Ahmad Afandi Abdulaev ( av, АхӀмад ХӀажи ГӀабдулаев, russian: Абдулаев, Ахмад Магомедович; b. 15 September 1959, Upper Inkho, Gumbetovsky district) — is a Russian
Mufti
A Mufti (; ar, مفتي) is an Islamic jurist qualified to issue a nonbinding opinion (''fatwa'') on a point of Islamic law (''sharia''). The act of issuing fatwas is called ''iftāʾ''. Muftis and their ''fatwas'' played an important role ...
. He serves as Chairman of the Spiritual Administration of Muslims of Dagestan, Sheikh of
Naqshbandi and Shazali
Tariqa
A tariqa (or ''tariqah''; ar, طريقة ') is a school or order of Sufism, or specifically a concept for the mystical teaching and spiritual practices of such an order with the aim of seeking ''haqiqa'', which translates as "ultimate truth".
...
s, one of the spiritual leaders of Dagestani Muslims.
Early life
Ahmad Haji Afandi Abdulaev was born on September 15, 1959 in the
, in the village of Inkho,
Gumbetovsky District. From his earliest years, Ahmad Haji studied
Arabic
Arabic (, ' ; , ' or ) is a Semitic language spoken primarily across the Arab world.Semitic languages: an international handbook / edited by Stefan Weninger; in collaboration with Geoffrey Khan, Michael P. Streck, Janet C. E.Watson; Walter ...
and
Islam. His family practiced devotion to faith, even during
Soviet
The Soviet Union,. officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR),. was a transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 to 1991. A flagship communist state, it was nominally a federal union of fifteen nation ...
times, when believers were persecuted. His relatives took care of their faith and raised their children according to Islamic precepts. Ahmad Haji is the grandson of the famous
Sufi sheikh of
Naqshbandi and Shazali Tariqas Abdulhamid-Afandi.
Career
In 1991, Ahmad-Haji became the
Imam of a mosque in Kizilyurt district. In 1992 he began teaching at the Islamic Institute in Kizilyurt, where he served as Rector. In 1998, at the Council of the Alims of Dagestan, Abdulaev was unanimously elected as Mufti and Chairman of the Spiritual Administration of Dagestani Muslims.
In 2010, he received the Spiritual Mentor
ijazah
An ''ijazah'' ( ar, الإِجازَة, "permission", "authorization", "license"; plural: ''ijazahs'' or ''ijazat'') is a license authorizing its holder to transmit a certain text or subject, which is issued by someone already possessing such au ...
from
Said Afandi al-Chirkawi, but he did not take up instructing
Murids
In Sufism, a ''murīd'' (Arabic مُرِيد 'one who seeks') is a novice committed to spiritual enlightenment by ''sulūk'' (traversing a path) under a spiritual guide, who may take the title murshid, '' pir'' or ''shaykh''. A ''sālik'' or Su ...
. After Said Afandi's death, his successor Abduljalil-Afandi made an order (amr) to Ahmad Abdulaev to instruct the Murids.
In 2013, the Mufti received the honorary status of Guardian of the Holy Relics of the Prophet
Muhammad
Muhammad ( ar, مُحَمَّد; 570 – 8 June 632 CE) was an Arab religious, social, and political leader and the founder of Islam. According to Islamic doctrine, he was a prophet divinely inspired to preach and confirm the mo ...
, and also the relics themselves, including the hair of Muhammad.
Awards
*
Order of Merit "For services to the Republic of Dagestan"(2009)
* Anniversary Medal "50th Anniversary of ROSSNAA" (Russian Society of Solidarity and Cooperation of the Peoples of Asia and Africa) (2011)
* Gold Star of the People's Hero of Dagestan (2015)
* Commemorative Medal in honor of opening of the Moscow Cathedral Mosque complex (2015)
* Medal of Honor of Dagestan Republic "For the love of his native land" (2016)
* Golden "Order of the Peacemaker" (2018)
* Memorable badge of RosAviation "95 years of Civil Aviation of Russia" (2018)
* Anniversary Commemorative Medal "90th Anniversary of Civil Aviation of the Republic of Dagestan" (2018)
* Memorable badge of the Russian Parliament "25 years of The
Federation Council
The Federation Council (russian: Сове́т Федера́ции – ''Soviet Federatsii'', common abbreviation: Совфед – ''Sovfed''), or Senate (officially, starting from July 1, 2020) ( ru , Сенат , translit = Senat), is th ...
" (2019)
*
Order of Friendship
The Order of Friendship (russian: Орден Дружбы, ') is a state decoration of the Russian Federation established by Boris Yeltsin by presidential decree 442 of 2 March 1994 to reward Russian and foreign nationals whose work, deeds ...
(2019)
* Order of Merit for the Ummah, I degree (2019)
* Order of Glory and Honor (2019)
* Medal "For Valiant Labor" - for services to the Republic of Dagestan (2021)
* Medal "For loyalty to the Fatherland" (2021)
Bibliography
In 2015, his book ''The Virtues of the Righteous'' was published in Arabic, its translations in
Avar,
Russian
Russian(s) refers to anything related to Russia, including:
*Russians (, ''russkiye''), an ethnic group of the East Slavic peoples, primarily living in Russia and neighboring countries
*Rossiyane (), Russian language term for all citizens and peo ...
,
Tajik,
Kazakh,
Kyrgyz and
Uzbek languages were published subsequently.
«Благонравие праведников» на таджикском языке презентовали в Доме дружбы
/ref> By the end of 2015, total circulation exceeded 200,000 copies. Based on the book a series of video lessons, as well as audio book followed its release.
References
External links
The Virtues of the Righteous
(in Arabic)
{{DEFAULTSORT:Abdulaev, Ahmad Afandi
1959 births
21st-century Muslim scholars of Islam
Russian imams
Russian Sufis
Russian Sufi religious leaders
Avar people
20th-century Islamic religious leaders
Naqshbandi order
Soviet Sufis
Sunni Sufis
Living people
Russian people of Dagestani descent