ARCHAIC HEALING AND ISLAM IN CENTRAL ASIA: COEXISTENCE AND CONFRONTATION

Abstract

The article attempts to investigate the problem of the existence of archaic traditions related to the issues of preserving health and curing, in the context of the growing importance of Islam and its penetration into all spheres of the Muslims' private life. The study encompasses the most typical spiritual traditions and healing practices of local cultures: performing pilgrimages to sacred places to get rid of ailments, seeking help from ancestors and deceased relatives, using apotropae, visiting traditional healers. Based on ethnographic materials, statistical data, and Islamic primary sources, the author poses the following questions: What is the attitude of ordinary Muslims in modern Central Asia to traditional healing methods and conventional medicine? How important are their religious beliefs and convictions in the choice of treatment methods? How do they interpret the use of traditional healing methods? The author concludes that Islam has had a significant impact on the attitude of Muslims to health problems. This is partly expressed in understanding the used healing methods in terms of their compliance with the prescriptions of Islam. Turning to traditional methods of healing, most ordinary Muslims do not see this as a deviation from Islamic norms, proceeding from the belief that God created not only all diseases but also all the means of their healing.