The Reaction of the Muslims of the Volga-Ural Region to the Draft Civil Code during the Revolution of 1905-1907

Abstract

In the nineteenth century, the territorial formation of the Russian Empire was completed. In each of the regions of compact settlement of Muslims, the application of the Sharia law had some differences due to belonging of Muslims to various madhhabs, their level of social development, and the policy of the authorities. In the district of the Orenburg Mohammedan Spiritual Assembly, Sharia norms regulated personal status rights, a number of aspects of which were defined by general imperial laws that replaced some provisions of the Islamic legal system. A new stage in the unification of imperial legislation came with the draft of a new Civil Code completed at the beginning of the twentieth century. The article shows how during the Russian Revolution of 1905-1907, various opinions on the use of Sharia norms of marriage, family and inheritance were expressed by Russian conservatives, liberals, and the radical Tatar youth. In their petitions, Muslims called for the concentration of all religious issues in the hands of the religious administration, including the Waqfs, which meant their legalization within the Orenburg district. The requirement of religious and cultural autonomy also meant the abolition of the usual practice of applying to a secular court, and some other practices.