Discussions about Tafsirs of the Quran in the Periodical Press of the Muslim Tatars of the Russian Empires in the Early Twentieth Century (Based on the Journal "Shura")
This article is devoted to the problem of rethinking of reading, understanding and interpretation of the Qur’an among the Muslim Tatar intellectual elite of the Russian Empire in the early twentieth century. The study is based on an analysis of periodical press materials published between the two revolutions of 1905 and 1917, in particular the journal “Shura” (1908-1917). The periodical press of the Muslim Tatars of the Russian Empire, having appeared after the signing of the Manifesto of October 17, 1905, became the venue for theological discussions that arose in the treatises of individual scholars. These discussions also concerned the problem of commenting on the Qur’an. The authors of the articles devoted to the problem of understanding the Qur’an approached the problem of using tafsirs from two positions. In particular, a number of articles dispute the need to use authoritative tafsirs when reading the Qur’anic text. Assessing the role of authoritative tafsirs in the history of Islam as negative and leading to the stagnation of Muslim society, the authors of publications were often guided by the idea of the nation’s progress. At the same time, in a number of publications of the journal, tafsirs were considered as sources of the necessary historical context.