This is a beautiful translation of the late Ravil Bukharaev's literary existential masterpiece that seeks to reconcile his Muslim faith with the pursuit of his ideals and his search of self and understanding of life, particularly his notions of "authenticity," which although conflicted by it as a person and human being it is what framed his world view. He was a celebrated writer, poet, and scholar of religious, cultural, and political history of his native Tatarstan and author of some thirty books, including Islam in Russia: The Four Seasons and (with the poet Fred Beake) The Story of...

A fascinating story of spiritual survival. The cultural and national reawakening that has accompanied the resurgence of Islam in Russia has contributed to the revival and renewal of Islamic thought throughout the Muslim world. The author explores how Islam vis-a-vis Russian Orthodox Christianity shaped national, political and cultural developments in the vast region of European Russia and Siberia. This volume thus presents an analysis of the history, development and future prospects for Islam in Russia based on exhaustive research of the primary and secondary sources as well as the author's...