Muslim Sermons in Russian: Communicative and Pragmatic Aspect

Abstract

Most of Russian researches in the field of religious communication are devoted to Christianity, other traditional religions rarely become the object of linguists’ attention. The object of this study is the genre of Islamic preaching, functioning in Russian. In Muslim sermon is understood as the solemn moral speech of the Imam-Khatib, dedicated to an Islamic religious or moral-ethical issue. The recipient of the Muslim sermon is the Imam-Khatib, who must have a knowledge of the Islam fundamentals, be well educated, and know the prototext of the Quran well. Besides the Quran, the preacher also addresses contemporary material, includes cautionary life stories in a sermon, and concerns current social problems. The addressee of Muslim sermon has several distinguishing features: pronounced a sermon in the mosque and meant for faithful men, it is a compulsory element of religious life. A woman in Islam occupies a special position, she is not forbidden to visit the mosque, but it is recommended to pray at home. There is a so-called sermon at home in Muslim, which is pronounced as Imam-Khatib for women, as well as religiously educated woman.