Career
Born in 1833 in the village of Sharip in Verkheuralsk province, Orenburg Governorate (these days in the Uchalinsky District, Republic of Bashkortostan, Russia) to the family of mullah of the local Islamic community. Received instruction in a medrese in his home village, then in the medrese in Troitsk. Upon instruction, began a clerical career.
Since 1858, served as Imam khatib in the village of Yuldash (currently in Uchalinsky District, Bashkortostan).
Made a hajj. After returning to Bashkortostan, introduced several innovations into the local Sufi practices: singing zikr aloud, the observance of Mawlid, (the birthday of the Islamic prophet Muhammad), wearing prayer beads et cetera Upon their written denunciation, Zaynulla Rasulev got arrested and sent to exile.
Served his exile successively in Zlatoust (eight months), Nikolsk, Vologda Oblast (1873-1876) and Kostroma (1876-1881). In 1881, he returned from exile and resumed his activity as a religious leader in the village of Aqquzha in Bashkortostan.
He did a second hajj.
Since 1884, Rasulev took the post of the Imam of the town mosque in Troitsk. He subsequently founded the madrasah of Rasuliya, one of the first jadidi educational institution in the Urals. Zaynulla Rasulev died on February 2, 1917.
Numerous legends are preserved in the Bashkir public memory about the miracles and healings performed by Zaynulla Rasulev.
In 2009, a mosque was opened in the town of Uchaly, Bashkortostan,named after Zaynulla-Ishan. A street in Ufa, Russia was named after Zanulla Rasulev in 2008.