Incorporation into Islamic Civilization
From the perspective of formal adherence to Islamic customs, the Kyrgyz did not leave the best impression on many Russian travelers. For example, Chokan Valikhanov wrote in his works: “All the wild stone Kyrgyz profess the Muslim religion or, rather, call themselves Muslims, not knowing either the dogmas of faith or its requirements. All their rituals and beliefs still retain a complete shade of shamanism, which is held in great esteem in this horde, and the manaps take pride in this title (shaman - Note by V.P.). The current leader of the sarybagysh, Umet-Ali, bears this honorable nickname.” In the same spirit, the mid-19th century geographer-researcher M.I. Venyukov remarked about the religiosity of the Kyrgyz: “...the teachings of Islam are very poorly known to this people or even not known at all. They act directly against the law, not fearing punishments for sinful life in the future.”
The leaders of tribes and clans did not particularly differ in their attitude toward Islam from their kin, and some even treated the basic tenets of the religion arbitrarily. Among the southern Kyrgyz tribal leaders, Alimbek Datka stood out in this regard - a figure comparable to Ormon Khan. Serving at the Kokand court, he played one of the key roles in the political life of the khanate. It is clear that he was more committed to Islam than other political leaders of the Kyrgyz. His activities were marked by the construction of mosques and madrasas and a concern for the education of the people. At the Ak-Medrese in Osh, built with his funds, 120 children were educated annually at his expense, with Islamic scholars and mullahs from Bukhara, Samarkand, and Khiva teaching there. However, in his ancestral camp in Alai, things were different. In this regard, G.E. Grum-Grzhimailo, a contemporary of Kurmandzhan Datka, emphasized in his travel notes: “They are very poor Muslims, ignore religion, and seem to only engage in rituals when a hodja visits the aul.”
It should also be noted that the "simplified" Sunni theology of Hanafi Islam allowed the Kyrgyz to adopt the new faith, to connect with Islamic civilization while preserving their ethnic identity, traditions, customs, and rituals. The acceptance of Islam as the main religion by the Kyrgyz, in many respects, did not contradict their ancient beliefs and ethical norms. A peculiar merging of the Islamic religious-ideological system with the pagan religious-philosophical system occurred here. The similarity in the mode of production, way of life, and everyday life, as well as the ethical norms of the Arab nomads and nomadic Kyrgyz, contributed to a certain extent to the latter's non-rejection of Islam as a philosophical, ideological, and ethical system.
Minimal influence of the Kokand Khanate on the economic life of the Kyrgyz