About religions in Central Asia
Islam meaning in Arabic "giving oneself up to Allah, submissiveness", is one of the three world religions, along with Christianity and Buddhism. Islam started at the beginning of the 7thc. AD in Western Arabia during the period of formation of Arabian state of classes.
Islam was influenced by Christianity and Judaism, and partly by Maniheism and Zoroasterianism. A Moslem must admit "five pillars of faith". The first of them is utterance of the symbol of faith: "There is no God besides Allah, and Mohammed is his prophet". The Moslems are also committed to pray everyday, keep the fasts, give alms (zakat), and to make a pilgrimage to Mecca (hadj). Other religious ceremonies and rituals of Islam, Moslim holidays (Kurban-bairam, Uraza-bairam, Mavlud) as well as the "pillars of faith" are of great importance for keeping and increasing influence of the religion over its believers.
In the present Moslim communities number about 860 million members in more than 120 countries. In 35 countries the Moslems form majority of population, in 18 countries the follower of Islam are members of influential minorities. In 28 countries Islam is the state official religion, among them there are Algeria, Egypt, Iraq, Iran Morocco, Yemen, Saudi Arabia, Pakistan and others. In Russia Moslem live in Tatarstan, Bashkiria, there are Moslems in Georgia and Armenia.
Since its birth Islam, like other religions, was changing. The division of Islam into two,.types, Suphism and Shiism, stimulated ideological development of the religion. With the exception of the Azerbaijanians, small groups of Persians and Kurds living in Turkmenistan and Bukhara region of Uzbekistan, all the Moslems of CIS are Sunnites.
Shiits live in Corno-Badahshan autonomous province of Tadjikistan, sectarians called Ismailites. Groups of followers of varieties of mystical and ascetic Moslem teaching of Suphism (Muridism) are active in Chechnya and Ingushetuya, and in some districts of Dagestan and Kazakhstan.
The affairs of Moslem communities in Central Asia are managed by Religious Administration of Moslems of Maverounahr having its head office in Tashkent.
The Administration Presidium appoints its representatives having the rank of Kazy in the regions (provinces, republics). To keep a close link with Moslem communities, the Administration and its representatives control ritual services of mosques as well as manage teaching and popularization (teaching of the religion). The Religious Administration develops phetvs (precepts, recommendations) on the most important issues of religious life.
Phetvs are issued to the notice of the congregation in mosques. Everyday affairs of communities, such as keeping assets of the cult, maintaining prayer rooms, spending money are dealt with by the elected body called "mutavalliat" comprising the members of the congregation. There is Mir-Arab Madrassehs in Bukhara where students are taught to be Muslim clergy. Mir-Arab Madrassehs has also a school where Shiit clergy students are taught. Madrassehs are opening in other towns, particularly in Samarkand. There is Al-Bukhari Moslim Institute in Tashkent.
Suphism (Sufism) is a religious and philosophical Moslim teaching developed in the Arab countries in the 8thc. century. The cause for developing Suphism was the state of social conditions in Muslim countries. Suphism contains elements of New Platonism, Judaism, Christianity, Zoroastrism, and particularly Buddhism. Basically Suphism propagates asceticism, pantheism, and mysticism. According to Suphism there are 4 steps leading to the state of perfection. The first step is Sharia, the Moslim law, which requires unquestionable compliance with it. The second step called "tarikat" requires complete obedience of apprentices to their teachers and strengthening the will-power by rejecting material welfare. Having gone through this step, the third step, "marifat", can be reached, when a man must use his heart and soul, not his brains, to cognize that the entity of the universe is in God, that the World is the God's emanation and that the meanings of goodness and evil are relative, not absolute. The fourth step called "khakikat" (truth) can be reached only after the previous three have been mastered. "Achieving, knowing the truth" means "the end of the Suphist as a personality", his reaching the Cod, merging with God into one, which provides eternal existence. Suphists have to do special exercises (meditations) to attain these goals.
Suphism spread over the countries of Near East, northern India, Indonesia, South-West China. In Maverounahr, particularly on the territory of Uzbekistan, Suphism became widely practiced during the period of the ifeudal wars in the second half of the 9th -beginning of the 10thc. centuries. The first Suphist pir chief in Maverounahr was Yusuf Khamadaniy (the 12thc.). Later came such highly respected Suphists as Abdulkhalik Gizhduvaniy and Akhmad Yassaviy.
In the 13thc. - 14thc. centuries the variety of Suphism called "Nakshbandia" was founded by Bahovutdin Nukshbandiy. There are some well preserved monuments to the saint Suphists in Uzbekistan. Moslims -Suphists make pilgrimages to those places.
When Kanishka the king came to power in 78 in Central Asia the new system of chronology was adopted replacing the chronology from the era of the Seleukids.
During the Kushan period different religious systems were widely spread in Central Asia. Those were the local cult of Mitra and Anahit, Zoroastrian pantheon (Ormuzd, Veretzanga, etc.) the Greek pantheon (Jupiter, Heliosis, Celen, etc.) the cult of local heroes (Siyavush in Khorezm and Sogd). The followers of Buddhism had been banished from Iran in the 2nd - 3rd and found support in Central Asia, where Buddhism became widely practiced. According to Chinese chronicles Buddhism came to China in 147 from the country of "big yuedzhi", thanks to the Kushan missionaries Buddhism was adopted as official religion at the court of the Chinese emperor Khuan-Di (147-167).
During the archeological excavations in Khorezm (Bazaar-Kala, Gyaur-Kala, Gyaz-Kala) and Sogd (tali-barzu, Zohak-i-Maron castle, Er-Kurgan and others) it was found out that many settlements and castles dated back to Kushan period. But the largest number of traces of Buddhist culture during Kushan period was found in Tolharistan.
Architectural fragments dating back to Kushan period were found in "Old Termez". Some Buddhist monuments date back to the period of Great Kushans.
Zoroasterianism is a system of religious beliefs spread on the territory of ancient Iran and Central Asia in the 7thc.-6thc. BC.
Zoroaster, or Zardusht, Zaraustra, Zardust, is the prophet of Zoroasterianism. Zoroaster lived approximately in the 1st half of the 6th c BC. He wrote the most ancient part of the holy book of Zoroasterianism "Avesta" It is assumed that Zoroaster began preaching in Eastern Iran and Central Asia. He opposed worshiping chiefs of the tribes, priesthood, and old gods. According to the oriental legends Zoroaster lived and preached in Bactria when the king Vishtasp ruled there. The king was the first who adopted Zoroasterianism.
In the following chapters of Avesta Zoroaster was described as a legendary fighter who had not only used words and miracles, hut also material weapons against evil spirits.
Uzbekistan and holy places of Zoroasterianism are inseparable: in Samarkand we find the ancient settlement called Afrosiab which is the name of the hero from "Avesta"; Bukhara is one of the most ancient Uzbek towns. It was founded on the sacred hill of spring offerings put by ancient Zoroasterians on the tomb of the saint Siyavush.
During the centuries Zoroasterianism changed both in the sense and in form. During the rule of the Arshakids and the Sasanids in Central Asia Zoroasterianism was official religion.
The most ancient place in Bukhara is Ark fortress which was built not later than the 1st millennium BC. The fortress dates back to the time when Afrosiab and Siyavush, the legendary hero mentioned in Avesta, ruled. According to the legends Siyavush was buried inside the fortress beside its eastern gate where Bukhara Zoroasterians put their offerings.
In Tashkent, the capital of Uzbekistan, Chilanzar Ak-Tepa was the cult centre of Zoroasterians.
The mystery of Zoroasterianism having a few millennium history is the key to the knowledge of the origins of Central Asian land.
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