Who is behind the murder of Sheikh Said Afandi of Chirkey? Who was Said Afandi for the North Caucasus.
In Dagestan, the most significant and most serious in terms of possible military and political consequences, the murder of a religious figure in all the post-Soviet years took place.
“A woman entered the sheikh's house. She was young, beautiful and pregnant, so the guards did not search her. Entering inside, she sat opposite the sheikh.
I am Russian, I want to convert to Islam,” the woman said calmly.
Well, very well,” replied the Sheikh. At that moment there was an explosion.
fashionable, but modest dress hid not the unborn child, but the belt of the suicide bomber. 7 people were killed: the 75-year-old sheikh himself, his 57-year-old wife, students, among those killed was a 12-year-old boy who came to the priest's house with his parents. Several other parishioners were also injured in the explosion. They were taken to the hospital. The suicide bomber was a grown woman.” Subsequently, the name of the killer was also reported - this is a resident of Makhachkala Aminat Kurbanova, nee Alla Saprykina. A Russian who converted to Islam, the widow of three Mujahideen.
We are talking about death around 16:50 Moscow time. time on August 28, 2012, Sheikh Said Afandi of Chirkey, the most influential Sufi sheikh in the Caucasus, ustaz of the Naqshbandi and Shazali tarikats.
The significance of this murder for Dagestan and the Muslims of the Caucasus in general, both North and South, can be compared with the significance of the murder of the Pope for Christian Europe. Just not the modern Pope. And the Popes of the sixteenth century, the era of the Reformation. When the head of the Roman Catholic Church had real political and economic power, and the Western Christian world itself was split by a confessional war. And for some, the Pontifex was the vicegerent of God on Earth, and for others - a heretic and viceroy of Hell.
Sheikh Said Afandi al-Chirkawi or Chirkeysky (passport name Said Abdurakhmanovich Atsaev) was an Avar by nationality (this is the most numerous people of modern Dagestan). Born and lived in Chirkey, Buynaksky district. He was orphaned at the age of seven, from the 7th grade he worked as a shepherd, after the army - a fireman, at the age of 32 he began to thoroughly study the tarikat and get acquainted with the works of leading Sufi sheikhs. Ijaza (the right to have his murids-disciples) received in the early 1980s. from Meseyasul Muhammad al-Khuchadi from the village. Nechaevka, Kizilyurtovsky district. Soon the sheikh gained phenomenal influence. According to Islamic experts, he knew Arabic only moderately, but he wrote poems and articles in Avar. According to connoisseurs, his works testify to an outstanding literary talent.
By the beginning of the 90s, he became the most authoritative spiritual leader of Dagestan. The main and still not fully reflected achievement of the deceased is that he managed to conclude an unspoken "Islamic concordat" with the authorities of the republic, to practically take control of the entire religious life Dagestan and provide big influence to secular politics.
The apparatus of the formally secular Russian Dagestan began to be used to spread the ideas, influence and principles of the Nashkbadiyya and Shaziliyya tarikats, which were represented by the sheikh. In Chechnya, the same process was openly initiated in the interests of the Qadiriyya tariqa by the hereditary Qadiriyya sheikh Akhmad Kadyrov (and then continued by members of his family, the most publicly known of them is Ramzan Kadyrov).
Quite quickly, secular Chechnya managed to turn into a state of political Islam of the Qadiriyya tarikat.
But in Dagestan, for some reason, this process did not go so smoothly. Said-Afandi managed to subjugate secular power and other Sufi sheikhs to his influence, however, the “Sufiization” of Dagestan ran into resistance from a noticeable part of Muslims who did not accept Sufism, some for theoretical and theological reasons, some because of its social practice, which in post-Soviet conditions accepted sometimes ugly forms. They united around a competing project - Salafi, "pure Islam", or, as it is commonly called in Russia - Wahhabism. A real civil war unfolded between them, in which one side - the Sufis - enjoy the support of the Russian state.
The Sheikh held no formal posts. However, in reality, since the first half of the 1990s, he controlled the Spiritual Administration of Muslims of the Republic of Dagestan (DUMRD), where all significant positions were occupied by his murids. This is one of the important centers of power, through which large financial resources also pass (only the total profit from organizing a large hajj reaches 10-15 million dollars annually). The sheikh exerted influence on the government of the republic, the number of his murids (direct students who are in constant contact with the teacher and unquestioningly follow his instructions in any area - both spiritual and secular) ten years ago totaled 10 thousand, today, according to various estimates, from 20 to 30 thousand people. Among these murids there are high-ranking officials, security officials and big businessmen. And not only in Dagestan and other regions of the Russian Federation, but also in Azerbaijan. The sheikh's murid was, for example, the Minister of Internal Affairs of Dagestan, Adilgerey Magomedtagirov, who was shot in June 2009. The head of the republic, Magomedsalam Magomedov, and other leaders also went to the sheikh's house for advice. And for, probably, half of the practicing and not very Muslims of Dagestan - non-Wahhabis, he was just a spiritual leader and authority.
Sheikh was buried in accordance with the canons of Islam on the day of death before sunset. More than 100 thousand people came to the cemetery in his ancestral village of Chirkey, Bainaksky district (the population of Dagestan is slightly less than 3 million).
That murder will have the most serious consequences– is already clear.
But what exactly, how much and what kind of blood will be shed now - the answer to this question depends on another answer: Who did it? Here is the main question today.
The President, the People’s Assembly and the government of the Republic of Dagestan made a statement in which they clearly allude to “Wahhabis”: “The ideologists of terrorism are mortally afraid of such people, who are trying to replace true spiritual values with propaganda of false and misanthropic ideas.”
Four hours after the assassination, an emergency meeting of the Republic's Security Council was held under the leadership of the President of Dagestan, Magomedsalam Magomedov.
At it, M. Magomedov suggested organizing self-defense detachments to punish “these bandits”, by which, obviously, “Wahhabis” were meant: “I think that today we will make a decision in every city, in every district to organize self-defense detachments, squads from young people who are ready, under the guidance and together with the internal affairs agencies, to work to ensure security, to punish these bandits and terrorists. This is an instruction to all heads of cities and regions. Everything that is necessary for this - organizationally and financially - we must do. We must find both money and everything necessary for this,” the President said.
The authorities are clearly trying to get their own benefit from this terrorist attack. The creation of "teams", in fact, is the creation of a new power structure, and a very serious structure deployed "in all cities and regions", which, apparently, will be personally subordinate to the president. How can she help in the fight against the secret urban underground and the forest partisan detachments, with which all the country's special services, along with the regular army, are unsuccessfully fighting? No way. But its usefulness is obvious as an instrument of influence on the masses of the population and a personal power resource of the incumbent president. The question of whom Magomedsalam Magomedalievich Magomedov is going to use it against is certainly interesting, but deserves separate consideration.
So the very first answer to the question "Who?", It would seem, suggests itself:
A). Dagestan local government. Very quickly, already four hours after the explosion, the authorities began to work out a terrorist attack. (The sheikh was killed either at 16:30 or 16:50, different official reports give different numbers, and the emergency meeting of the Security Council began at about 21).
However, I think that it should still be ruled out, the likelihood of this scenario, as well as the likelihood of others versions from the same circle
b). An attempt to sit the incumbent president.
V). The struggle for the redistribution of money for the Hajj.
- close to zero
I agree with Konstantin Kazenin: “The assassination of Said Efendi will surely lead to attempts to provoke a serious confrontation along this line, that is, to involve thousands and thousands of believers in confusion. Given the growing social role Islam in Dagestan, such a result would be disastrous for the region as a whole.
At first glance, the beneficiaries of such a development of events will be the opponents and competitors of the current head of Dagestan. But I would not look for customers among them: it is very difficult to assume that one of them would want to lead the region if they first manage to launch the scenario just described in it.
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G).Foreign intelligence services: Israel - USA - England - KSA - Pakistan - Turkey - Georgia, these are the main candidates. I also consider the probability of this version to be close to zero. First, because none of them is interested in blowing up the region. Secondly, because they are unlikely to have enough operational capabilities to carry out such an operation without the risk that their Russian colleagues will present irrefutable evidence of their participation, with all the ensuing diplomatic and personnel consequences. No government will take that risk. Iran not on this list, we will talk about it separately.
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e). "Forest".
At first glance, it seems to be the most probable one, and it is this one that the authorities are already voicing.
As I said above, the president of Dagestan pointed to the "Wahhabis" as early as four hours after the attack, when he could not yet have any information from the investigation.
The Ministry of Internal Affairs of Dagestan the next day declared the perpetrators of the "ideologists of terrorism" and "extremists" who were "mortally afraid" of the deceased.
The Civic Chamber of the Russian Federation, a body, albeit unconstitutional and with an incomprehensible status, but close to the current government, represented by its Working Group on the Development of Public Dialogue and Institutions civil society in the Caucasus” (headed by Maxim Shevchenko) already on the day of the terrorist attack accused the leadership of the Caucasus Emirate of organizing it: “Those who sent the “live bomb” are most likely a bandit – Doku Umarov.”
Indeed, the sheikh was the main ideological opponent of the "Wahhabis", and many security officials and officials who fought with them were murids or admirers of Said Afandi.
However, on closer examination, this version has significant disadvantages.
The Ministry of Internal Affairs is clearly disingenuous, saying that the "Wahhabis" were "mortally afraid" of the murdered man. Since the end of 2010, a process of national dialogue has been going on in Dagestan between two warring Islamic movements, one of the initiators and pillars of which was the exploded sheikh.
negotiation process in Lately was clearly approaching success, the media controlled by the Spiritual Administration of Muslims of the Republic of Dagestan (and, therefore, Said-Afandi) lowered the intensity of anti-Wahhabi rhetoric. The legal wing of the Salafists has not only been completely legalized and does not encounter obstacles in its activities, but is included in the ruling establishment. One of its leaders, Abbas Kebedov (brother of the founder and leader of the Dagestan Salafi podoli, Bagaudin Kebedov, who is wanted) received official status, now he is a member of the Public Chamber of the Republic of Dagestan, a member of the Commission for Assistance in Adapting to Peaceful Life to Persons Who Decided to Stop Terrorist and Extremist Activities in territory of the RD.
All this was, of course, beneficial to the Salafists, because. allowed them to propagate their version of Islam unhindered. In neighboring Chechnya, Salafi in any form is simply banned. And in Dagestan, Salafism began the process of penetrating into power in order to use at least part of the capacity of the state apparatus in their own interests. Sufism, exhausted by years of war of annihilation, went to the point of "sharing" power.
On the other hand, it is obvious to everyone that if the “forest”, the military wing of the Salafis, are really guilty of this murder, a total attack on them is inevitable. At the same time, the authorities will receive unprecedented support from the population of Dagestan. Not only absolutely all the followers and sympathizers of "traditional Islam" will oppose them with zeal; Sufism, a significant part of the "non-aligned", but also a certain part of the supporters of Wahhabism. “Wahhabism” is not ready for such a total offensive, and it does not need it.
Abbas Kebedov and the organization "Ahl Sunnah", which unites religious figures standing on the positions of Salafi, published sympathetic condolences.
None of the representatives of the Wahhabi base did not take responsibility for the attack.
The websites of the Emirate, including Kavkaz-Center, limited themselves to moderate-toned information about the terrorist act, taken from Russian sources.
“The official website of Vilayat Dagestan VDagestan.com” published on August 28, 2012 “Statement of the website editors regarding the murder of Said Afandi”:
“We urge Muslims, as well as the entire public, not to jump to conclusions about who is the initiator and who is really behind the explosion in Chirkei and the murder of Said Afandi. We have no information that the Mujahideen are taking responsibility for these events.
We want to emphasize that Jihad has been going on in Dagestan for more than 12 years, and all this time the Mujahideen have not made a single attempt on Said Afandi, although all this time they could easily have killed him.”
However, all of the above does not yet serve as evidence of the non-involvement of the "Wahhabis".
The editors of VDagestan.com are located abroad and at the time of the publication of the statement clearly had no connection with the militants operating in the Caucasus.
"Legal Salafiya" can't order anything "illegal". It is quite possible that the militants had their own point of view on the negotiation process with "traditional Islam" and on the role of the Sheikh of Chirkey in it. That the combat wing is more radical than the legal wing is a commonplace in the history of various guerrilla movements. Moreover, in any case, reconciliation with the Sufis was forced, in “traditional Islam” and personally in the sheikh, the Salafists continued to see both their ideological opponent and the person largely responsible for the repressions carried out against them.
Three weeks before the attack, on August 6, 2012, Amir of the Caucasus Emirate Dokku Abu Usman (Dokku Umarov) appointed a new commander of the Dagestan Front of the Armed Forces of the Caucasus Emirate, Amir of Dagestan - Abu Muhammad. Maybe this operation is his “taking office”. The special services, through the Kommersant newspaper, threw this version into the press: “As it became known to Kommersant, the former amir of the Kadar gang Rustam Aselderov is suspected of organizing the explosion, the victim of which was the most famous theologian in Dagestan, Sheikh Said Afandi Chirkeysky. Celebrating his appointment as the leader of the North Caucasian militants, Doku Umarov, the amir of the Dagestan vilayat, he sent a suicide bomber, 30-year-old Aminat Saprykina, to the sheikh.
In general, there are few good tacticians among the operational leadership of the Mujahideen in the Caucasus, and after the assassination of Anzor Astemirov there were no good strategists at all. But there are enough stubborn and politically short-sighted dogmatists.
Finally, the order to destroy could have been given, even over the head of Dokka Umarov, and Al-Qaeda. She could consider that the brightly burning hotbed of war in the Caucasus is more in line with today's goals of the "Global Jihad".
The only instance that could bring clarity is the “Command of the Dagestan Front of the Armed Forces of the Caucasus Emirate”, located in the Caucasus, but it is still silent.
However, the Dagestan militants, unlike other “fronts”, for some reason do not always publish a complete list of their actions.
This silence can also be caused by the fact that after the operation, all of it was explained to the “forest” possible consequences. And the command of the militants decided not to take responsibility, which is quite in the customs of "world jihad".
The identity of the suicide bomber also speaks in favor of the responsibility of the "forest". The first husband of Alla-Aminat Saprykina-Kurbanova was Marat Kurbanov, Amir of Makhachkala. Becoming an adherent of Wahhabism, she was married four times, all husbands occupied important posts in the skirts, three were liquidated by the security forces. She herself was involved in the recruitment and training of suicide bombers.
That is, the attack was committed not by a lone novice, but by a person from the leadership of the skirts and, therefore, sanctioned by him.
However, this proof has one flaw.
The death of Saprykina was already reported on May 5, 2012. Then a police post was blown up in Makhachkala, and "according to the preliminary version, suicide bomber Muslimat Aliyeva and recruiter Kurbanova were killed in the car." Another report about the explosion that took place in Makhachkala in early May, however, stated that "The identity of their recruiter Aminat Kurbanova has not yet been confirmed." However, there were no denials about the death of Saprykina-Kurbanova. Most likely, the authorities simply did not bother to do this. Now the message is that The woman who blew herself up in the house of Sheikh Said-Apandi has been officially identified as 30-year-old Kurbanova (Saprykina) Aminat Andreevna,” appeared on the website of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Dagestan.
Looks like the incident is over. But, as they say, "the sediment remained", and it is impossible to be completely sure that it was Saprykina-Kurbanova who blew up the sheikh.
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Russian authorities. No matter how terrible it sounds, but in the modern Russian Federation such an assumption does not seem absurd. On the contrary, I think that most of the inhabitants of Dagestan share exactly this view of what happened. Moreover, the authorities are not united, different groups are pursuing different policies. This may not be a decision of Moscow at all, but of Pyatigorsk (hardly) or Rostov (more likely). "Moscow" as a center of power is also not united.
1). Those who did this profess the theory of "managed crisis".
2). They are afraid that the United Dagestan will overthrow the Russian authorities.
3). They think that if Civil War weakens in Dagestan, then the Mujahideen will seriously take on the federals in Dagestan and other regions in the North Caucasus. Now the vast majority of the victims are "local", which the center "does not feel sorry for." But if the militants cross into central Russia, then, in the opinion of these people, the most terrible thing will happen. Tatarstan reinforced these fears and pushed for “active measures”.
The following glaring fact attracts attention: Recently, almost all those prominent representatives who advocated reconciliation between “Wahhabis” and “Sufis” have been killed – both from the side of “traditional Islam” and from the side of the Salafis. Sheikh Murtazali Dagistani, mufti, prof. Maksud-haji Sadikov, Sufi sheikh Sirajudin Khuriksky, Mufti Ismail Bostanov (Islamic Institute, Karachay-Cherkessia), Gitinomagomed Abdulgapurov, imam of the central mosque of Buynaksk ...
Sheikh Said Afandi, as has already been said, lately restrained his murids from clashes with the "forest".
Most likely, these murders “fit into the system, and behind them are those who want to destabilize the situation, and who have now decided that it’s enough just to “rock the boat” – it’s time to turn it over.
It is noteworthy that according to the Kommersant newspaper, which, citing a “law enforcement source”, published exclusive information about the attack: “The authorities in Dagestan are already saying that numerous murids (disciples) of the late sheikh can be assigned to self-defense units, which are already ready to take up arms to avenge the death of their spiritual leader».
The question of how the murids of the sheikh, united in self-defense units, will be able to find the organizers of the terrorist attack, who are unsuccessfully searched for best forces all the country's special services, "a source in law enforcement agencies" did not disclose. As a question, who specifically are going to take revenge on these "numerous" detachments. After all, it is obvious that the victims of the vengeance of "numerous detachments" should also be numerous.
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h).Iran.
IN last years there is an ever-increasing penetration of Iran into the North Caucasus. “Shiite expansion, backed by Iran, is growing in the southern and other regions of Dagestan. I heard information that Iran is trying to strengthen Shiite positions in Dagestan: it is importing literature by trucks, maintaining close ties with local politicians, buying land in the coastal strip and already, as it were, is stepping outside the traditional habitat of Shiism in the south of Dagestan, ”said in an interview“ Echo of the Caucasus” local expert Ruslan Kurbanov.
1000 people from Dagestan received free education last year in the main Shiite center - the city of Qom in Iran, the same thing is happening this year.
At the same time, the spread of Sunnism is being blocked in Azerbaijan.
It is practiced by the Dagestanis living there, but the position of the Sunnis is rather complicated. Sheikh Said Afandi has been declared persona non grata in Azerbaijan for many years. Zagatala and Belokan, located on the territory of Azerbaijan, are inhabited by big number his murids.
The North Caucasus is seen as a lost, but requiring return, sphere of influence of Shiism. Dagestan fell into the sphere of political influence of Safavid Persia at the beginning of the 16th century. In 1606, Shah Abbas I occupied Derbent, and from that time on, continuous conquest campaigns of the Shiites began in the depths of Dagestan. The main thing is that it is strategically important for Iran to gain a foothold in the North Caucasus in the perspective of the Shiite-Sunni war flaring up more and more on a global scale and the approaching End of Days.
Iranian activity in Dagestan encounters organized resistance from both the Sufis and the Wahhabis. On August 18, in Khasavyurt, parishioners of a Shiite mosque were spread out from machine guns, one was killed and eight were wounded.
So in peaceful Dagestan, the chances of spreading the influence of Shiism are small. It's a different matter in burning Dagestan...
I would estimate the probability of these versions as follows:
50% - Russian authorities; 40% forestry (either a purely local initiative or an order from al-Qaeda); 10% - Iran.
In any case, Dagestan is waiting for a period of increasing instability.
Among other things, this will lead to an increase in the emigration of Dagestanis to Russia and an increase in interethnic tension there.
“Will the day come when the Angel of Death will come for Dagestan”? - exclaimed a couple of years ago one of the spiritual leaders of the republic, saying that in recent years, as a result of the armed struggle of "Wahhabis" and "tarikatists", about three thousand Dagestanis died.
Over the past short time, the number of those killed has increased by perhaps another thousand.
Perhaps this day came on August 28, 2012 at 16:30 in the village of Chirkey, Buynaksky district. The angel of death came for Dagestan.
The spiritual leader of Dagestan, 74-year-old Sufi sheikh Saida Affandi al-Chirkawi, died at the hands of a suicide bomber. His wife and five other people, including a 12-year-old child, died with him. Three more people were injured. A day of mourning has been declared in Dagestan. The investigation believes that a radical Wahhabi underground is behind the attack.
Said Abdurakhmanovich Atsaev, known in the Muslim world as Sheikh Said Afandi al-Chirkawi (Chirkey), lived in the Avar village of Chirkey near Buynaksk. On Tuesday, August 28, a woman entered his house under the guise of a pilgrim and did not arouse the suspicions of the guards. She approached the Sheikh almost closely and set off the explosive device attached to her.
The suicide bomber's head was blown off by an explosion, but law enforcement agencies quickly identified her. The terrorist turned out to be the so-called "black widow" Aminat Kurbanova, nee Alla Saprykina, born in 1982. She married a Wahhabi Muslim and converted to Islam herself. In 2012, her husband was killed during a special operation.
Kurbanova has been on the wanted list since spring. According to operational data, she was part of a group of five suicide bombers trained to carry out terrorist attacks. Two women were detained on the eve of May Day holidays in North Ossetia. And on May 3, in the suburbs of Makhachkala, brother and sister Alieva, aged 23 and 19, blew themselves up at a checkpoint, respectively. 12 people were killed, more than a hundred were injured.
After the terrorist attack in Makhachkala, there were suggestions that Kurbanova herself was not a suicide bomber, but was only recruiting terrorists. There were suggestions that she herself accidentally died during the self-explosion of the Aliyevs. In addition, in May it was destroyed field commander Hussein Mamaev, who was considered the organizer of the terrorist attack and whose group allegedly trained the suicide bombers. Perhaps, all this together calmed the special services and the intensity of the search for Kurbanova decreased.
The murder of Said Chirkeysky was the most resonant attempt on a religious figure in Dagestan. Although Muslim clerics in the republic often become victims of extremists, attacks on spiritual leaders of this magnitude have not yet happened. Said Chirkeysky was a spiritual leader, whose opinion was listened to by believers. Among his murids are many big businessmen and influential officials. Said Afandi did not hold any official posts, but his murid is the mufti of the Spiritual Board of Muslims of Dagestan.
The biography of Sheikh Said Afandi al-Chirkawi was quite ordinary up to a certain point. He studied at a Soviet school, worked as a shepherd on a collective farm, served in the army, and was a firefighter at the Chirkey hydroelectric power station. However, at the age of 32, he left his job and devoted himself entirely to the study of the Koran and the works of spiritual mentors. After graduating from only 7 classes, he read a lot of literature and wrote his works on theology in verse, arousing the admiration of those who read them, including Rasul Gamzatov. Over time, the sheikh became the head of two Sufi tariqats, Nakshbandi and Shaziliyya, which form the basis of the Islamic tradition traditional for Dagestan. Another tarikat - Qadiriyya - has become widespread in neighboring Chechnya. Since the sheikh has not officially appointed a successor for himself, the succession of spiritual authority is now interrupted.
Sheikh Said Afandi al-Chirkawi, who died a martyr's death, attempted to establish a dialogue with the leaders of the Salafi communities in order to prevent their further radicalization. He categorically condemned from the theological positions those who commit crimes in the name of faith.
The offensive of extremists against traditional Islam in recent years has been carried out on all fronts. In Dagestan in October 2011, another Sufi sheikh, Sirazhutdin Khuriksky, who had the greatest influence in the south of Dagestan, was shot dead. The murders of the mufti of Kabardino-Balkaria Anas Pshikhachev, the deputy mufti of Stavropol Kurman Ismailov, the rector of the Dagestan Institute of Theology Maksud Sadikov and the attempt on the life of the mufti of Tatarstan Ildus Fayzov are in the same row.
The death of Said Chirkeysky caused a real shock in Dagestan. Almost a hundred thousand people from all over the republic came to say goodbye to the sheikh. They are shocked and indignant at the murder of their beloved spirit guide. The head of the republic, Magomedsalam Magomedov, called an emergency meeting of the Security Council, at which he demanded law enforcement find and destroy the organizers of the terrorist attack. An unprecedented decision of its kind was also made to create self-defense detachments of young people in cities and districts, which would be engaged in the fight against the Wahhabi underground.
The Wahhabis have also mastered such a method of terror as the introduction of their supporters into military bases. Almost simultaneously with the murder of the sheikh, reports came that in another part of the republic, on the border with Azerbaijan, a contract border guard opened fire on fellow security forces. The victims were two servicemen of the internal troops and five employees of SOBR from Altai Territory sent to Dagestan. The Wahhabi was killed by return fire. The competent authorities had information about the connection of Sergeant Ramazan Aliyev with the Wahhabis and he was transferred to a job not related to military operations - to the logistics department. Nevertheless, he continued to go on guard with a machine gun assigned to him. And that day he was also on duty.
"The murder of Sheikh Said Afandi of Chirkeysky is another inhuman and cynical crime against the spiritual authorities of our society, courageous and outstanding personalities, who today are moral guidelines for all Dagestanis," the republic's leadership said in a statement. "The ideologists of terrorism are mortally afraid of such people who are trying to replace true spiritual values with propaganda of false and misanthropic ideas."
"Sheikh Said Afandi of Chirkey enjoyed unquestioned authority in the republic and beyond its borders," the statement says. "His wise word for many years served as a spiritual enlightenment of society, guided the path of peace and harmony, instructed young people to follow the highest moral values of Islam, Dagestan culture , the humanistic traditions of our peoples. He was believed, trusted, thousands of people followed his advice and teaching." Sheikh Said Afandi "firmly stood on the positions of mercy, kindness, non-violence, condemned radicalism in views and actions, openly spoke out against extremism and terrorism."
The authorities of Dagestan stressed that "everything will be done necessary measures so that the criminals get what they deserve." "The criminals will not be able to split Dagestan, destroy our unity, sow fear and hatred in the Dagestan land, where representatives of the different peoples, religions, cultures. The authoritative word of the spiritual leaders of Dagestan will live on in the deeds of their numerous followers.
This year, 2012, at the very end of the summer on August 28, an attempt was made on Said Afandi al-Chirkawi. The attack took place in the village of Chirkey. Said Afandi al-Chirkawi was the greatest scientist of our time, sheikh of the Shazali and Naqshbandi tarikats. Said Afandi al-Chirkawi became a martyr and moved to Ahirat as a Muslim, may Allah give him an easy grave!
The venerable sheikh was born in 1937 in the same village of Chirkei, in which he was attacked. He was born in the village of Abdurrahman.
The time of his birth was the time when clouds were gathering over the entire Muslim world, and Islam in particular. Enemies of religion destroyed hundreds and thousands of scholars of Islam, during that period Muhammad Yasubi and Hasan-afandi were killed. And it was during this period, by the command of Allah, Said Afandi al-Chirkawi was born.
From the words of the narrators, we know that his birth took place on the night when the fate of a person is determined. On this very great night, the future sheikh of two madhhabs, Said Afandi al-Chirkawi, was born. And, by the will of Almighty Allah, many murids found true happiness from one communication with him.
On the occasion of the birth of his son, Said's father read "Ya-sin" three times, after which he turned to Allaz with a request that the boy walk confidently and firmly along the path of Islam, asked Him that Said become a Scientist and teach a new generation Islam, and did not let the light of the True Religion die out in this dark time for her.
And that night the prayer of Father Said was accepted.
The mother of the future sheikh, Aisha later spoke more than once about strange dreams that visited her while she carried her son in the womb. She dreamed that he, together with the cradle, was flying to the sky, and from there he was watching the cities that looked like giant anthills. In addition, after the birth of Said Afandi al-Chirkawi, she said that the birth process itself was completely painless for her.
Said's father, putting his son into the cradle, recited Surah Al-Fatiha in his ear. The son listened to him most attentively, looking into his father's eyes. His father noticed his good disposition, which began to manifest itself from the very first months of his life, and therefore he often said that a good person would grow out of his son.
Indeed, since childhood, Said had wise, special dreams. Said from an early age was very peaceful, calm and patient. Even the most cocky of the cocky guys were afraid to quarrel with him. He did not cause anger or anger in anyone.
Once, on one of the streets of his village, he was met by women returning from the collective farm garden. They offered him a bunch of grapes, but Said Afandi al-Chirkawi unexpectedly refused it. Later, when asked why he did not take a handful of grapes, Said replied that it would be haram.
And one day, when he returned from Gelbach, where he went for wheat, he took off his shoes and saw in them a few grains that got there by accident. As soon as he noticed them, he immediately began to prepare for the return trip, despite the fact that it was night outside, and the path was not very close. Relatives barely kept him from this act.
Throughout his life, Said Afandi al-Chirkawi was respectful to the elders, and treated the younger ones with affection and kindness. He did not like disputes that could later lead to conflict, and he always yielded to a person even if he himself was right.
Said Afandi al-Chirkawi has always been a modest and respectable person. He was a stranger to glory. Also, if he gave his word to someone, he kept it to the last, without breaking his promise under any circumstances.
His father had a great desire to give his son an education in the field of Islam, however, by the will of Allah Almighty, he suddenly died, mortally ill. It happened when Said Afandi al-Chirkawi was only seven years old. It happened on the very day and hour when Said, while reading the Koran, reached “Ya-sin” - the very sura that his father read three times in honor of his birth.
The boy was left an orphan, but he still read the Koran to the very end - mainly due to the perseverance and support from his mother, Aisha. When he completed the seventh grade, he tended the flocks of rural sheep in order to somehow be able to provide for his family. Later, four years later, he was drafted into the army, where he was appointed as an operator in the air defense forces. He served for three long years, but throughout all the years he did not miss a single prayer, and kept all the prescribed fasts of the month of Ramadan. When Said graduated military service, then returned to his native village, where he worked as a shepherd and led sheep flocks to the mountains. But even there, whatever the weather, he would take Taharat, read the azan, and pray.
There were many wonderful things in his life. But the most amazing thing was his faith - strong as January ice and indestructible as a rock. He was very constant in following the True Path, which was destined for him by Allah.
Remembering his father's desire to see him as an enlightened person, he suffered greatly, realizing that he had not justified his hopes. Whenever his soul was seized by a craving for knowledge, he wept bitterly, standing in front of his herd. He asked, he prayed to Allah to grant him the opportunity to study religious knowledge, but the need to support his family and severe lack of funds forced him to continue working as a shepherd and herding sheep. However, closer to thirty years, he still managed to leave this job forever and continue his studies. And in the same period, something happened that played a decisive role in his fate - he entered the Shazili tarikat.
The scholars of Islam, despite the dangerous time for Islam, taught him the religious sciences. At that time, Said Afandi al-Chirkawi was a mature person, and therefore, competently overcoming all the difficulties that arose, he successfully moved forward, comprehending the religious sciences one by one. From Allah, he was granted such qualities as: a high level of susceptibility, a penetrating and sharp mind, and an excellent memory. Every book that he studied, he later knew as well as if he had written it personally, himself.
Many murshids have already seen his fate. Abdul-Hamid-afandi, a Tariqat sheikh, once asked Murid Muhammad-hadji, son of Shamkhal: “There is a house on the outskirts of your village, a blessed orphan lives in it. Is he well, how is he doing? He asked many Chirkeyans about this. So it was - the house of Said Afandi al-Chirkawi was standing on the very outskirts of the village. Muhammad Arif-afandi often informed the murids who were near him: “The hair of the prophet is kept in Chirkei, my children. One day the day will come and it will become clear to all.
The good nature of Said Afandi al-Chirkawi was one of his best best qualities. He never refused to help anyone. He was a meek and patient man. It happened more than once that even for the construction of his own house, he left in order to solve someone's problem, leaving the already diluted solution to dry.
Together with his fellow villager Abdurrahman, he somehow came to Nechaevka to the mouth of Muhammad Afandi. And the teacher said to him: “My son, Said! My strength is leaving me. I spent a lot of time thinking about who I should make my successor. Your knowledge, deeds have reached perfection, I know that. And now you are my successor, I hand over my affairs to you. Sweat broke out on the forehead of Said Afandi al-Chirkawi, and his eyes filled with tears. He began to ask his ustaz not to entrust this responsible matter to him. But he did not even want to hear about anything like that, and remained adamant. He told Said that mentoring is not given by personal desire, and is not taken back if a person does not want to instruct. This is where it all ended. Said was given the seal of mentoring, along with it a robe, which was passed from ustaz to ustaz.
There were many amazing things in the life of Said Afandi al-Chirkawi! But still, it is his constancy in following the True path that is his biggest and greatest miracle. A huge number of murids came to him for advice. He solved a huge number of very different problems, but no one ever saw Said Afandi al-Chirkawi say even a word that would be contrary to the tariqa and Sharia.
His deep knowledge is evidenced by the books that were written by him in a very short time. The fact that he graduated from only seven classes and spent most his life in the pasture, did not prevent him from writing four books in which he gives Sharia conclusions in poetic form and describes the history of the prophets and religion. To be more precise, he wrote three books in poetic form, the fourth was written by him in usual form. Also, he wrote the fifth book, which is on this moment just getting ready for publication.
This number of works testifies to the size of his religious Knowledge.
The well-known ustaz of the Naqshbandi and Shazili tariqats, the venerable Sheikh Said-Afandi was born in 1937 in the Dagestan village of Chirkey, Buynaksky district, in the family of ‘Abdurrahman. It was a time when clouds gathered over Islam and Muslims: the enemies of Islam destroyed thousands of Islamic scholars (may Allah be pleased with them!), including such famous people like Hasan-afandi and Muhammad Ya'subi. During this difficult period, by the Grace of Allah, a boy was born in the village of Chirkey.
It is said that this happened on the night when the fate of a person is determined. It was on this great night that Said-afandi was born (may Allah exalt him!). By the will of Allah, through communication with him in the future, thousands of murids found true happiness. On such an important occasion, Said's father, after reading Sura "Ya-sin" three times, turned to the Almighty with a request that his son follow the path of Islam with firm steps and never turn away from it, and that he become a scientist who would teach faith to a new generation, for at that time the tendencies hostile to Islam were gaining strength every day.
Indeed, on that night of Laylat al-Bara'a, in the middle of the month of Sha'ban, which is called the month of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him), when the grace and mercy of the Almighty are sent down, Allah heeded the prayer of Father Said-afandi.
Said Afandi's mother, 'Aisha (may Allah have mercy on her), spoke of unusual dreams that she had while she was expecting the birth of her son. She dreamed that she, together with the baby's cradle, took off into the sky and from there looked at the cities lying below, similar to anthills. And she also said that the birth of her son was easy and completely painless for her.
Often the father, putting Said in the cradle, would read Surah Al-Fatiha in his ear, and the son listened attentively, peering at his father. Noticing his good disposition, which manifested itself from the first months of his life, his father said that a special person would grow out of him. Since childhood, Said was an amazingly calm, patient and intelligent boy. The most cocky guys were careful not to quarrel with him or enter into conflicts. He never aroused anger or malice, even from children. As a child, he had special, wise dreams.
Once the women, returning from work from the collective farm garden, met him on one of the streets and offered him a bunch of grapes. But he refused. When this story reached his loved ones, they asked why he did not take it? Said replied that it was unlawful (haram).
Once, returning from the village of Gelbakh, where he went for wheat, Said found in his shoes a few grains that had accidentally fallen into it. Seeing this, he began to get ready for the return trip, arguing that he needed to return to the village, and his family barely kept him, for it was already night in the yard.
Said always treated the elders with great respect, and was kind and affectionate to the younger ones. He never entered into arguments with anyone that led to conflicts, and even when someone was wrong, he always conceded.
Said Afandi (may Allah be pleased with him!) is a venerable and modest person who is alien to the pursuit of glory and never breaks his promise.
Said-afandi's father had a great desire to give his son an Islamic education. But he died of a sudden illness (may Allah rest his soul in Paradise!), when Said was seven years old. It happened on that day and hour when the boy, reading the Koran, reached the Surah Ya-sin.
Left an orphan, thanks to the support and perseverance of his mother, the boy completed the reading of the Koran, despite all the difficulties. At the end of the seventh grade, he had to tend the rural flocks of sheep in order to provide for his family. Four years later, he was drafted into the ranks of the Armed Forces, where he served as an operator in the air defense forces. For three years in the army, overcoming all the hardships of that time, he did not miss any prayers or fasts and did not eat illicit meat. After graduating from military service and returning to his native village, Said was again forced to work as a shepherd, taking flocks of sheep to the mountains. But even there, in the mountains, in any weather - blizzard, snow, rain or wind - every time he performed ablution, he himself pronounced the adhan (call to prayer) and performed namaz.
There are many surprising things in the life of Said-afandi. However, his biggest miracle (karama) is istikama - his constancy in following the True Path, ordained by Allah.
During all these years, he suffered greatly, remembering his father's desire to see him as a person educated in Islam. Every time love and thirst for knowledge suddenly seized him, he wept bitterly, standing in front of the herd, and asked Allah for help to grant him religious knowledge. However, the disadvantage material resources and the need to maintain a family forced him to remain a shepherd. Closer to thirty years, he left this job and continued his studies. During this period, an event occurred that became decisive in his fate - he embarked on the path of the Shazili tarikat.
Fortunately, despite the difficult and dangerous time, the scholars of Islam, Haji, the son of Yakub, and Haji, the son of Patal, taught him the religious sciences. At that time, Said was already a mature person, and, overcoming all difficulties, relying on the great abilities received from the Almighty, he successfully moved towards the intended goal, quickly and confidently moving forward in the comprehension of religious sciences. Thanks to the sharp and penetrating mind, receptivity, excellent memory that were granted to him by Allah, he knew any book he studied, as if he himself were its author.
Many Murshids foresaw his future fate. So, the Tariqat sheikh Abdul-Hamid-afandi from the village of Inkho asked his murid from Chirkey Muhammad-hadji, the son of Shamkhal: “There is a house on the edge of your village where a blessed orphan lives. How is he doing?. They say he asked many Chirkeyans about it. In fact, it was true: the house of Said-afandi was located on the outskirts of the countryside. Muhammad Arif-afandi often said to his murids: “In Chirkei, my children, the hair of the Prophet is kept; the day will come and it will become clear to all".
One of the best qualities of Said-afandi is his good nature. He never refused to help anyone. He is a patient and meek person. It happened more than once that, having begun the construction of his house, he left to solve human problems, postponing work and leaving the solution to dry.
Once, together with fellow villager ‘Abdurrahman, the son of ‘Ali, he came to the village of Nechaevka to his ustaz Muhammad-afandi. The teacher told him: “Said, my son, my strength is leaving me. I thought a lot about whom to leave after me and, absorbed in thoughts, began to ask Allah to reveal to me the name of the one who would become my successor. I know that your knowledge and deeds have reached perfection. Now I give permission to you, from now on you will have to handle this case.. Said-afandi's eyes filled with tears, sweat broke out on his face, and he began to ask his ustaz not to entrust such a responsible matter to him. However, the ustaz did not even want to hear such speeches, saying that permission for mentoring (ijaza) is not given according to someone's personal desire and is not taken away if someone does not want to instruct people. But it didn't end there either. Qutb from Batlukh Muhammad, the son of Sa'adu-haji, sent ustaz Muhammad-afandi together with Khasmuhammad to Chirkei to convey the command (amr) to the guidance of Said-afandi. Together with the command, they brought him the seal of mentorship and a robe (khirka), which is passed from ustaz to ustaz along the chain (silsila).
There are many surprising things in the life of Said-afandi. However, his biggest miracle (karama) is istikama - his constancy in following the True Path, ordained by Allah. Despite the huge number of murids who come to him for advice, and the fact that he has to solve various kinds of problems, no one has ever heard or seen him say even a word or commit any deed that is contrary to Sharia and Tariqa .
The books written by him in a short time testify to the abilities and deep knowledge of Said-afandi. A person who has completed only seven classes, whose life was spent on mountain pastures, gives Sharia conclusions in poetic form (nazm), describes the history of religion and prophets. He wrote four books (three of them in verse), the fifth book is being prepared for publication. These works testify to high level his religious knowledge. Many prominent scholars of Islam confirm that the history of the Dagestan theologians (‘alims) has not yet known this.
When the sheikh from the village of Batlukh Muhammad-hadji first read his works, he said that after ‘Ali-hadzhi from the village of Inho, Said occupies the second place. But when Said Afandi's first book came out, the sheikh said that now he was in first place.
In one of the books of Said-afandi there are the following lines:
On the path where I have chosen to love You as a goal,
You know, Lord, I am always a student.
Mystery and reality, like oil and honey,
Delight, Al-Qadir, in my heart...
Addressing readers, he writes:
We could talk about many things,
If it were not for the fear that it will be in vain.
But a hint is enough for a smart one,
And whoever seeks will find much here.
May Almighty Allah increase the strength of the venerable Sheikh Said Afandi and give happiness to both worlds to his family, loved ones and all those whom he loves and who loves him! Amen!
The real name of the alim is Said Abdurakhmanovich Atsaev. He was born on October 21, 1937 in the village of Chirkey, Buynaksky district of Dagestan. According to some reports, the boy was born on that great night when the fate of a person is determined. Said's father read Sura Yasin three times and turned to the Almighty with a dua so that his son would follow the path of Islam with firm steps and never turn away from it. The father asked Allah for the boy to become a scientist,
who would teach the basics of Islamic dogma to a new generation. And this was in those years when any religion in the young Soviet republic was under the strictest ban.
Often the father read the Surah al-Fatiha to the baby before going to bed, and the son carefully listened to the sounds of the Koran.
The good and meek disposition of Said manifested itself from the very first days of his life. The boy grew up surprisingly calm, intelligent and patient. He never caused discontent or anger from adults or peers. The most cocky guys were careful not to quarrel with him or enter into conflicts. As a child, Said had special, wise dreams. My father said that a special person would grow out of him. But, unfortunately, the man could not see what his son would become. At the age of seven, Said-afandi lost his father.
It was not easy for the boy to survive this blow of fate. Despite the difficulties, with the perseverance of his mother, Said completed the reading of the Koran that had begun by that time. After graduating from a seven-year school, the young man begins to tend the rural herds of sheep in order to earn money and help his mother.
Four years later he was drafted into the army. While serving in Kaunas, he fulfilled all the prescriptions of Islam: he performed five times prayer, held posts, shunned haram food and deeds. This went on for three years of his military service in the atheistic Soviet era.
Returning home from service, Said-afandi continued to work as a shepherd in the village. He took flocks of sheep to the mountains and there, in any weather - in a snowstorm, snow, rain or wind - every time he performed ablution and said the azan himself, after which he read prayer. Then he worked on the construction of the Chirkey hydroelectric power station after the earthquake in 1970.
During all these years, Said-afandi constantly remembered his father's desire to see him as the custodian of Islamic knowledge. He constantly asked the Almighty to grant the opportunity to study and comprehend the beautiful foundations of religion. However, responsibility to the family and financial difficulties did not allow the dream to come true.
At the age of 32, the future alim leaves his position in the fire department and begins to study Islamic sciences, the works of Muslim scholars and Sufi sheikhs. He embarks on the path of the Shazili tariqa. Sheikh Said-Afandi considered Abdulhamid Afandi to be his first spiritual mentor (ustaz).
Overcoming difficulties and thanks to the abilities bestowed by the Almighty, the young alim successfully went towards his goal. He eagerly comprehended all the religious sciences available to him. Thanks to his sharp and penetrating mind, receptivity, excellent memory, he knew any book he studied as if he himself were its author.
In recent years, Said-afandi has been engaged in spiritual and educational activities. He often appeared in the press, gave interviews, wrote books, articles and poems. His works have been translated into many languages, including English and Russian. For example, these are the books "History of the Prophets" and "Treasury of Gracious Knowledge", which have become the most widely read.
There are many surprising things in the life of Said-afandi al-Chirkawi. However, his biggest miracle was istikama - constancy in following the path of Truth, which was destined by Allah.
On August 28, 2012, the media reported the death of Said Afandi. In the evening, an explosion rocked his house, as a result of which seven people died, including the sheikh and the suicide bomber. According to preliminary data, the explosive device was set off by a certain Aminat Saprykina, the wife of one of the members of the bandit underground. August 29 in Dagestan is declared a day of mourning on the occasion of the death of Sheikh Said Afandi al-Chirkawi. Tens of thousands of people came to say goodbye to him.
Said Afandi al-Chirkawi was considered one of the most famous and influential Sufi sheikhs of the Naqshbandi and Shazali tarikats. He had a great influence on the work of the Spiritual Administration of the Muslims of Dagestan. He was also a recognized spiritual leader of the Muslims of Dagestan and an expert in the field of Shafi'i madhhab and Ash'ari aqida.
Said Afandi al-Chirkawi was married and had four children.
May the Almighty accept his shahada. Amen.
