The term “Salafism” has been derived from Arabic word Salaf having meaning “the past”. It shows the time of caliphs in Islamic history who applied the Prophetic model by following Prophet Muhammad (P.B.U.H) in his footsteps and presented this correct way of life to people. So all those Muslims who were guided by these caliphs and they lived their life as per Prophetic model also became part of salaf. Islam spread under the authority of different Muslim dynasties from Ummayad to Abbasid. Salfism took theological meaning and then it was known as ahlal-Hadith during caliphate of Abbasid. During his rule, the Muslim state brought under its rule various cultures and people, and this brought a change in the way Muslim state used to interact and govern its people. Then in Ummayad Dynasty, the Persian and Greco-Roman cultures and traditions left its impact on the governing style as they were facing problems of ruling a large, multiethnic and multi-religious empire. Consequently, this lead them to make political compromises that also charged them that they pursued their worldly personal political policies rather than thinking of the well-being of the religion (Rabil 21-50).
The nationalist school of thought was originated during the same time exploring the answers to fundamental questions like God’s nature, relationship with mankind and so forth. The most dominating among this school of thought was Mutazili School founded in eight century. Thinkers of this school were of the opinion that the truth can be found by using reasons as given in Quran. Though Ulama frowned on this thinking as it was conflicting with their theological views. Thus, Arabic language also expanded in vocabulary when this language started understanding the relevance of philosophy, medicine, mathematics and astronomy. Many Arabs excelled in scientific knowledge in the acquisition of truth and Yaqub Ibn Ishaq al-Kindi confirmed that the truth must be accepted in whatever form or whoever transmits it. But Ulama didn’t like this approach as they were more concerned about the implications of reasoning as a method of interpreting The Quran for the unity of Islam. They believed to remain stick to the righteous ancestors like the four caliphs and the believed that the Muslim community should not be salvage from foreign cultures. The most prominent figure among this school of thought was Ahmad Ibn Hanbal. He is considered the first person to use the word Salaf in explaining his theological stand. This school of thought set apart text of Hadiths, Sunnah and verses from Quran and had the opinion that these texts were to be used for the literal meaning of the problem. Ibn Hanbal defined basic five principles according to which questions were to be answered. First: if the answer to any question is found in the text, then the literal reading of the text is enough. Second: if the answer is found in the legal opinion expressed by some Prophet's companion, then it is certain. Third: if the answer is found in multiple saying of companions, then the answer is considered relevantly more close to Quran and Sunnah. Fourth: if the answer is found in weak saying only whose authenticity is not fully established. Then it is preferable to analogy. Fifth: if the answer is not found altogether in the text, then strict analogy should be used only as a necessity.
This debate raised two separate school of thoughts having epistemological and theological differences, ahl al-Hadith, and ahl al-Sunnha. The theological and sociopolitical views of Ahl Al-Hadiths lead the foundation for the crystallization of Salafi thoughts and Dawa after the fall of Abbasid dynasty by hands of Mongols in 1258. This new phase was called as al-Salafiyah al-Tarikhiyah by Abd al-Ghani.
The authentic contributions of Taqi al-Din Ibn Taymiah is used as a source of reference for the development and justification of Salafi thought. Sheikh Muhammad Ibn abd al-Wahab then came who laid the foundation of Wahabis stating that if one is a true Muslim, then he/she has to proclaim tawhid. Wahibs created a bipolar world, a true and faithful Muslim world and a mushrik and kafir world. They started a campaign against Shiism, Sufism and all others who they considered polytheists. He destroyed tombs of companions of Prophet, and a Saudi tribe gave him political and military support to him for his ideology. This campaign was succeeded with the establishment of Saudi state in 1932 where there was a stronghold of Wahabi ideological establishment. Since aftermath, the Wahabi religious establishment has served as guardian of Wahabi creed and Saudi Royal family.
In contradistinction to Wahhabism, another movement emerged in the nineteenth century known as enlightened Salafiyah movement. The movement was also challenging the West for its culture, military and political approaches. This tried to save the Muslim world from the challenges of West. Several Muslim world defeats against western forces made the Muslim culture more vulnerable to western culture and military powers. There then came the reformist movement. Three figures were very prominent in this movement namely Khayr al-Din al-Tunisi, Sayyed Ahmed Khan and Sheikh Muhammad Abdu. Abdu stood out among them as he believed that Islam properly understands and implements the compatibility with modernity. He emphasized that Islam and its prescriptions are totally rational and consonant with the conclusions of modern science and philosophy. After the world war one, Abdu changed his thinking and started considering west as being always an enemy to Islam and Muslims. This brought a change in the relationship between reformist and the state. The Turkish leader Mustafa Kamal then abolished caliphate in 1924 and established a secular, nationalist state. The impact of this changes started to appear in countries under western colonization. So a crisis was seen among Muslim reformists who felt betrayal not only from the west but also from those nationalists who were brought to power by West or Western policies.
Rashid Rida paved path for the emergence of Muslim brotherhood. He was of the opinion of the establishment of the Islamic state where scholars of Islam would have a leading role. Al-Albani put the Salafi-aqida as implemented in the proper manhaj premised on the concept of tasfiyah and tarbiyah before politics. He was of the opinion that unless religion is purified and rightly practiced, all political actions will lead to corruption and injustice in Muslim society. Al-Albani views make partition among the two ends; one who advocated an active rejection of the state and its institution, the other sponsored unconditional support to the state. This division developed in the establishment of an association Al-Jamaa al-Salafiyah al-Muhtasiba (JSM) meaning “The Salafi Group that Promotes Virtue and Prevents Vice”. The JSM was founded in Madina in mid 1960s by disciples of Al-Albani as a response to the growing impact and influence of Muslim Brotherhood and other haraki organizations like Sahwa. They regarded Saudi rule as illegitimate by stating that only members of Prophet’s tribe, Quraysh, can rule the ummah. Soon the JSM’s opposition to Saudi regime harness a lot of grievance against the royal family who was considered as corrupt and close to the West. This idea then splits the JSM itself into two halves. Al-Utaybi considered that present rulers of the Muslim world especially the Saudi royal family didn't live up to the character of caliphs and the ruler of the ummah has to rule justly rather than following his desires. Al-Utaybi was executed by in January 1980 in Saudi Arabia for him and his followers’ violent seizer of the Grand Mosque in Mecca in 1979 (Rabil 21-50).
The Muslim Brotherhood founded by Hassan al-Bannah in Egypt in 1928 was the first ever Islamist organization. It has blends of Salafi views with its political activism. Al-Bannah based the Muslim Brotherhood on three principles: 1) Islam is a comprehensive system. 2) Islam emanates from and is based on two fundamental sources, the Quraan and the Sunnah, 3) Islam is applicable to all times and places. Mawdudi in Pakistan established an Islamic ideology. The main theme of his ideology was to develop sovereignty s for God. Muslim rulers should confine themselves to determining God's mandate as set in Quraan and Sunna. This myth of Islam is comprehensive that covers public and private life and absence of this divine mandate, governments' lapse into jahiliyah (Rabil 21-50).
Muslim Brotherhood experienced exponential growth since its foundation in 1928, but it became politicized in 1930s. It fought a war in 1948 and was engaged in violence against British and Egyptian Jews and assassinated Egypt’s Prime Minister in 1948. In response, Egypt’s secret police killed al-Bannah in 1949. Due to an assassination attempt on Egypt's leading man Abdel Nasser in 1954, he banned the organization, and thousands of its members were arrested, and tortured and number of leaders were exiled. Nasser emerged as a significant force in Arab politics. Much of the members of Muslim Brotherhood were welcomed in Saudi Arabia by King Faisal, and they were given jobs in Saudi higher education at different universities and were called as Sahawa. The Sahawas grew in huge numbers in Saudi universities. They collectively wrote a letter to King Fahd in which they asked for religious reforms in different sections of Saudi regime like law and making military more jihad oriented. With the issuance of the letter of memorandum from the king to concerned authorities, the abhorrence was developed among the Saudi Ulema and the Wahabi establishment who supported the Saudi royal family. Consequently, the king has to abandon the Sahawa from the country throwing them out.
The idea of Salafi Jihadist can trace back to Sahawas. Al-Utaybi expanded the theological reach of al-wala wal-bara. He mentioned that God has made the paradigm community for Muslims. He based the religion of Ibrahim on two principles;1) Loyal worship of God alone and 2) denial of polytheism and its partisans and showing enmity towards them. He also added that worship should only be done for God, and his prophet should be followed.In pursuits of doing so, Muslim may be forced out of their homes so they should migrate to the location where they can freely worship God. Hence, qital takes place where they have to fight against all enemies of Islam. Though Al-Utaybi was against the Saudi royal family, his beliefs gained popularity among Muslim Brotherhood and the concept of Salafi Jihadist emerged.
Faraj, a strong supporter of Muslim Brotherhood, stated that rulers of the Muslim world today are apostates. He further added that Muslim rulers these days are raised at the tables of imperialism whether it be Crusaderism or Communism or Zionism. Since they are apostates, so they must be killed. He also refuted those ulemah who say that jihad is defensive. This Neglected Duty of Faraj was well received by the Islamists, and its radical impact was seen by the assassination of President Sadat in 1981. The murderer of Sadat shouted during his trial "I shot the Pharaoh". The Fajar’s theory was nowhere close to comprehensive, missionary, along with Islamic central nature of al-wala wal-bara. This idea was taken further by other Islamic activists. They further added their flavors to urge on jihad and openly showed abhorrence for the non-believers. The most prominent among them was Isam ibn-Muhammad ibn Tahir al-Barqawi who is also known as Abu-Muhammad al-Maqdisi. He established theological link between politics and takfir within al-wala wal-bara, and Al-Utaybi failed to do so. His theory was to establish jihad against what he considered corrupt, idolatrous, and tyrannical and infidel Muslim rulers. He considered al-wala wal-bara was considered ideological to Muslim society, and he urged upon jihad more severely than anyone else and due to these different jihadi organizations came into being having strong jihadi concepts related to him.
Rabil concluded that Al-Maqsidi instructs that millat Ibrahimi is the correct path of dawa that entails detachments from friends and cutting of necks. He believed that the jihad is the only mean to bring about tawhid and making it incumbent on all Muslims. Al-Qaeda represents the true Salafi-Jihadi organization yet it went beyond the concept of Hakimyat al-tawhid which al-qaida had adopted. Al-Qaeda defined a revolutionary and missionary theory of al-wala wal-bara which broadened the ideology and operational realm of Salafi Jihadism (Rabil 21-50)
Work Cited
Rabil, Robert G. . "The Ceed, Ideology and Manhaj (Methodology) of Salafism." Salafism in Lebanon: From Apoliticism to Transnational Jihadism . Washington, DC: Georgetown University Press, 2014. 21-50. Print.
