Shuaib-Mulla of Tsentara
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Caucasian ImamateShuaib-Mulla of Tsentara | |
|---|---|
| Nickname | Marshal of the Forests |
| Born | 1804 Biltaul, Aukh, Chechnya |
| Died | March 1844 (aged 39–40) Tsentaroi, Chechnya, Caucasian Imamate |
| Allegiance | Caucasian Imamate |
| Branch | Army |
| Rank | Marshal |
| Battles / wars | Caucasian War Battle of Ichkeria |
Shuaib-Mulla of Tsentara (Chechen: Shoip-Molloy Tsontoroin; Russian: Шоип-Мулла Цонтороевский) was a North Caucasian commander and naib of the Caucasian Imamate during the Caucasian War. He was one of Imam Shamil's closest associates and was nicknamed the "Marshal of the Forests" for his skill in guerrilla warfare by Count Pavel Grabbe.[1]
Shuaib was born in the village of Biltaul (modern Tukhchar of the Novolaksky district of Dagestan) in 1804 into the family of the scientist Muhammad-Hadji. Muhammad-mullah was not only a prominent Arabist scientist, educator, but is also reported to have enjoyed great respect and authority among the Chechens, for a long time he headed the Chechen national council (Mekhkan Khel) in Nokhch-Mokhk.[1]
In his youth, Shuaib received a good education and showed a great aptitude for science. In addition to his native Chechen, Shuaib is reported to have spoken Arabic, Kumyk and Avar.[1]
Shuaib's father Muhammad initially wanted his son to study sciences, and at first Shuaib was aimed at deep study of sciences. For some time he worked as a mullah. However, the outbreak of the Caucasian War changed his plans. At the onset of the Caucasian war, he became one of the most active participants in the active resistance against the Russian Empire. In 1829 Shuaib became a murid and an active assistant to the first imam of the Caucasian Imamate Ghazi Muhammad. However, after his death, Shuaib retires from active military activities. From 1834 Shuaib served as a mullah in the village of Aku-Yurt for 4 years. The tsarist command did not forgive him for active participation in the military campaigns of Imam Gazi-Muhammad and began taking measures to kill him or win him over by promising all kinds of benefits and positions. Shuaib rejected any proposals from the authorities. To avoid arrest, in 1838 he fled to the mountains of Ichkeria, where he became an associate of Sheikh Tash-Khadzhi.[1]
Description of Shuaib-Mullah by a captured Russian soldier:
Shuaib is small in stature, dark complexion with small mountain ash, dexterous in all techniques, and especially on horseback. He is known as a man with a cunning and lively mind, as an excellent warrior, a dashing rider and a skillful leader in battle.
— E. A. Verderevsky, Плен у Шамиля (1856)
