25 thousand people at the "Isge Bolgar Gathering": repentance, collective prayer, and wrestling program

      At the "Holy Bulgar Gathering," the zones of officialdom and "entertainment" were combined. The events of the Bulgar assembly unofficially begin with a prayer of repentance. This is the most spectacular and spiritually rich event of the entire day - dozens of Muslims, holding long poles towards the sky, with the wind fluttering their large flags, walk along the path through the hilly green fields to the small minaret. Their voices, reciting the words of the takbir, merge into a low rumble: "Allahu Akbar." As the procession approaches the minaret, the voices of those walking are joined by those who waited in the shade of the linden trees and the ruins of the khan's tomb. Here, the prayer of repentance "Tawba" will be read.

      "In the world, there is probably no one like the Supreme Mufti Talgat Tajuddin, who gathers all people for repentance, where all the names of the Almighty are recited, and with tears in their eyes, people realize that they have come to a holy place. Here lie the companions of the [Prophet Muhammad] and his disciples," said the chairman of the Spiritual Administration of Muslims of the Mari El Republic, Mufti Fanus Salimgareev, to "Tatar-inform."

      Following the cult procession, a delegation from Talgat Tajuddin, the Mufti of Tatarstan Kamil Samigullin, and Sheikh Abdurazzaq Assadi, a doctor of Arabic philology and descendant of the Prophet Muhammad, appeared.

      Surrounded by companions, Talgat Tajuddin and Sufi Sheikh Ismatulla Abdulqappar listened at the foot of the minaret to the munajats of the Kazakh vocal acapella group "Yassaui." The group visited Bulgar and Kazan for the first time, arriving with their Sufi sheikh-mentor. Their repertoire mainly consists of hikmets by the Sufi poet Khoja Ahmed Yasawi, after whom the group is named. Their hikmets were performed today, and after each one, more people gathered around the minaret. Next to the improvised stage, the hot May air was filled with the aroma of perfumed oils.

      In Bulgar, Muslims read the Quran and the prayer of repentance near the small minaret even during Soviet times when it was prohibited. This tradition was revived by Mufti Talgat Tajuddin. As is known, collective prayers are especially beloved by Allah.

      "When the Almighty brought Adam out of Paradise, Satan was very happy. He was able to distance man from the Almighty. But he could not even imagine that the Almighty would accept Adam's repentance. Repentance is the most unpleasant action for Satan. It elevates us and gives many people hope for the future," explained the essence of "Tawba," the head of the Spiritual Assembly of Muslims of Russia, Albir Krganov.

      Krganov listened to Tajuddin's dua in the shade of the trees. When the prayers subsided, people headed to the Memorial Sign, again through the wooded areas and Bulgar hills, along colorful tents with shashlik and shawarma, past vendors of trinkets and the ancient ruins of the ancestors of the Tatars.

      The "Holy Bulgar Gathering" surprises year after year with the placement of its fences and checkpoints. This year was no exception, but it surprised in a better sense this time. If a year ago the fence separated the area for official events (stage plus large prayer area) and the "entertainment zone," this time all points of tourist interest were under one "roof": the stage, the large minaret, the ruins of the khan's palace, and the fair. This undoubtedly makes all movements around the festival site noticeably more convenient, but most importantly, the audience no longer has to choose between shashlik and the stage.

      Around the "Cathedral Mosque" - more precisely, its preserved foundation, where collective prayers traditionally take place - prayer mats were laid out in advance. As in previous years, people pass by the Cathedral Mosque to touch one of the most, as it is considered, ancient standing columns of Bulgar and make a wish. As before, young people stand by this column explaining that such a miraculous fact is not mentioned in the Quran and that any such miracles are just myths and fairy tales.

      While the prayer of repentance was taking place at the small minaret, a theatrical (one might even say melodramatic) performance was happening on the main stage near the Memorial Sign, with munajats performed by the religious pop artist Marcel Vagizov. "With this girl, we read my first nikah. Maybe you are my son?" the artists exchanged lines on stage.

      By that time, all special flights with VIP guests had already arrived in Bulgar, meaning it was time to announce the official opening of the "Holy Bulgar Gathering." "I congratulate you on this great holiday! Our history and faith begin here, and we must remember the history of our ancestors," said the President of Tatarstan Rustam Minnikhanov, dressed, due to the heat and the end of the official program of the "Kazan Forum," in a regular polo shirt.

      He also reminded that once the tradition of the large gathering in the ancestral home of Tatar Islam was started by Talgat Tajuddin. He conveyed words of gratitude to the first President of the republic, State Advisor of the RT Mintimer Shaimiev, who could not personally attend the celebration.

      Behind the President stood the acting Chairman of the State Council of the RT Marat Akhmetov, Deputy Prime Minister of the RT Vasily Shaikhraziev, as well as heads of major spiritual associations of Muslims from all over Russia. A warm greeting and wishes for peace were brought from Minsk by the chairman of the Muslim Religious Association in the Republic of Belarus, Mufti Abu-Bekir Shabanovich.

      "Representatives of more than two hundred nations live together, and all are children of Adam. Allahu Akbar!" said Talgat Tajuddin. The Chairman of the Spiritual Administration of Muslims of the RF, Ravil Gainutdin, thanked Rustam Minnikhanov for agreeing to start the program of the cultural capital of the Islamic world with the word of the Almighty - the International Competition of the Holy Quran.

      The Bishop of Chistopol and Nizhnekamsk, Pakhomiy, greeted the guests in Tatar. He congratulated "the heirs of the people who made a fateful choice more than a thousand years ago." Eras and rulers changed, but the Tatar people have always remained true to their ideals and their faith and have always been hospitable, he said.

      The series of greetings was concluded by the Chairman of the Spiritual Administration of Muslims of Tatarstan, Kamil Samigullin. He reminded how important it is to be grateful and thanked everyone involved in the publication of the Kazan Manuscript Quran - "the last scientific-religious achievement of the Russian ummah." This year, all participants of the XVI Forum of Tatar religious figures received a copy of this book. A total of 25 thousand people visited the "Holy Bulgar Gathering" this year. After the speeches on stage, people split into two unequal streams. The larger part headed to the base of the Cathedral Mosque for collective prayer, while others went to explore interesting places in the Bulgar Museum-Reserve.

      After the thousands-strong prayer, the President headed to the finals of the international championship of the CIS in the wrestling style of koresh. The tournament took place in two stages. In the first, wrestlers of all weight categories participated to determine the absolute winner. By noon, two contenders for the grand prize - a Lada Granta car - were identified. They were the Russian athlete Radik Salakhov and the 200-kilogram wrestler from Georgia Ucha Tabatadze. Comments from Tabatadze could not be obtained by the "Tatar-inform" correspondent - he speaks only Georgian. And when asked, "What do you think of easy opponents?" typed into a translator, Ucha just smiled and shrugged.

      The fight was short but by no means simple. With great effort, Salakhov pinned his enormous opponent three times. Earlier, the wrestler from Chally managed to defeat Sergey Pavlik, whose weight is almost double that of Radik - 218 kilos against 130. The keys to the prize car, far from the first in his collection, were handed to the winner by the President of the Republic. Then the second stage of the championship began - the finals by weight categories.

      Photos: Salavat Kamaletdinov / "Tatar-inform"