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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).

At early age, his both parents died, after which, he left to Chechnya. There Batal Hajji met Kunta-Haji, a Chechen Sufi sheikh who became his mentor. He was an outlaw (abrek) and supporter of Imam Shamil during the Caucasian War. Batal Hajji founded his own independent wird upon the arrest of Kunta-Haji, and today, it exists amongst the Ingush and Chechens. In 1911, being accused of harboring Chechen outlaw Zelimkhan and exiled, he later died in 1914.

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. Batal Hajji's father's name was Anarbek and mother's name was Rayzet (Zabiya).

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 unknown 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 was later arrested as an abrek and sent to exile for 5 years in Kaluga by the order of Kakhanov. After the exile, he did an Islamic pilgrimage (Hajj) to Mecca, as indicated by his name "Batal Hajji". While in Mecca, it is said that he got a vision from Prophet Muhammad, who offered him a choice between this life and afterlife. Batal Hajji chose this world excepting he could gain place in the afterlife thanks to his good behavior in this life.

Return to Ingushetia

At the moment of Batal Hajji's return to Ingushetia, there was a process of Islamization and Christianization of the Ingush people. The issue was, that the Ingush had to go lengths to visit Chechnya to meet there Kunta-Haji as they didn't have their own spiritual mentor. Accordingly, one time Ingush again went on to met Kunta-Haji to consult with him. He stated to them that Batal Hajji is their new mentor, who they should now approach, instead of him:

Truly this is a ustaz, a sheikh from Surkhakhi Batal, from now on you can turn to him for advice and take toba.

John F. Baddeley, famous British traveler for his works on the Caucasus Region, had met Batal Hajji in person on October 8, 1901. According to John Baddeley, he was the successor of Kunta-Haji. Batal Hajji was described John Baddeley as follows:

He as was an old man, rather stout, with a good face and and a very courteous manner.

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 and exiled. The accused religious figures included: 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. Batal Hajji was exiled to Kozelsk, Kaluga Governorate, where in 1914, he died.

Thanks to Pavel Gaidukov, permission was granted to transport Batal Hajji's body back to Ingushetia on a special wagon. He was buried on October 25, 1914 in Surkhakhi, where today is located his Ziyarat. The funeral was accompanied by a loud dhikr of the Kunta Hajjis and Batal Hajjis for many hours. The funeral was attended by residents from all over the North Caucasus. After Batal Hajji's death, his eldest son Magomed successed him in becoming the head of the wird.

Notes

1. ^ According to most sources, he was born in Surkhakhi. According to other sources (notably M. S.-G. Albogachieva), he was born in Somoykh, a place near modern day Nesterovskaya in Ingushetia.
2. It's unknown if he received any religious education during his lifetime.
3. 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. ^ Meskhidze 2006, p. 182.
2. Tsaroieva 2011, p. 358.
3. ^ Zelkina 2021.
4. Албогачиева 2013, p. 328 (whilst referring to (Албогачиев 2010, p. 39)
5. Албогачиева 2017, p. 75 (whilst referring to (Албогачиев 2010, p. 39)
6. Месхидзе 1998, p. 107.
7. Месхидзе 1999, p. 15.
8. Лысцева 2015, p. 199.
9. Мальсагов & Дахкильгов 1986, p. 385.
10. Albogachieva 2012, p. 118.
11. Албогачиева 2017, p. 75.
12. Хайретдинов 2009, p. 164: "Так, известный предводитель отрядов абреков, сторонник Шамиля Батал-хаджи Белхороев (...)
13. Борусевич 1893, p. 139.
14. ^ Meskhidze 2006, p. 183.
15. Албогачиева 2017, pp. 75–76.
16. Baddeley 1940, p. 264 harvnb error: no target: CITEREFBaddeley1940 (help): "Of Batal Hadji, in whom by now I had come to take a great interest, I learned that he was really successor to Kounta Hadji, who led the rising in Tchetchnia in 1862–4 (...)"
17. Даудов & Месхидзе 2009, p. 28.
18. Meskhidze 2006, p. 184.
19. Албогачиева 2017, p. 77.
20. Albogachieva 2012, p. 120.

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

• Албогачиев, Р.-Х. Ш.-Х. (2010). Шейх Овлия Батал-хаджи Белхороев [Sheikh Ovliya Batal-haji Belkhoroev] (in Russian). Нальчик.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link)
• Albogachieva, M. (2012). "О некоторых особенностях братства Батал-Хаджи Белхороева" [On some features of the wird brotherhood established by Batal-Hajji Belkhoroev]. Pax Islamica (in Russian). 5 (1–2): 118–124. ISSN 2541-884X.
• Албогачиева, М. С.-Г. (2013). "Ислам" [Islam]. In Албогачиева, М. С.-Г.; Мартазанов, А. М.; Соловьева, Л. Т. (eds.). Ингуши [The Ingush] (in Russian). Москва: Наука. pp. 319–332.
• 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.
• Борусевич, К. И. (1893). Янчук, Н. А. (ed.). "Сектанство среди ингушей" [Sectarianism among the Ingush]. Этнографическое обозрение (in Russian). Vol. 18, no. 3. Москва: Высоч. утв. Т-во Скорон. А. А. Левенсон. pp. 139–144.
• 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