On March 19, 2025, the IX Congress of the Religious Board of Muslims of the Republic of Tatarstan (RBM RT) was held in Kazan. The highlight of the occasion was the election of the Mufti of Tatarstan and the Chief Qazi of Tatarstan. By unanimous decision of the muhtasibats of the republic, Kamil hazrat Samigullin was re-elected to the post of Mufti. Rais of Tatarstan, Chairman of the Group of Strategic Vision “Russia - Islamic World” Rustam Minnikhanov, who took part in the work of the Congress, congratulated Kamil hazrat on his election and wished him further success.
Before the meeting, Rais of Tatarstan inspected the exhibition of the achievements of the RBM RT for the period 2021-2024. The special military operation in Ukraine (SMO), the 1100th anniversary of the adoption of Islam by the Volga Bulgaria, the blockade of Gaza—these and many other events were reflected in the life of the Tatarstan ummah. A real pearl of the exhibition was a sample copy of the handwritten Quran. Kamil Hazrat also presented Rais with mobile mosques for SMO fighters. These vehicles were purchased and re-equipped as part of the charity event “To Batyrs from the Muslims of Tatarstan”.
“Special thanks to the imams and heads of cities and districts for supporting the participants of the SMO and their families. You make a great contribution to this noble cause,” Rais addressed the delegates of the Congress during his speech. Rustam Minnikhanov also presented a number of awards. In particular, the jubilee medal in honor of the 80th anniversary of the Victory was awarded to the imam-khatyb of the Mosque "Hater", veteran of the Great Patriotic War, Haris Salikhovich Salikhov.
In total, 1,520 imams of the republic took part in the congress. Among them was the Chief Qazi of Tatarstan, Jalil Hazrat Fazlyev, who was also re-elected by a unanimous decision of the muhtasibats of the republic. Jalil Hazrat has been in this position for almost 20 years. In his address to the participants of the Congress, he spoke about the work of the Council of Qazies of the RBM RT and also reminded them that the imams of Tatarstan are the face of Islam in the republic. So it is important to maintain piety and demonstrate good behavior both in religious service and in everyday life.
“It is no coincidence that the congress took place during the holy month of Ramadan. Its second decade is coming to an end, during which all our sins are burned away,” noted the special guest of the event, the Supreme Mufti, Chairman of the Central Religious Board of Muslims of Russia, Talgat Tadzhuddin. In his fiery speech, Sheikh-ul-Islam stated that a special military operation is being conducted against the Dajjal, and the real battlefield is our minds and hearts.
“It's enough for Muslims to live in disunity; we need to unite!” Talgat Hazrat called and reminded about the initiative proposed at the conference on intra-Islamic dialogue in Bahrain. Sheikh-ul-Islam, together with the Minister of Religious Affairs of Sudan, advocated the formation of a single organization in the world that could issue fatwas for the entire world. It is symbolic that the session of the Congress began with the recitation of an ayat from the Surah “The Family of Imran”: “Hold fast to the rope of Allah, all together, and do not be divided.” It was read by the imam-mukhtasib of the Zelenodolsk region of Tatarstan Gabdelhamit Zinnatullin.
Education and enlightenment of youth, promotion of a healthy lifestyle among Muslims, improvement of their life activities, preservation of a rich spiritual heritage and religious values, as well as assistance to the participants of the SMO and residents of Gaza. These areas of activity of the RBM RT for 2021-2024 became the topics of the report of Kamil hazrat. According to him, the results of the work done are clearly characterized by the famous hadith: “Appreciate five things until they are replaced by another five: youth – until old age comes, health – until illness comes, wealth – until need comes, free time – until employment comes, life – until death comes.”
“From the very beginning of the partial mobilization in Russia, the RBM RT joined the work to support the participants of the SMO,” noted Kamil Hazrat. Prayer rooms, Sharia consultations, and halal food were organized at the collection points for the mobilized in Kazan. “Following the soldiers, the mosques of the republic also "mobilized",” the mufti continued. With the participation of the muhtasibats of the RBM RT, the dispatch of humanitarian aid to Donbass and the front line in the SMO zone began. Having shown genuine courage, 4 regimental imams went to the front. 27 Hazrats and employees of the RBM RT went to raise the morale of the soldiers on the front line.
“On the eve of the 80th anniversary of the Great Victory, this activity acquires special significance and reminds us of the heroic contribution of Muslims in the Great Patriotic War,” the mufti emphasized and moved on to the topic of youth education. The youth policy of the RBM RT is aimed at educating religious, enlightened, active, and civic-minded young people. The innovation deserves special attention: the muftiate tried to motivate young people to project activities. Thus, 20 youth Muslim startups received grants: IT projects, social videos, various events, and sites.
“Tatarstan has created opportunities for acquiring knowledge about Islam from an early age,” noted Kamil Hazrat. Thanks to the work of private comprehensive schools (“Usmania” in Kazan, “Nur” in Almetyevsk, “Ihsan” in Yelabuga), significant experience has been accumulated for opening a large modern comprehensive Tatar-Muslim school in Kazan. Along with an Orthodox gymnasium and a Jewish school, such an institution should certainly exist in the capital of Tatarstan.
“The Republican madrasahs, Kazan Islamic University, and Russian Islamic Institute graduated 2601 specialists; 25 imams, teachers, and specialists of the RBM RT successfully graduated from the Bulgarian Islamic Academy: seven of them became doctors of Islamic sciences,” Kamil Hazrat reported. At the same time, attention was not left to increasing religious literacy among the population. Four-year courses were organized at 700 mosques, and one of the most successful projects of the RBM RT was implemented: an online madrasah, where 133 thousand people from many regions of Russia, as well as from Kazakhstan, Germany, the USA, Finland, and France studied.
“A strong Muslim is more beloved to Allah than a weak Muslim, although there is good in both…”, Kamil Hazrat recalled the words of the Prophet ﷺ. The sports events organized by the RBM RT not only demonstrate the beauty and power of Islam, but also strengthen interfaith harmony in society. Annual competitions are held in the national Tatar wrestling “koresh” and arm wrestling for the RBM RT Cup, as well as the All-Russian archery tournament “Tugan Batyr”. However, for good health, a Muslim also needs halal food.
“The Halal Standard Committee of the RBM RT is the most principled and strict certification body in Russia in the field of the halal industry,” Kamil Hazrat emphasized and spoke about the expansion of markets for the export of Russian halal products. The Committee also worked on official recognition abroad. The result of the activity was accreditation in the Gulf Accreditation Centre: an organization of the Persian Gulf countries, and in the SANHA (South African National Halaal Authority) organization of the Republic of South Africa.
“When we in the RBM RT talk about wealth, we first of all mean a rich spiritual heritage.” This is how Kamil Hazrat moved on to the topic of the well-being of the Tatar nation. The RBM RT has released an updated edition of an important spiritual value, national pride, and achievement of the Tatars: the mushaf “Kazan Basmasy”.
Another great achievement was the handwritten mushaf. Today the work is complete, and the publication is being prepared for printing. The value of the Kazan handwritten Quran was explained by the world-famous theologian, head of the Commission for the Preparation of the Quran of the Dubai International Prize of the Holy Quran, Sheikh Mamun ar- Ravi: “The uniqueness of this mushaf is that it is written based on 11 sources. This mushaf will become a standard; other mushafs will be written from it.”
“For many years, the location of the last resting place of the great Tatar theologian Musa Bigiyev was unknown,” Kamil Hazrat said in connection with another important event. Thanks to the support of the Rossotrudnichestvo organization in Egypt, Bigiyev's grave is now known for certain, and a memorial plaque has been installed on it. The grave is located in the Al-Qarafa necropolis in Cairo, on the territory of the royal tomb, next to the tomb of Princess Khadija. “This testifies to the greatness of the Tatar scholar,” the mufti emphasized.
An example of the active work of the RBM RT on the preservation and revival of the Tatar theological heritage is the numerous scientific works in the Bulgarian Islamic Academy. Imams and teachers defended 19 masters and doctoral dissertations on this topic. The studies are written in Arabic, which brings the Tatar heritage to the arena of modern global Muslim theology. In addition, scientists and students from all over the world use the free electronic library “Darul-kutub” where the number of digitized ancient theological works has reached 2000 volumes.
“The support of the republican authorities helped Tatarstan become a leader in the development of Islamic banking, and the international economic forum “Russia - Islamic World: KazanForum” also played a role,” noted Kamil Hazrat, listing the achievements of the RBM RT in this area. Among them are the development and Sharia audit of Islamic financial products for Russian financial institutions, as well as the establishment of the first AAOIFI (Accounting and Auditing Organization for Islamic Financial Institutions) examination center in Russia.
“Help to the residents of Gaza from Muslims of Russia will go down in history. Rustam Nurgalievich, thanks to your support, we were able to send 3 planes with 60 tons of humanitarian aid to fellow believers who remained under fire,” Kamil Hazrat warmly thanked Rais of Tatarstan, reporting on the work done in this direction. The Zakat Charitable Foundation of the Muslim Spiritual Directorate of the Republic of Tatarstan raised funds in the amount of 133 million rubles in 2021-2024 to provide assistance to those in need. The “Human Shelter” project is a vivid example of the fact that all muhtasibats of the republic are actively implementing charitable activities.
Muslim infrastructure is actively developing: during the reporting period, 59 new mosques were opened, 6 historical sites were restored with the support of regional authorities, and 15 new buildings and educational centers were built. Kamil Hazrat also noted that the RBM RT has made a lot of efforts so that Muslims can spend their free time usefully: the publishing house “Huzur” has released 354 titles of books, and the TV channel “Huzur TV” began to broadcast in 14 regions of Russia.
Convicted Muslims deserve special attention. In Tatarstan, mosques and prayer rooms have been established in all pretrial detention centers and correctional colonies; imams are working; questionable religious literature has been confiscated; and libraries of verified books have been collected by the Huzur Publishing House – this is a unique experience for Russia.
“Muslims of Tatarstan are increasingly traveling to the holy lands of Mecca and Medina to perform pilgrimage,” said Kamil Hazrat. “RBM RT Hajj” is the only official operator that organizes hajj and umrah within the framework of the Hanafi madhhab.
The mufti wished to conclude his speech with an ayat from the Surah Ibrahim: “And your Lord declared, ‘If you are grateful, I will increase you. But if you are ungrateful, then My punishment is severe.’”
“The Muslims of Tatarstan should certainly be happy about how Islam is flourishing in our republic. We have a believer and a strong leader - Rais; there are great scholars and conscientious hazrats; Kazan is recognized as a Muslim center; all the opportunities for observing the halal way of life have been created,” concluded Kamil hazrat.
Also, during the Congress, the delegates were presented with the report of the Central Audit Commission of the RBM RT, and amendments to the Charter of the RBM RT were approved. The Congress ended with a collective prayer: 1520 imams of Tatarstan performed asr following the Mufti of the Republic, Kamil hazrat Samigullin. After that, all delegates took part in the XIII Republican Iftar.