Правовой и религиозный авторитет в концепции иджтихада у Марджани

Abstract

In the history of Islamic thought in the Russian Empire, Shihabaddin Mardjani’s (1818-1889) call for ijtihad is well-known, but often misunderstood as a form of radical modernization. In fact, Mardjani’s understanding of ijtihad, as evident in his important Arabic works, does not differ significantly from the conception of ijtihad that predominated in the post-classical period of Islamic history (13th-19th cent.). This article addresses in detail Mardjani’s stance on ijtihad and its religious and legal premises, from the perspective of its broader context in the middle of the 19th century, specifically the changes to the structure of Islamic institutions in the Volga-Ural region and the weakening of the religious authority of the ulama. I argue that although Mardjani’s stance was shaped by this context, it is nevertheless based on maintaining the legal methodology of the Hanafi school (madhhab) and scholars’ role as religious interpreters.