatrical productions and musical evenings. This article reveals the motives to establish the “Union of Russian Students in Egypt”, follows its activities, and its attempts to save Russian cultural and educational traditions in emigration. The article also traces the reasons for the split of this public organization and, as a result, the end of its activities in 1922.

The author declares that there is no conflict of interest.

The article discusses de-institutionalization of the Muslim community of the Simbirsk - Ulyanovsk Volga region in 1920-1930s. This process took place as a result of the antireligious policies of the Soviet state. A retrospective assessment of the pace and extent of deinstitutionalization is addressed in the article. Territorial and administrative changes, changes in the number of mosques, religious schools and representatives of the Muslim clergy from 1917 until the end of 1930s is analyzed. The article is written on the basis of office documents from the State Archive of the Ulyanovsk Region and the State Archive of Recent History of the Ulyanovsk Region. The author concludes that the de-institutionalization of the Muslim community in the Simbirsk – Ulyanovsk Volga region was asynchronous. Muslim schools ceased their activities in the beginning of 1930s. More than half of mosques in the region were closed by the early 1940s. Muslim clergy was subjected to various forms of socio-legal discrimination, and in the post-war period only a few were able to resume professional religious activities.

The author declares that there is no conflict of interest.

The article deals with the formation of female Muslim organizations and their activities in the Republic of Tatarstan after the collapse of the Soviet Union. The study corroborates the idea that at practical and ideological levels these organizations nurture both the traditional and modern values. This observation is true for organizations associated with mosques, as well as independent civil ones. The combination of diff erent values may be explained by two reasons. First, by external infl uence of the secularized context of modern society; second, by secular experience of the Muslim activists. For some Muslim organizations, it is also important to appeal to regional history, including the pre-1917 female Islamic associations that came into being as an outcome of emancipation in the religious community.

The author declares that there is no conflict of interest.

This is a continuation of the translation into Russian of Ibn-Rushd’s treatise, in which he criticizes the principles of Kalam theology, especially those of Asharites, and juxtaposes them to the Quranic arguments. The present part deals with the last three questions from the fi fth section “God’s deeds” – predestination, God’s justice-injustice and resurrection, as well as with the Conclusion, which provides the author’s concept of allegorical exegetics.

The author declares that there is no conflict of interest.

In contemporary theological teachings there is no rational definition of the term and description of the methodology of religious reflection, due to the ambiguity of different empirical descriptions of this phenomenon in different religions and within one religion. In this study, the emphasis is placed not on the statement of reflection, as it is empirically described in various religious traditions, but on the analysis of one’s inner experiences, analysis and synthesis of one’s self-reflection. Analysis, synthesis and comparison of the Hegelian concept of the reflection of the spirit and the teachings of Ibn Arabi on immersion in the depths of himself through intuitive contemplation.

In the course of religious reflection, consisting of self-knowledge, self-observation and introspection, the evidence base of a person’s faith is assembled “in harmonious mosaic”, and in the process of finding out one’s own path to faith, the reflecting one begins to see the source and the tools that influence the course of faith. As a result of theological understanding of the phenomenon of reflection, it was revealed that if ordinary psychological reflection is knowing oneself through the eyes of another, moreover knowing “oneself externally”, then religious reflection is knowing “oneself internally” through the eyes of “oneself externally”. This process requires a deep inner work, based on religious-psychological and at the same time rational methodology. The synthesis of these two methodologies is proposed by the author of the article on the basis of correlation of the doctrine of self-knowledge of Sheikh Ibn Arabi and the reflection of the spirit of G. V. F. Hegel.

The author declares that there is no conflict of interest.

The article discusses the main directions of activities of the Association of Psychological Assistance to Muslims. The Association of Psychological Assistance to Muslims (APAM) was created in Russia on 29 September 2017, at the fi rst scientifi c-practical conference “Islam: psychological stability as the basis of personal and social well-being”, which took place in Moscow. The Association is an all-Russian organization that deals with solving problems of practical, empirical, theoretical and educational nature. Psychological counseling for Muslims is a professional psychological assistance, which relies on the knowledge about the peculiarities of the client’s faith signifi cant to his personality. These are religious beliefs, religious language, sacred stories and legends, ritual practices, traditions and customs of Muslim peoples.

The author declares that there is no conflict of interest.

The purpose of this study is to investigate the effect of cognitive-spiritual intervention in increase of the spiritual orientation of the participants. It is argued that sensing mentality is a personality disorder that can cause a person to lose the spiritual, empathetic, and reasoning ability. It is hypothesized that with the cognitive-spiritual intervention the spiritual orientation can be increased. This study employed an experiment with the pre-test and post-test control stages. The spirituality was measured through ‘anchor’ personality questionnaire. The participants joined the one-day workshop and worked through cognitive, affective and spiritual experiences concerning the life orientation. Out of 22 participants, 20 completed pre-test and post-test data. The results show that spirituality increased significantly among the participants. The average pre-test score was M=1.517, and the average post-test score was M=2.166. Therefore, the average difference is 0.649, with t-score = 4.25, p<0.01. Thus, cognitive-spiritual therapeutic intervention can be used to influence the life orientation of those who have a sensory mentality.

The author declares that there is no conflict of interest.

The article explores the possibility of applying fractal theory in socio-humanitarian researches of religion. The first section presents ideas of A.V. Smirnov on the comparative study of cultures. Smirnov links the distinctiveness of one’s culture with the meaning-making process: he notes that substantial logic characterizes European culture while processual logic is inherent to the Arab-Islamic world. The article aims to reconsider Smirnov’s ideas and argues that the processual and substantial logic can be defined as a particular form of knowledge resulting from the interaction of cultures. It is proposed that the meaning-making process in the Arab-Islamic world can be considered through the lens of the processual metaphysics (V.A. Lectorskiy), and by using the methodology of fractal theory (B. Mandelbrot). Fractal theory reinforces the researcher’s own procedural intuition and allows representatives of the European cultural area to better understand the logic of Arab-Muslim culture.

The author declares that there is no conflict of interest.