Hodja Ahmad Yasawi – a mystic from Central Asia

The main aim of the article is to analyze the life and activity of the Islamic mystic Hodja Ahmad Yasawi and to present the legacy he left behind. Sufism or Islamic mysticism is an important element of the spiritual heritage of the countries of Central Asia. Ahmad Yasawi was one of the first persons in the region who worked for the development of Islam in Sufism. He gave a lot from himself not only during his lifetime, but also after his death. The article will present the information on the death of the Sufi and his tomb, which is currently on the UNESCO World Heritage List. An important element of the article is the reference to the teachings preached by the mystic (including the silent dhikr) and his works (e.g. his most popular work i.e. Divan-i Hikmet).

The Life and the Activity of the Central Asian Sufi Najm ad-Din Kubra

The article presents the life and the activity of the Sufiand Central Asia - Najm ad-Din Kubra. The paper describes the life that formed the later master of Islamic mysticism. Much emphasis was placed on the issues related to the teachings of the Sufi(e.g. about zikr) and the on the description of the color theory (Latoif), extremely important for students of Kubra. Attention was also paid to the effects of the teachings of ad-Din Kubra (which the brotherhoods drew from the wisdom of the mystic) and how they adapted in society and politics over the centuries.

Islam in the Post-Soviet area – Caucasus

Islam is seen as a homogeneous religion. It is a common belief that the synonymous of Muslim is Arab. Meanwhile, according to statistics of 2013, Muslims constitute over a 28% of the world population. The followers are spread all over the globe and can be found in every country. Thus, speaking about homogeneity and identification of all believers with the Arab world is a serious mistake. Islam in the post-Soviet area, has a characteristic dimension. Caucasian republics, initially conquered by Muslim Empires in the majority submitted to Islamisation. The Soviet reign and atheistic propaganda weakened religion, but after the collapse of the Soviet Union, the Caucasus and Central Asia experienced the revival of Islam. Today Georgia is a Christian country with a Muslim minority, Dagestan is the most Islamized Caucasian republic with Sunni majority while in Azerbaijan Sunnis are a minority compared with Shiites. Therefore, how much similar and how much different is Islam in Azerbaijan, Dagestan and Georgia?