The Conception of Islamic Thought, Enlightenment And Reform in Azerbaijan, at the Beginning of the XX. Century

Abstract

The beginning of the XX. century is the period of development of science and culture with the participation of the local intelligentsia in Azerbaijan, which was under Russian occupation. One of the main features of the period was giving importance to the religious enlightenment as a part of national and religious development. Russia saw the modern education of Moslems and religious education as a source of danger, did not help financially, therefore Moslem religious schools were deprived of the new development. The Moslem religious schools, the main educational institutions of the period, had already its public function problem, some Azerbaijani intellectuals saw the old religious schools and the ignorant religious figures as a reason of the national and religious problems, criticized them and proposed to reform them for salvation of the nation. For example, famous Islamite journalists and writers of the period Ahmed bey Agaoglu and Ali bey Huseynzade, some religios figures, Mir Muhammad Karim Mir Jafarzade al-Bakuvi, Abu Turab Akhundzade, Akhund Molla Ruhullah, Akhund Yusuf Talibzade, Huseyn Efendi Qayibov, Abdus Salam Akhundzade, Muhammad Hasan Movlazade Shakavi, the businessmen such as Haji Zeynalabdin Taghiyev, were complaining from the same problems. All the intellectuals, that we gave the examples from their works, have made items attaching importance of education and religious reforms first of all for rescue intellectuals in Russia, have investigated this subject in works and showed the solution ways.