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It
is not paradoxical, but Russian culture has Islamic roots in imperial time,
especially at the end of XIX century. This fact was meaningfully deformed and
ignored. The reasons to understand it is not difficult: long-term Russian-Turk
opposition and Germanism of Russian intellectuals. On inertia, this policy was
adapted by Soviet and post-Soviet epoch. However, we shall look at things
soberly.
To
all Russians is known fantastic image of the dairy rivers, but one will guess
very little, that it goes back to a paradise source mentioned in the Holy Quran
(Surah «Muhammad», ayat 15). To all is known Russian expression «to be on the
top of the seventh sky with happiness», but very few people know, that it
corresponds to the Muslim doctrine about seven heavens created by Allah (Surah
Talaq «Divorce»: 65, ayat 12). To all is known Russian’s custom to spit
through the left shoulder, but very few people know it’s
meaning. Under the Muslim interpretation, God for each person has allocated two
angels who stand accordingly on right and left shoulders and writes the good
acts and the other writes evil.
Many
examples can be put forward, but the case with epic heroes is especially
interesting. In Russian humanity science, this image actively started to be
developed since second half of XIX century. Russian historians and specialists
in folklore were completely not objective. The official order and modern trends have
resulted to that in an image of heroes, we see faster stereotypes of XIX century,
than real prototypes of epics. Heroes appear those loyal frontier guards (known
picture of Vasnetosov «Three
Bogatyrs»), romantic
heroes.
But
we will address to texts of epics. Words of «Hero» and «Cossack» in them are
used as synonyms. Both terms are of Turkism (batyr and the Kazakh). Actions of
epics occur not in wood, where usually settled Slavs (not casually their
language transfers various semantic shades of a word «wood» - a grove, a
thicket, a pine forest, a jungle), and in the Eurasian steppes. The known hero
Ilya (Ilyas) is born in settlement with typically not Slavic name Karacharovo.
In Turkish languages «kara» specifies black color (Kara Kum - black sand, Карадаг
- black mountain). However, we shall not abuse searches of sources of powerful
movement in this or that ethnic environment. We shall try to reply: what the
heroes do for heroes? All of them were warriors: Ilyas from Karacharov, Alesha
Popovich (ibn Mullah) and Dobrynia Nikitich. They battle with pagans. Who are
those pagans? And this word is not Slavic, and then it is necessary to search
for its sources in other languages.
In
English pagan designates disbeliever. But it is necessary to search for sources
of this word not in the German languages, and in Latin where paganus means
countryman. There is no contradiction in the assumption, that the word «pagan»
has got in Slavic and German languages from Latin similar to others. Why it has
got frankly negative sense? Obviously when the Gospel was granted to the prophet
Jesus Christ (peace be upon him!), paganism’s misbelieves for long time kept
in the conservative rural environment. Then the word «pagan» is synonym of
word «kafir» (disbeliever), and «pogan» - kufr (disbelief). In that case,
epic heroes were participants of holy war with disbelief, i.e. jihad. Means, in
essence, they were mujahideen. Really, that speaks Ilyas Dobryne in the epic «Michaelo
Potik»: «And look, you, Dobrynia, for blue sea, reproach you, languages there
are misbelieving», i.e. battle with kafirs.
Certainly,
Slavophile and national (both official, and alternative) ideologies possess
fixing agents and interpreters of epics, therefore, in epics, we see, a lot of
contradicting factors to true belief. However, the fact remains the fact,
despite of all ambiguity, original essence of a hero was jihad.
In
the end, I shall bring two identical paragraphs from the epic and the Holy Quran.
«As two Russian - de struggle, it is necessary to talk, and Russian with
disbelief, it is necessary to extend help to them, and two non-Russian, it is
necessary to go away» (Duel of Danube Ivanovich with Dobrynya Nikitich).
«And if two parties or groups among the believers fall to fighting, then make
peace between them both, but if one of them rebels against the other, then fight
you (all) against the one that which rebels till it complies with the Command of
Allâh» (Surah al-Hujurat: 49, ayat: 9). Russian heroes were mujahideen. At
least, this version does not meet contradictions in historian-cultural context
and explains many unclear facts.
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