Exploring Baku's Muslim Population: Understanding Religious Diversity

Azerbaijan is a secular country, with no penalty for leaving Islam, and is often considered the most secularised Muslim-majority nation. However, estimates suggest that over 90% of the population identify as Muslim, with the majority adhering to the Shia branch and a significant minority following Sunni Islam. The differences between these two branches of Islam are not sharply defined in Azerbaijan, and religious affiliation is often nominal and based more on culture and ethnicity than on religion. While the role of Islam in politics and everyday life remains relatively small, there has been a recent Islamic revival in the country, with a growing number of religious Muslims.

Baku and the Lankaran region are considered Shia strongholds

Azerbaijan is a secular country and is considered the most secularised Muslim-majority nation in the world. However, Islam is the majority religion, with various reports estimating that 96-99.2% of the population identify as Muslim. Of these, a majority (55-65%) are adherents of the Shia branch, while a significant minority (35-45%) are Sunnis.

Shia Muslims are prevalent in the western, central, and southern regions of Azerbaijan, with villages around Baku and the Lankaran region considered Shia strongholds. On the other hand, Sunni Islam is dominant in the northern regions. While the differences between these two branches of Islam are not sharply defined in Azerbaijan, the country's religious landscape is shaped by its geopolitical situation, with influential neighbours like Russia, Turkey, and Iran.

Baku, the capital city, and the Lankaran region are considered Shia heartlands. The Shia community in these areas mostly follows the Ja'fari school of Shia Islam. The concentration of Shia Muslims in Baku and Lankaran is in contrast to the Sunni dominance in the north of the country. This regional distribution of Shia and Sunni Muslims in Azerbaijan has historical roots.

The roots of Shia dominance in Baku and Lankaran can be traced back to the arrival of Islam in Azerbaijan in the seventh century. Over time, Shia Islam became prevalent in the western, central, and southern regions, including Baku and Lankaran. In the sixteenth century, the Safavid Dynasty established Shia Islam as the state religion, further solidifying its presence in these regions.

The Shia character of Baku and Lankaran is also influenced by their proximity to Iran, a predominantly Shia country. The population of what is now Iran and Azerbaijan were converted to Shia Islam simultaneously. Additionally, the influence of Iranian Shia preachers in Azerbaijan has contributed to the Shia presence in these regions.

The Shia strongholds of Baku and Lankaran stand in contrast to the Sunni dominance in the north, which has historical roots as well. In the nineteenth century, many Sunni Muslims emigrated from Russian-controlled Azerbaijan due to Russia's wars with the Ottoman Empire, reducing the Sunni population in these regions.

The distinct religious profiles of Baku and Lankaran, as well as their surrounding villages, have contributed to the religious diversity of Azerbaijan. Despite being a secular nation, Islam remains an integral part of the country's cultural and social identity, with Shia Islam playing a significant role in shaping the religious landscape, particularly in Baku and the Lankaran region.

Sunni Islam is dominant in the northern regions

Estimates of the percentage of the population that identify as Muslim vary, with sources citing 97.3% (CIA, 2020), 99.2% (Pew Research Center, 2006), and 96% (SCWRA data, 2011). Of these, the majority are adherents of the Shia branch (55-65%), while a significant minority (35-45%) are Sunnis.

The differences between these two branches of Islam have not been sharply defined in Azerbaijan, and religious affiliation is often nominal and based more on culture and ethnicity than on religion, due to the many decades of Soviet atheist policy. While Shia Islam is prevalent in the western, central, and southern regions of the country, with villages around Baku and the Lankaran region considered Shia strongholds, Sunni Islam is dominant in the northern regions.

Most Shia Muslims in Azerbaijan follow the Ja'fari school of Shia Islam, while Sunni Muslims typically adhere to either the Hanafi or Shafi'i school.

Shia Islam is prevalent in the west, centre and south

Shia Islam is prevalent in the west, centre, and south of Azerbaijan, with villages around Baku and the Lankaran region considered Shia strongholds.

Shia Islam is the majority branch of Islam in Azerbaijan, with estimates of the percentage of the population who follow it ranging from 55% to 65%. Most Shia Muslims in the country follow the Ja'fari school of Shia Islam.

The differences between the Shia and Sunni branches of Islam have traditionally not been sharply defined in Azerbaijan, and religious affiliation in the country is often nominal and based more on culture and ethnicity than on religion, due to the many decades of Soviet atheist policy.

Azerbaijan is considered the most secular country in the Muslim world, with the role of Islam in politics and everyday life remaining relatively small. While the vast majority of Azerbaijanis identify as Muslims, surveys in the late Soviet and early post-Soviet eras found that less than a quarter of self-identified Muslims had a basic understanding of the pillars of Islam. For many, association with Islam tends towards a more ethnic or nationalistic identity than a purely religious one.

The secular nature of the country is reflected in the Azerbaijani constitution, which stipulates the separation of religion and state and the equality of all religions before the law. The government maintains a secular position, and the importance of religion in everyday life remains low.

Most Shia Muslims follow the Ja'fari school of Shia Islam

The Jafari school, also known as the Jafarite school, is a school of jurisprudence within Twelver and Ismaili Shia Islam. It is named after the sixth Imam, Ja'far al-Sadiq, and is followed by the majority of Shia Muslims.

The Jafari school holds that the Islamic prophet Muhammad designated Ali ibn Abi Talib as his successor, most notably at the event of Ghadir Khumm. Shia Muslims believe that 'Ali was the designated successor to Muhammad as the spiritual and political leader of the Muslim community, an idea that later developed into the concept of Imamah—that certain descendants of Muhammad are rightful rulers or Imams.

The Jafari school differs from Sunni jurisprudence in its reliance on ijtihad, as well as on matters of inheritance, religious taxes, commerce, personal status, and the allowance of temporary marriage or mut'ah. This school of thought utilizes ijtihad by adopting reasoned argumentation in finding the laws of Islam. It emphasizes the role of Mujtahid, who is capable of independently interpreting sacred sources as an intermediary of the Hidden Imam and, thus, serves as a guide for the community.

The Jafari school was imposed as the state jurisprudence in Iran during the Safavid conversion of Iran to Shia Islam from the 16th to the 18th century. Followers of the Jafari school are predominantly found in Iran, Iraq, Azerbaijan, and Bahrain, with large minorities in eastern Saudi Arabia, southern Lebanon, and Afghanistan.

In Azerbaijan, Shia Muslims make up the majority of the population, with estimates ranging from 55-65% of the Muslim population following the Shia branch of Islam. The capital, Baku, and the surrounding villages are considered Shia strongholds, with Sunni Islam dominant in the northern regions of the country.

Sunni Muslims typically adhere to the Hanafi or Shafi'i school

Sunni Muslims make up a significant minority (35-45%) of the population of Azerbaijan, with Shia Muslims forming the majority (55-65%). While the differences between these two branches of Islam are not sharply defined in Azerbaijan, Sunni Muslims typically adhere to either the Hanafi or Shafii school of thought.

The Hanafi school, or Hanafism, is one of the four major schools of Islamic jurisprudence within Sunni Islam. It was established by the 8th-century scholar, jurist, and theologian Abu Hanifa (c. 699-767 CE). As the oldest and most-followed of the four major Sunni schools, it is also called the "school of the people of opinion" (madhhab ahl al-ra'y). The Hanafi school is the largest of the four traditional Sunni schools of Islamic jurisprudence, followed by approximately 30% of Sunni Muslims worldwide. It is the main school of jurisprudence in the Balkans, Turkey, Lebanon, Egypt, the Levant, Central Asia, and South Asia, in addition to parts of Russia and China.

The Hanafi school recognises the Quran, hadith, consensus (ijma), legal analogy (qiyas), juristic preference (istihsan), and normative customs (urf) as sources of Sharia law. Abu Hanifa is regarded as the first to formally adopt and institute qiyas as a method to derive Islamic law when the Quran and hadiths are silent or ambiguous in their guidance. He is also noted for his general reliance on personal opinion (ra'y). The Hanafi school was the first and most popular school in Muslim law, and its followers are believed to constitute one-third of the entire Muslim population worldwide.

The Shafii school, or Shafii rite, is another one of the four primary Sunni schools of jurisprudence, along with the Hanafi, Maliki, and Hanbali schools. It is based on the jurisprudence of Imam Muhammad ibn Idris ash-Shafi'i (767-820), who was a student of Imam Malik of Medina and later worked with the disciples of Imam Abu Hanifa in Kufa. The Shafii school is followed by Muslims in the Hejaz region of Saudi Arabia, Upper Egypt, Ethiopia, Eritrea, the Swahili Coast, Indonesia, Malaysia, Jordan, Palestine, the Philippines, Singapore, Somalia, Sri Lanka, Thailand, Yemen, Kurdistan, and southern India.

The Shafii school was considered one of the greatest jurists of Islam, and its founder, Imam Shafi'i, created the classical theory of Shafii Islamic jurisprudence. Followers of the Shafii school rejected the public interest methodology followed by the Maliki school and were not in favour of 'Isthiasan'. Instead, they followed all four sources of law: the Quran, hadith, consensus (ijma), and legal analogy (qiyas).

Frequently asked questions