«Hazihi risala al-jinn» — the Dagestani мanaqib generic composition: introduction, translation and commentary

Abstract

During archaeographical work (detection of sources on the history of Islamization mountain Avaria) the authors have found several versions of the original Arabic-language essays about events that occurred in 1666 in the village of Irib in the Charodinsky district of Dagestan. As a result of this research, we can identify that this hagiographic compostion reveals many aspects of the past and the social life of that time. It describes the meeting of the famous scientist Talhat-kadi with jinns and their “king”. However, the manuscript reveals many details of medieval Dagestani ideas about the world of the jinn their impact on the life of ordinary man. This manuscript is also a major source of the biography of Talhat-kadi, who was a recognized expert in Islamic law. He was born in the middle of the first half of the 17th century, and died, c. 1695. He was a recognized expert in the field of Islamic law whose opinions were consulted by Dagestani scholars even several decades after his death.
The importance of the content of this work for the analysis of religious representations of the Muslims of Dagestan should also be regcognized. In our opinion, the introduction of this work into the scientific circulation will significantly enrich the source base for researchers of the history of medieval Dagestan. It contains information not only about history, but also social structure, religious beliefs and other aspects of the life of Dagestani society in the 17th century. The text shows the wide awareness of educated Dagestanis about the religions prevalent in Arab countries. It can also become an additional source for researchers into some syncretic religious traditions of the Middle East.

Keywords:

Dagestan, 17th century, Islam, Arabic sources, hagiography, мanaqib, jinns