Riza Fakhreddin on Abystai as Mentors and Mothers

The article is devoted to the role of abystais as mentors (teachers) and mothers. Based on the materials of Riza Fakhreddin’s book “Mashhur Khatynnar” (“The Famous Women”), we analyze the concept of abystais created by him as mentors (subjects taught, educational literature, correspondence of books, preaching and holding majlises) and mothers (hereditary nature of activity, upbringing of daughters as abystais and sons as imams). Riza-qadi identified the names of the abystais, gave an idea of their teachers as well abystais’ teaching and preaching activities, which was innovative for the Muslim world of Russia. Before him, we only know the names of women as wives and daughters of imams and mudarrises without indicating their education and activities. If in the book edition “Mashhur Khatynnar” (1904) we see their brief biographies revealing the above-mentioned points, then in the manuscript of 1934 there are also quite detailed biographies containing information about various aspects of the social activities of these women and indicating their place in the education system of Tatars in the 19th century and the first years of the 20th century

Political science · Islamic Studies and History · Jewish and Middle Eastern Studies · Middle East Politics and Society · Philosophy · Religious studies