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The 10th International Theological Scientific and Educational Conference “Bigiev Readings” on the topic “Musa Bigiev: Life, Legacy, Research” was opened in Moscow, Russian Federation, on 22 September 2025, for a period of two days. The Plenary Session was moderated by Prof. Dr. Damir Mukhetdinov, First Deputy Chairman of the Religious Board of Muslims of the Russian Federation. The session received the opening address of Grand Mufti Sheikh Ravil Gaynutdin, Chairman of the Religious Board of Muslims of the Russian Federation, followed by the addresses of governmental and religious authorities and scholars of Islamic thought from the Russian Federation and from Belarus, Egypt, Holy See, Iran, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Palestine, Qatar, Türkiye, and United Arab Emirates. The speakers included Mr. Andrey Fursenko, Aide to the President of the Russian Federation; Dr. Mahmoud Al-Habbash, President’s Advisor for Religious Affairs and Islamic Relations of the State of Palestine, Supreme Judge of the State of Palestine; Prof. Dr. Mehmet Görmez, former president of Religious Affairs in Türkiye; Dr. Mohammed Bechari, Secretary General of the World Muslim Communities Council, UAE; Prof. Dr. Mahmud Erol Kılıç, Director General of IRCICA, and a number of other scholars in the history of Islamic sciences and philosophy. The large-scale conference was conducted in parallel sessions, with paper presentations on the multiple aspects of the thought and the work of Jarullah Musa Bigiev (1875-1949). The paper of Prof. Mahmud Erol Kılıç themed “The Contribution of Musa Jarullah to Modern Islamic Thought” highlighted Musa Bigiev’s ideas of continuing relevance regarding the methodology of Islamic law – usul al-fiqh in particular. Centering his thought strictly around the Holy Quran and the Hadith and Sunna of the Prophet Mohammed saw, Jarullah Musa Bigiev called for the use of reason, which is a faculty granted by Allah Almighty to human beings, for understanding and interpreting these sources Bigiev wrote numerous works in all fields of Islamic religious sciences, analyzing his topics always within the framework of real life and the conditions of Muslim communities and generally all societies. After the Plenary, IRCICA Director General Prof. Dr. Mahmud Erol Kılıç was presented with the “Musa Bigiev Medal” on the occasion of the 150th Birth Year of Musa Bigiev. Prof. Dr. Kılıç, together with Prof. Dr. Cengiz Tomar, Chief Advisor/Head of Research and Publications, IRCICA, attended the sessions and exchanged information about the state of studies and publications around the world on key scholars who contributed to preserving the traditions of Islamic religious sciences in changing times.
