To the Issue of the support by Islamic divines of Caucasus movement for the Gazavat under leadership of Sheikh Mansur

Abstract

The article attempts to consider the spectrum of views of Muslim scientists (Ulama) of the Caucasus, the differentiation of which occurred against the background of the military-political events associated with the movement of the Sheikh/Imam Mansur. The resistance of the Russian empire by the Chechen societies, as well as the mountaineers of the Central and Western Caucasus, which took place from 1785 to 1791, served as a factor that had a noticeable resonance among the corporation of Islamic theologians. The key issue was the attitude to the struggle against Russia under the banner of Gazavat. The conclusions are based on the consideration of the social nature of the «clergy» in Muslim society. In particular, the regional differences of Dagestan, on the one hand, and Chechen societies, on the other, which are based on various historical forms of the social order, became an important reason why a number of Dagestan divines opposed Mansur’s leadership claims. In this regard, the reasons why Mansur, after military luck turned away from him, are considered, sought support not in neighboring Dagestan, where the positions of Islam were very strong, and Russia's influence is relatively small, but among Ossetian and Adyghe rulers of the Turkish orientation. All this is analyzed on the basis of the developments of domestic and foreign historiography, as well as a wide range of sources, including in Arabic and unpublished archival data.