Imam Shamil's story of his jihad against the Russians is a part of the rich history of righteous rebellion against a conquering enemy of the 19th century. Little is known of the Muslims of Chechnya and the occupation of their lands by the Tsarist Russian invaders. The Sufi movement in the Caucasus in the eighteenth century was not a Muslim cult occupied merely in chanting God's praise: their jihad movement led by Imam Shamil is an epic story of faith in God and a legacy that Muslims cherish, to be retold from generation to generation.