This year, the Muslim community of Russia celebrates an important date – the 115th anniversary of one of the most famous spiritual educational institutions of Russia – the Galiya madrasah, located in Ufa. On 15 November 1906, thanks to the initiative and efforts of Ufa Muslims, who included noblemen, merchants and officials, the Galiya madrasah was opened at the second cathedral mosque. The mosque campus was built in 1906 at the expense of patrons. Professor Zia Kamaletdinov (1873-1942) became the founder and permanent principal. He was a man of an outstanding personality and profound knowledge, who made a significant contribution to national enlightenment. He received his primary education from a village mullah, and then he went to Usmania madrasah in Ufa. The Muslim charitable society of Ufa sent him to Turkey for education on its own means in 1898. Later he studied in Cairo at famous Al-Azhar University, where he took his pseudonym Zia Kamali. After his graduation, Kamali returned to Ufa where he began teaching at Usmania madrasah and preparing basis for a new madrasah. In 1919 he established a women’s teacher’s seminary in Ufa.
By the Decree of Catherine the Great ‘On Establishing the Orenburg Mohammedan Spiritual Assembly’, issued in September 1788, the Spiritual Assembly of Muslims from various Russian provinces (excluding the Taurida province) was established in Ufa on December 4, 1789. One of the primary tasks of that institution was to establish mosques and appoint and approve Muslim clergy. For this purpose, religious educational institutions of different levels – madrasahs and maktabs at mosques – were established everywhere under the Spiritual Assembly of Muslims. Clergy staff was trained mainly in madrasahs. Among the spiritual educational institutions, the most famous in the short run were the madrasahs in Kazan – Muhammadia and Marjani, in Ufa – Galiya and Usmania, in Orenburg – Khusainiya and in Troitsk – Rasuliya. In this material, we will speak in detail about the history of the Galiya madrasah, which played an important role in the popularization of Islamic education.
A separate red brick building with a beautiful four-pitched roof was erected for the madrasah. The main building has only a couple of floors, while the adjoining annex is a three-storey building. The windows on the ground floor are rectangular, and the windows on the upper floor have a more interesting onion shape. It is noteworthy that all the existing madrasahs had an impact on the enlightenment of the people, but it is the Galiya madrasah that became a true cultural centre for the local population.
There are three stages in the history of the Galiya madrasah. The first dates from 1906 to 1907. During that period the madrasah was taking shape – the main directions and principles of education were determined and a solid scientific and methodological base was created. The Galiya madrasah differed from traditional madrasahs not only in absolutely new approach to the process of education, including attention to rational knowledge, but also in the meaningful study of Islamic religion by students based on primary sources – the Quran and hadiths. The best teachers of the Volga-Urals region were involved in the teaching process.
The pupils were mainly from bourgeoisie and peasantry. In the new building of the madrasah, three-year preparatory classes and three-year basic classes were opened. The preparatory classes admitted graduates from ordinary madrasahs at the age of 15-45. Students from other cities lived in the madrasah, where they also had three meals a day.
The second stage in the development of the Galiya madrasah refers to the years 1908-1912. The madrasah increasingly developed as a centre of secular education, actively using new methods of teaching, in particular didactic materials. In their free time, students practiced music, visited theatres and attended various hobby clubs. From 1913, the Parlak scientific and literary magazine, edited by Shaikhzada Babich, was published twice a month. Kazakh students published their own magazines – ‘Sadak’ and ‘Shymytyr’, Circassians published ‘Legu’.
All the teachers of the madrasah were distinguished by their excellent professionalism and high level of knowledge. For instance, Gabdullah Shanasi, Khabib Zaini and Mahmud Sataev received their education in Turkey, while Zakar Kadairi, a teacher of the Arabic language, was educated in Egypt. Bashkirs, Tatars, Kazakhs and representatives of other Muslim peoples studied in the madrasah. The madrasah had an excellent rich library, and the classrooms were well-equipped for those times. The curriculum focused on the traditional disciplines: history and philosophy of Islam, interpretation of the Quran, life of Prophet Muhammad, penmanship, as well as languages: Arabic, French, Turkish, Russian, Turkic and Tatar. Unlike other madrasahs, local students studied psychology, pedagogy, logic, music, chemistry, physics and history of Turkic peoples. The teaching level of those subjects coincided with the teaching level at higher educational institutions.
The spirit of freedom prevailed within the walls of the Galiya madrasah. On Thursdays, students gathered for debates, where they discussed political topics, and where literary evenings were held, even outside the madrasah.
The third stage of the madrasah history (this is about 1913-1917) is distinguished by considerable expansion of the secular educational program and development of democratic traditions in education. It was during this period of time when the madrasah became an educational institution, which by the scale of the time was much greater than colleges, schools, and, according to some contemporaries, even than a higher school for Muslims. In 1913, there were 94 students and 20 guest students in the Galiya madrasah, whose national and social structure was rather heterogeneous.
For ten years of madrasah existence (1906-1916) a lot of prominent activists of culture and enlightenment had left its walls: Majit Gafuri, Shaikhzada Babich, Khasan Tufan, Saifi Kudash and others. 250 madrasah graduates became teachers at elementary and secondary schools; over 300 graduates became doctors and engineers, scientists and agronomists.
In March 1919, Ufa was occupied by Kolchak’s troops. At first, barracks were in the madrasah building. However, right before the retreat the Kolchak troops set the building on fire, leaving only a burnt-out framework. In 1919, the Galiya madrasah was transformed into a secular male school for Bashkir and Tatar peoples. Later the restored building housed the boarding school №92.
In January 1989, the Central Spiritual Administration of Muslims of the European part of the USSR and Siberia opened the madrasah named after Rizaeddin ibn Fakhretdin in accordance with the Decree of the Religious Affairs Council of the USSR Government. The madrasah became the first spiritual educational institution opened in the country during the Perestroika period. The first head of the madrasah was Kasym Hazrat Salimov, who invested much labor and his exceptional talent of an educator and organizer into the establishment of that educational institution and its further development.
In January 1989, by the decision of the Presidium of the Ufa City Council, the former building of the Galiya madrasah was transferred to the Russian Islamic University of the Central Spiritual Administration of Muslims of Russia. There are plaques dedicated to Majit Gafuri, Galimjan Ibragimov and Shaikhzada Babich.
Ilmira Gafiyatullina
Photo: Creative Commons