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Batal Hajji Belkhoroev (Template:Lang-inh; 1821–1914) was an Ingush sheikh of the Qadiri Sufi order (tariqa) who founded his own independent Sufi suborder (wird), present today amongst the Ingush and Chechens. Was a follower of Kunta-Haji, a Chechen Sufi sheikh.

Background

Batal Hajji was born in 1824 in Ingushetia, either in Surkhakhi or in a place called Somyokh. Was an ethnic Ingush of the Belkharoy [ru] clan (teip). The Belkharoy, according to a legend, trace their lineage to a certain legendary Borga.

Early years

During the age of 7, his mother died and soon his father died as well. So, he was taken under care by the relatives of his mother, who at that moment lived in Chechnya. During his 10 years of living there, he met Kunta-Haji, a Chechen Sufi sheikh, with whom he discussed about matters of spirituality that sparked his interest in. According to some information, it's not known if he received any religious education during his lifetime. During the Caucasian War, he was a supporter of Imam Shamil and led units of outlaws (abreks), he himself was an outlaw. He also managed to do Islamic pilgrimage (Hajj) to Mecca, as indicated by his name "Batal Hajji".

Return to Ingushetia

Arrest and Death

In 1911, Tsarist authoratives of Russian Empire were fearing of an outbreak of uprising under the influence of calls from clerics. Prominent religious figures, among which was Batal Hajji, were accused of harboring the Chechen outlaw Zelimkhan. Also accused were religious figures like the Chechen sheikhs: Bammat Girey Hajji, Suhayp Mulla, Dokku Sheikh, Mulla Mahoma, Kana Hajji, Chimmirza as well as the future emir of North Caucasian Emirate, Avar Sheikh Uzun-Hajji. They all were exiled to Kozelsk, Kaluga Governorate, where in 1914, Batal Hajji died.

Notes

1. ^ According to some sources, he was born in Somoykh, a place near modern day Nesterovskaya in Ingushetia. According to other sources, he was born in Surkhakhi.
2. It's unknown if he received any religious education during his lifetime.
3. Near modern day Nesterovskaya of the Sunzhensky District of the Ingushetia.
4. The legend was recorded in 1975 from the words of a resident of the village of Alkhasty [ru], Lors Fargiev (born in 1877).

References

1. ^ Албогачиева 2017, p. 75.
2. ^ Tsaroieva 2011, p. 358.
3. ^ Zelkina 2021.
4. Месхидзе 1998, p. 107.
5. Месхидзе 1999, p. 15.
6. Лысцева 2015, p. 199.
7. Мальсагов & Дахкильгов 1986, p. 385.
8. Хайретдинов 2009, p. 164: "Так, известный предводитель отрядов абреков, сторонник Шамиля Батал-хаджи Белхороев (...)
9. Meskhidze 2006, p. 182.
10. Борусевич 1893, p. 139. sfn error: no target: CITEREFБорусевич1893 (help)
11. Даудов & Месхидзе 2009, p. 28.
12. Meskhidze 2006, p. 184.
13. Албогачиева 2017, p. 77.

Bibliography

English sources

• Meskhidze, J. I. (March–June 2006). "Shaykh Batal Hajji from Surkhokhi: towards the history of Islam in Ingushetia" (PDF). Central Asian Survey. 25 (1–2). Routledge: 179–181. doi:10.1080/02634930600903262. eISSN 1465-3354. ISSN 0263-4937.
• Zelkina, Anna (2021-07-19). "Batal Hajji Belkhoroev". In Fleet, Kate; Krämer, Gudrun; Matringe, Denis; Nawas, John; Rowson, Everett (eds.). Encyclopaedia of Islam (3rd ed.). Brill Online. ISSN 1873-9830.

French sources

• Tsaroieva, Mariel (2011). Peuples et religions du Caucase du Nord [Peoples and religions of the North Caucasus] (in French). Paris: Karthala. pp. 1–389. ISBN 9782811104894.

Russian sources

• Албогачиева, М. С.-Г. (2017). Ислам в Ингушетии: этнография и историко-культурные аспекты [Islam in Ingushetia: ethnography and historical and cultural aspects] (in Russian). СПб.: РАН МАЭ. pp. 1–264. ISBN 978-5-88431-349-1.
• Даудов, А. Х.; Месхидзе, Д. И (2009). Комиссарова, И. П. (ed.). Национальная государственность горских народов Северного Кавказа (1917—1924) [National statehood of the mountain peoples of the North Caucasus (1917-1924)] (in Russian). СПб.: Изд-во С.-Петербург. ун-та. pp. 1–223.
• Мальсагов, О. А.; Дахкильгов, И. А. (1986). Сказки, сказания и предания чеченцев и ингушей [Fairy tales, legends and legends of Chechens and Ingush] (in Russian). Грозный: Чечено-Ингушское кн. изд-во. pp. 1–528.
• Месхидзе, Дж. И. (1998). "Чечено-Ингушетия" [Checheno-Ingushetia]. In Прозоров, С. М. (ed.). Ислам на территории бывшей Российской империи. Энциклопедический словарь. Выпуск 1 [Islam in the territory of the former Russian Empire. Encyclopedic Dictionary. 1st issue] (in Russian). Москва: Издательская фирма «Восточная литература» РАН. pp. 105–108. ISBN 5-02-018047-5.
• Месхидзе, Дж. И. (1999). "Батал-Хаджжи" [Batal-Hajji]. In Прозоров, С. М. (ed.). Ислам на территории бывшей Российской империи. Энциклопедический словарь. Выпуск 2 [Islam in the territory of the former Russian Empire. Encyclopedic Dictionary. 2nd issue] (in Russian). Москва: Издательская фирма «Восточная литература» РАН. pp. 15–16. ISBN 5-02-018137-4.
• Лысцева, И. В. (2015). "Русская православная церковь и ссыльные горцы Северного Кавказа в Центрально-Европейской части России в середине XIX — начала XX вв." [The Russian Orthodox Church and the exiled highlanders of the North Caucasus in the Central European part of Russia in the middle of the 19th - early 20th centuries]. In Казак, М. А.; Катина, Т. Д.; Заикин, С. М.; Воронин, И. В. (eds.). У истоков российской государственности [At the origins of Russian statehood] (PDF). «Калужские страницы» (in Russian). Калуга: Эйдос. pp. 185–209.
• Хайретдинов, Д. З. (2009). Ислам в центрально-европейской части России: энциклопедический словарь [Islam in Central European Russia: Encyclopedic Dictionary] (in Russian). Медина. pp. 1–403. ISBN 9785975600547.

• 1821 births
• 1914 deaths