Bbabo NET

Society News

Hanafis, Shafiites and Shiites pray together in Mirny

Muslims of the Yakut city of Mirny came to the aid of employees of the Ministry of Emergency Situations fighting the fire element. Having gone to the place of the fire in the village of Arylakh, they organized a field kitchen, prepared oriental pilaf for firefighters, volunteers and the victims.

Our correspondent asked several questions to the chairman of the MRO "Islam" of the city of Mirny, Imayaddin Askerov.

- Dear brother Imayaddin! The city of Mirny, the diamond capital of the country, is lost in impenetrable forests, if you look at the map. How many Muslims are here? What is the peculiarity of the region?

- Bismmillah ir-Rahman r-Rahim!

The peculiarity is that in winter it is very cold here, up to sixty degrees below zero, and in summer it is very hot, although it is short, only three months. The climate is sharply continental. In recent days it was under plus thirty-five. Summer heat contributes to forest fires, and in winter, frost sticks together eyelashes. Only the eyes do not freeze, because Allah Almighty created them not to freeze. Fires in Yakutia happen every summer. A few years ago, when there was no pandemic yet, we wore masks in the city because of the heavy smoke. The forests were burning, but the settlements did not reach, as this time.

Muslims live both in the city and in the region. About 1,200 people gathered for the festive prayer on Kurban Bayram for the last time. The entire mosque and courtyard were filled. These are brothers and sisters from Central Asia, the Caucasus, Tatarstan and Bashkiria. There are indigenous Yakuts who converted to Islam with their families. To the north of us in the village of Aikhal, Mirny district, Muslims also live and there is a mosque, Alhamdulillah!

- How did you yourself get to Yakutia, where are you from? How did you become the chairman of the IRO "Islam"?

- I am from Azerbaijan. Born in 1962 in the village of Gandakh, Zagatala region. I first came to Mirny in 1984 to visit relatives. Ten years later, in 1994, having left Samara, where he received his higher education and worked, he came to Yakutia for permanent residence. In 2006, a Muslim organization was created in Mirny, thanks to the active work of Naziia ap Yarullina. I was her deputy. After the departure of Nazia apa to Tatarstan, I was elected chairman of the board of the MRO "Islam" of the Spiritual Administration of Muslims of the Asian part of Russia. One brother, an Ingush by nationality, donated his unfinished two-story cottage to the community and we equipped a mosque in it. Since then, the number of Muslims has grown exponentially. Four years ago, the city allocated land for the construction of a cathedral mosque. The project documentation is already ready, the filling and planning of the site has been carried out. We are currently awaiting state expertise.

The Muslim community in Mirny is friendly, Hanafis, Shafiites, and Shiites pray together in the mosque. We are not divided into nationalities and maskhabs. Unity is our wealth, our advantage. Sometimes someone, having seen enough of the Internet, begins to bend his opinion on other scales. As they say, there is no forest without wolves. But we stop him in time, explain, convince him. “Hold on to the rope of Allah and do not be divided,” says the Almighty in the Qur'an. Our mosque, although small, is rich in religious specialists - we have three imams: Gurban, Sherali and Muhammad Aziz. We keep the situation under control.

None of us, neither I nor the imams, receive a salary from a Muslim organization, we work for the pleasure of Allah Almighty, in order to have something to come with on the Day of Judgment. Alhamdulillah, everyone has a job to support their families and serve Islam. I myself am in construction.

- By the way, how did the Muslims of Mirny solve the issue of sacrificial animals during the last Eid al-Adha? Are sheep bred in the permafrost zone? Maybe deer are being sacrificed? In addition, the festive table is not only halal meat. Is there a problem in Mirny with fruits, vegetables, berries, to which many Muslims from the south have become accustomed since childhood?

- There are no sheep in our area, there are goats. We sacrifice bulls on Eid al-Adha. A few people join together and buy a bull for about fifty thousand. There are brothers from Central Asia who breed cattle so that there is halal meat in the city. As for deer, to be honest, I don’t know if they can be sacrificed. We don't.

Vitamins in the form of fruits and vegetables are certainly necessary for every person. Previously, there were problems with them, now the gifts of southern nature are brought to the city by trucks. Before, there were many problems. In winter, you could easily freeze your face. Now on every corner there is a store under a bus stop, you will no longer freeze your ears and cheeks while waiting for the bus.Yakutia is the richest region, occupying almost a third of Russia, but the standard of living is one of the lowest in the country, nevertheless, Muslims come from the south, bring their families, stay for permanent residence. Not afraid of cold or dampness. Two or three years ago, in the month of Ramadan, they fasted 22 hours a day. In the remaining two hours, they managed to read three prayers and tarawih, do iftar and suhur, and after sleeping for four hours, they went to work in the summer heat at thirty degrees. Insha Allah, every difficulty on the path of Islam is an investment on the Day of Judgment!

We participate in the public life of the city, when it is necessary, we help as much as we can. Thank God, the fire in Aryl was stopped. Guards organized. If needed, we will come back to help.

In total, in the Republic of Sakha, according to the operational headquarters, today there are 103 forest fires on an area of ​​more than 175 thousand hectares.

Hanafis, Shafiites and Shiites pray together in Mirny