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This article examines the thematic analysis of munajats collected from the Tyumen region of the Russian Federation. Munajat, a genre of religious poetry, holds significant importance among Tatar and Bashkir Turks. In Turkish-Islamic literature, munajat refers to works in verse and prose intended for supplication to Allah. However, throughout history, Tatars have applied the concept of munajat more broadly to encompass religious verse works in general. Additionally, the thematic scope of munajat for Tatars has expanded in parallel with social changes over the last century.
Themes such as longing for the homeland, the grief of single mothers and orphans, accounting for one's life, old age, and death—previously viewed largely as non-religious—are now included within munajat. Although some researchers still consider these themes non-religious, it is evident that issues like accounting for one's life, old age, and death are directly related to religion. Furthermore, matters concerning loyalty to the homeland, relatives, and parents, as well as the plight of orphans, are also emphasized in Islam. The thematic enrichment of munajat content in the last century appears to correlate with the changing perception of religion driven by social transformations.
The modern individual's connection to religion, mediated by literature, has transcended traditional themes of faith and rituals found in earlier munajats, encompassing broader searches within the individual's inner world and social life. The article also connects munajats that address themes such as love for the homeland and parents to traditional Turkish beliefs, such as the earth-water cult and ancestor worship, illustrating that these traditional beliefs continue to manifest in various forms within the spiritual lives of the Tatars.
The Textual Analysis Method was employed in this study. An examination of the munajats from the Tyumen region reveals that religious themes, such as belief in Allah and love for the Prophet Muhammad, occupy a prominent position. Following these, themes of separation from the homeland and relatives, as well as the ideals of death and eternal life, rank second. The supplications addressing the grief of single mothers separated from their children are nearly as extensive as those concerning separation and death. Additionally, there are a significant number of philosophical supplications exploring the meaning of life and the source of happiness. Supplications reflecting the fatigue and sadness of old age, without delving into death and the afterlife, are categorized under the theme of old age. However, the examined supplications did not include those addressing the conditions and grievances of orphans, which Bakirov and Khösnullin suggest should be treated as a separate category; thus, this section remains unfilled.