Issue of mosque in Leninaul transferred to Sharia Law norms

The Dagestani Muftiate and the Chechens’ Board have agreed to resolve the demolition issue of the mosque in the village of Leninaul according to the Sharia norms. Islamic scholars have treated the demand to build a mosque in place of the demolished one as not an Islam norm, but simply a local tradition.

The problem that arose as a result of the demolition of the mosque in Leninaul will be resolved according to Sharia norms, Arbi Batyrsultanov, the head of the Public Chechens’ Board of Dagestan, told the "Caucasian Knot" correspondent.

"This is a mosque built in late 19th century. There are different dates, but the fact remains that the mosque was built before the 1917 revolution. In 1926, Soviet authorities turned it into a store. In 1944, we were expelled from there, and when we returned home, the store continued operating there. Then this building again became a mosque. Our people took part in auctions for a long time aiming to buy this land plot, but conditions were created so that they could not do this," he has explained.

Recently, the Dagestani Chechens’ Board began receiving reports that they began demolishing the mosque.

"We, three Board members, went there and had a two-hour conversation with an official of the Dagestani Spiritual Administration of Muslims (SAM or Muftiate) and local authorities. We agreed to suspend the demolition of the mosque; and we’ll provide proofs that it was indeed a mosque, and then we’ll make a final decision at the Muftiate. But on the same day, the mosque was completely demolished," Mr Batyrsultanov has reported.

This mosque is a memory of those Chechens who were expelled from there and then returned

“We hope that a mosque will stand in the same place again. This mosque is a memory of those Chechens who were expelled from there and then returned,” he continued, adding that after the demolition of the mosque there was a risk of conflict in the village.

"And negotiations resumed. Our Board has a reconciliation committee, and they contacted the Muftiate. A final decision was made that this issue would be resolved in accordance with the Sharia norms and laws. And we hope that a mosque will stand in the same place again. This mosque is a memory of those Chechens who were expelled from there and then returned," he has stressed.

Arbi Batyrsultanov has also added that the demolished mosque was not the only one in the village.

"There are two mosques in Leninaul, an old one and a relatively new one, built near the demolished mosque. All Leninaul villagers visited the demolished mosque without any distinction. There is a norm in Islam that if a mosque is ruined, a new one should be built in its place," he has concluded.

The Kazbekovsky District Administration has refused to give any further comments. Islamic scholars have treated the requirement to build a mosque in place of a demolished one as a tradition. In their turn, the scholars interviewed by the "Caucasian Knot" we not familiar with the norm in Islam that demands to build a new mosque in place of a demolished one.

"I’ve never seen such an approach in Islamic literature in my practice. There is no such specific norm in Islam. But I believe that here we have a certain tradition," Leonid Syukiyainen, a professor at the National Research University of the Higher School of Economics and a expert in comparative and Islamic law, told the "Caucasian Knot" correspondent.

Wherever essential Muslim communities live more or less compactly, their own traditions and customs are formed, which are passed down through generations by expanding their geography

"In Muslim communities, customs and traditions are quite strong. Wherever essential Muslim communities live more or less compactly, their own traditions and customs are formed, which are passed down through generations, expanding their geography. This is a local tradition that they transmit," Mr Syukiyainen has explained.

Another Islamic scholar and an expert on the Caucasus, who preferred to remain anonymous, has confirmed that there is no such norm in Islam. But, according to his version, this tradition may have such an explanation. In the 1990s, mosques were organised in different premises in Dagestani villages, for example, in the directorate of a state farm. Villagers sometimes said that it was an ancient mosque. “And it’s hard to find sources that would answer the question of what kind of building it is. In any case, there is definitely no such norm, but there is a certain Adat (custom) that the Leninaul villagers refer to,” he has summed up.

This article was originally published on the Russian page of 24/7 Internet agency ‘Caucasian Knot’ on May 15, 2025 at 09:09 pm MSK. To access the full text of the article, click here.