Russia, Uzbekistan and Azerbaijan implement joint project to publish manuscript 'Shamayil an-Nabi'

Russia, Uzbekistan and Azerbaijan implement joint project to publish manuscript chr("39")Shamayil an-Nabichr("39")

Russia, Uzbekistan and Azerbaijan have implemented a joint project to publish the manuscript "Shamail an-Nabi" ("Virtues of the Prophet"), dedicated to the qualities and virtues of the Prophet Muhammad.

The project was announced by Damir Mukhetdinov, First Deputy Chairman of the Spiritual Administration of Muslims of Russia and head of the Medina publishing house, during the plenary session "Heritage That Unites Centuries: Spiritual Meanings of Islamic Civilization" at the International Media Forum.

Mukhetdinov said the original manuscript is kept at the Institute of Oriental Manuscripts of the Russian Academy of Sciences. The text was copied in 1859 by Tatar scholar and orientalist Khusain Faizkhanov, a student of Shigabutdin Marjani.

He noted that a cooperation agreement with the Center for Islamic Studies, a structural division of the Institute of Oriental Studies of the Russian Academy of Sciences, was signed on August 27, 2024, after which work on the project began.

The Russian translation of the book was prepared by Elmir Guliyev.

"The modern translation and the first edition will also help introduce this wonderful work to a broad readership, particularly Muslim students," Mukhetdinov said.

According to him, the publication contains 415 hadiths divided into 56 chapters. The original manuscript consists of 48 folios.

The publication was prepared with the participation of Firdavs Abdulkhalikov, director of the Center of Islamic Civilization of Uzbekistan, who wrote the foreword. Muzaffarkhon Joniev, director of the Imam Termizi Center, and theology scholar Ruslan Baishev served as reviewers.

Mukhetdinov expressed gratitude to all participants in the project and said the book is planned to be released in a large print run by the end of this year.

"For now, we have prepared a small print run, and this is what the book looks like in this edition," he said.

He emphasized that the project is part of a broader effort to preserve, digitize, translate and publish the Islamic theological heritage.

"I am sure that the image of the Prophet Muhammad that Imam Tirmidhi was able to compile 1,200 years ago will also remain relevant for modern Muslims," Mukhetdinov concluded.