History and modernity of Muslim mysticism-tasavvuf in Azerbaijan

Abstract

This article is dedicated to some features of the history of Sufism in Azerbaijan. The article describes the history of tasawwuf’s spread of in Azerbaijan, the main schools and movements, as well as their impact on the socio-political life of Azerbaijan. The author pays special attention to the changes that took place in the evolution of Sufism in Azerbaijan in the XVIII-XIX centuries asthe main medieval Azerbaijani brotherhoods Halvatiyya and Safaviyya ceased to operate on the territory of historical Azerbaijan. The fact of why the Naqshbandiyya brotherhood begins to play a key role in the life of Muslims of Azerbaijan in the XIX century is considered. The article also provides information about the Sufis who functioned during the Soviet era, about their relationship with the state and society. After the collapse of the USSR, in the atmosphere of independence and intensifying of religious life, the tasawwuf is reviving with renewed vigor. The descendants and followers of the Naqshbandiyya-Khalidiyya conduct their activitieson the territory of Azerbaijan, specifically, in the form of local ojaks (holy places), headed by functioning sheikhs. In addition, the activities of the dervishes-rousekhanes, as well as the pilgrimage to the burial places of the graves of the Sufi elders (feasts), are of great importance for the spiritual life of the Muslims of Azerbaijan. Additionally, to the above, in 1990-2000s, the ideas of Sufi sheikhs from Turkey and Russia, in particular, North Caucasian Dagestan Sufism, began to spread among the population of Azerbaijan.