The article is dedicated to the study of ziyarat practices in Bashkortostan as spaces where semiotic ideologies overlap, prescribing to believers which symbols and practices are necessary to establish a connection with the sacred. Unlike the normative pilgrimage to Mecca and Medina, the practice of visiting the graves of awliya (ziyarat) is often regarded as a contested practice among Muslims. There is no consensus on which religious practices should be performed during ziyarat, and which, on the contrary, are prohibited. The aim of the research is to identify the perceptions of “correct” semiotic ideologies of interaction with the sacred at ziyarat among Muslims of the Republic of Bashkortostan. Nineteen in-depth semi-structured interviews were conducted with Muslims from rural areas in the southern regions of Bashkortostan. The study revealed a variety of ways in which Muslims interact with the sacred during ziyarat: circumambulating the grave, tying ribbons, offering prayers, communicating with ancestors, performing namaz, and other. The graves of the awliya may be distinguished by certain symbols not only by Muslims but also by adherents of other religions or new religious movements (New Age). The key feature of modern ziyarat practices is their syncretic nature, where various religious and magical elements intermingle within the discourse of reviving “traditional” Islamic practice, constructing boundaries between “correct” and “incorrect” rituals at ziyarat. This study emphasizes the need for further exploration of ziyarat as a significant part of the religious life of contemporary Muslims, contrasting with other scholarly works that claim a decline in the importance of ziyarat, perceiving them as “pre-Islamic remnants”.

This study addresses the question of how Muslim therapeutic bloodletting, known as hijama, coexists in both Muslim and non-Muslim contexts. This paper identifies the rhetoric and religious representations associated with the procedure by the hajama specialists, the Hajjam, and how these change as the practice moves out of the Muslim and migrant field during thegentrification of hijama. The Muslim practice of hijama is accompanied by the fulfilment of an intention before the procedure, belief in jinn and hope for divine assistance in healing, and is perceived as a means of healing and religious worship. In contrast, non-Muslims most often practice hijama as part of Chinese medicine, deny the Islamic roots of the procedure, and attempt to distinguish between their own, in their belief, more complex practice and the ‘simplified’ Muslim practice.

This article analyses current trends in the ideology and strategy of the Muslim Brotherhood* (MB). Following the political setbacks associated with the events of the Arab Spring and the overthrow of the government of Mohamed Morsi in Egypt (2013), the movement is experiencing another period of transformation, moving from direct political activity to ideological renewal. Historically, the movement has demonstrated the ability to adapt to a variety of conditions, often using the idea of civilizational revival as a basis for maintaining ideological relevance in changing conditions. Against the backdrop of the recent leadership crisis and increasing external pressure, rethinking the concept of Islamic civilization may become a working tool for maintaining the group’s influence.

This article presents a critical analysis of the concept of the Islamic state developed by an American scholar of Islamic studies, PhD in Islamic law, and Columbia University professor Wael Hallaq, in his work The Impossible State: Islam, Politics, and Modernity’s Moral Predicament”. Hallaq’s central thesis—the incompatibility of fundamental Islamic principles with modern forms of societal organization—has sparked extensive debates and garnered significant interest among researchers studying the role of state authority in Sharia. The article addresses the potential for interaction between diverse sociocultural systems, highlighting the limitations of Hallaq’s nominalist position through the lens of communicative practices and historical borrowings. The object of this study is Hallaq’s postulated fundamental incompatibility between the “paradigmatic modern state” and the “paradigmatic Islamic form of governance”. The research’s relevance lies in its contribution to understanding the intercultural dialogue and the borrowing of political practices in the context of globalization, which is crucial for comprehending contemporary challenges in governance and integration. The article offers a sociological perspective for analyzing universal and contextual aspects of statehood, enriching discussions on Islamic law, state theory, and global processes of cultural interaction.

among the Muslim writings of the 12th century, a special place is occupied by a work known by a specialist called Mujmal at-tawarih wa-l-qisas”. Scientists have been familiar with this anonymous monument for a relatively long time, which has come down to us in four lists, but so far only partial translations of individual chapters of this source have been made into European languages, mainly concerning the history of the ruling dynasties in Iran. Within the framework of this article, I would like to introduce readers to the contents of the section from Mujmal at-tawarih”, which describes the biography of Yafet ibn Nuh and tells about his descendants. Special attention will be paid to the legend of Japhet’s gift of knowledge of the name of the Almighty and his creation of special talismans that granted their bearers special power and strength. As a result of the analysis of this section, first of all, it should be noted that the well-known sources for the anonymous author of Mujmal at-tawarih”, in particular the work of Muhammad Balʻamy, do not contain such a legend, which, however, does not mean that the creator of the work we are interested in did not borrow it from some another earlier monument. In connection with the narrative of stone talismans created by Yaphetibn Nuh, it is interesting to recall some legends about the Turkic peoples, whose leaders allegedly controlled the elements with stones, as described in some Muslim writings. Such a comparison looks even more interesting considering that, according to the text “Mujmal at-tawarih”, the ancestor of the Turkic nomadic tribes, namely the Turk, was one of the sons of Yaphet, and his biography is also described by the anonymous author of this Persian work. Nevertheless, the results of the study should be considered interim until the publication of the full translation of chapter XI from the “Mujmal at-tawarih wa-l-qisas”, which the author of this article plans to implement in the near future.