Formation and development of the theological thought of Tatars: history and trends of development

The socio-economic changes in the territory of the former USSR, the processes of ethno-religious revival revealed the relevance of the traditional heritage, which in the process of historical heritage has allowed developing tolerant and good-neighbourly relations in the Russian Federation. In this regard, the second half of the 18th century - the first quarter of the 20th century is a special period for the social thought of the Tatars, as after three hundred years of stagnation it is reviving. But the study of the history of the revival of the Tatars’ social and theological thought and in particular the problems of Islamic law of this period involves primarily the identification of the main cultural, social and political factors that influenced its formation and development. The most important of these factors for the Tatars was Islam. The Islamic religious tradition was firmly established and maintained, despite the socio-political events that took place in the region. The Mongol invasion, the collapse of the Golden Horde, the conquest of the Kazan khanate did not change the religious situation in the region. After the capture of Kazan up to the end of the 18th century there was stagnation in the social life and social thought of the Tatars. Despite this, after the issuance of the decree on religious tolerance by Catherine II, there began a rapid process of the revival of the Tatars’ social thought. As the Tatars received religious education in the world’s famous religious centres, the ideas of theologians of the Islamic world had a significant impact on the formation of their views. The second most important factor that influenced the formation of the ideas of the Tatar thinkers was the ideas of European and Russian reformers. The Tatar thinkers got acquainted with them as a result of communication with the Russian intelligentsia, thanks to the development of the education system, as well as from the works of thinkers. Thus, the mentioned factors influenced the formation of the reform ideas in the Tatar theological thought, which contributed to the socio-economic development of the Tatar society.