Russia's national language policy is aimed at preserving and developing the country's linguistic diversity. The legacy of Gabdulla Tukay, who shaped the modern Tatar literary language, is precisely within this strategy. The poet ennobled it with a vibrant vernacular, purged it of redundancy, and developed a flexible and expressive style that became a model for all national literature. It is symbolic that the 140th anniversary of the birth of the sun of Tatar poetry coincides with Kazan's designation as the cultural capital of the Islamic world in 2026. Tukay's entire life was rooted in Islamic canons, and he saw the meaning of his work as service to Allah and the people.
Tukay's poetry, born at the intersection of East and West, demonstrated genuine innovation: transforming the canonical genres of Eastern poetry, he enriched them with new composition and psychologism. During the Soviet period, this profound originality was replaced by propaganda clichés. In the 1930s, branding the poet "petty bourgeois," socialist realist ideologists attempted to portray him as a staunch atheist, reducing the author's multifaceted nature to satire and newspaper topicality. However, Tukay's legacy is deeply rooted in the religious and philosophical tradition, and the image of the poet, shaped by Pushkin and Lermontov, became central to the formation of his archetype. This contrived "atheism" is easily refuted by Tukay's own lines.
The grandparents of modern Tatars grew up without even knowing the final stanza of the poem "Native Language": "You, my native tongue, helped me utter my first prayer: 'Forgive me, my father and mother, be generous, my God!'" When discussing Tukay's true attitude toward religion, it's important to consider various aspects of the subject. For example, in the poem "Native Village," the poet connects religion with his life: "Here God breathed my soul into me, I saw the light here, / I was able to read a prayer from the Koran for the first time, / I heard the words of the Prophet for the first time, / I learned his fate and his entire difficult path."
Tukay's roots go back to ancient Tatar and Eastern literature, and Islamic culture in general. Tukay recognizes Allah as one and only, and his respect for the Quran is boundless. Tukay also expresses his attitude toward the main book of Islam in "My Testament": "Whoever considered me an infidel, be ashamed of my farewell words: / I have always kept the faith of my Quran in my chest." Some of Tukay's works are entirely devoted to Quranic verses. "Miraj" is addressed to the Night of Ascension; Tukay also poetically depicts the Surah Al-Qadr. It is believed that this poem was written at the request of the mother of composer Mansur Muzafarov, who wanted a piece for her children to sing on the sacred Night of Destiny.
The list of works that reveal the essence of Tukay's poetry is long: "Before Bed" describes a child's appeal to the Creator; "To the Suicide" and "A Hard Fate" condemn actions prohibited by Sharia; "Love Allah" and "Advice" call for patience and prayer to God for help in times of sorrow. The poet, deprived of maternal affection, suffering from hunger and poverty, finds solace, fulfillment, and closeness only in the Almighty. Having begun his religious studies in the village of Kyrlay near Kazan, Tukay, in addition to acquiring secular knowledge according to the Jadid system, also deeply absorbed the curriculum of the old madrasah. His knowledge was profound and meaningful.
Tukay does not separate religious issues from the fate of the Tatar nation. The basis of this unity, in his view, is expressed not in blind obedience, but in justice, humanity, spiritual equality, and an enlightened social life. The poet extols such qualities as truthfulness, lack of pride, respect for parents, and patience. Concepts recurring in the Quran—piety, mercy, the pursuit of knowledge, purity of soul, and honesty—form the essence of Tukay's poetry.
In the poem "In the Garden of Knowledge," Tukay, concerned about the people's path, writes: "Let the glory of the valiant Tatars ascend to the eighth heaven, / May Allah grant them the sacred gift of happiness forever." In another poem, the poet calls for unity: "They hold on to the thread of Allah with their hands, / They walk, bound together by the thread..."; Tukay then emphasizes the significance of his name: "My name is Gabdullah, Allah's slave..."
In the poems "Mother and Child" or "Tafsir or Translation?", the poet explains that the cause of all changes in the universe is the Almighty. "Tafsir..." is based on the Surah An-Nasr. The publication in the magazine "An" was accompanied by Tukay's explanations. Perhaps this is why, while in doubt, he wrote "Tafsir or Translation?" over the poem. The work was born in the last days of the poet's life, in the Klyachkinsky Hospital in Kazan: "Every time Allah sends His desire, His thought, / Nothing will stop them, there are no barriers in any deed. / You will see how people take the straight path, / Observing the middle, so as not to deviate from the road. / In Mecca today, Allah has opened the gates to the light of faith; / Preserve, save, have mercy, All-Forgiving Allah!"
GSV "Russia - Islamic World"