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1 What Is Salafism?

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On Salafism
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SNL1 1Chapter 1WHAT IS SALAFISM?The term Salafism (Salafiyya) raises more critical ques-tions than common usage suggests. It is this issue that I am interested in when I repose the question, What is Salafism? This question might appear simple, but it is nonetheless useful to deconstruct it and consider it in depth due to the widespread careless, simplistic, and reductionist use of the term. This book explores and answers this question critically.The simplest and most succinct definition of Salafism is the return to origi-nal sources—the Qurʾan and the Sunna (accounts of the Prophet Muham-mad’s daily life and practice)—and the rejection of “innovation” (bidʿa and muḥdathāt). However, Salafism is not a single or singular phenomenon. If we dig deeper, we discover that the term Salafism is a purely historical designa-tion that refers to a variety of Sunni and Shiʿi “Salafisms.” Within each of these threads, one can identify several “sub-Salafisms” or even distinct schools of thought. Although the dominant usage today, whether in Middle Eastern stud-ies or in Islamists’ own texts, refers to a homogeneous and coherent body of ideas, historically the return to the righteous Salaf was not always a part of the production of a specific ideology.Just as there was a surge of interest in Islamism following the rise of al-Qaeda and its various offshoots in the wake of 9/11, Salafism has become topi-cal again with the rise of ISIL. While politicians and the media across the West S8122-Bishara.indd 1S8122-Bishara.indd 17/6/22 2:42 PM7/6/22 2:42 PM
© 2022 Stanford University Press, Redwood City

SNL1 1Chapter 1WHAT IS SALAFISM?The term Salafism (Salafiyya) raises more critical ques-tions than common usage suggests. It is this issue that I am interested in when I repose the question, What is Salafism? This question might appear simple, but it is nonetheless useful to deconstruct it and consider it in depth due to the widespread careless, simplistic, and reductionist use of the term. This book explores and answers this question critically.The simplest and most succinct definition of Salafism is the return to origi-nal sources—the Qurʾan and the Sunna (accounts of the Prophet Muham-mad’s daily life and practice)—and the rejection of “innovation” (bidʿa and muḥdathāt). However, Salafism is not a single or singular phenomenon. If we dig deeper, we discover that the term Salafism is a purely historical designa-tion that refers to a variety of Sunni and Shiʿi “Salafisms.” Within each of these threads, one can identify several “sub-Salafisms” or even distinct schools of thought. Although the dominant usage today, whether in Middle Eastern stud-ies or in Islamists’ own texts, refers to a homogeneous and coherent body of ideas, historically the return to the righteous Salaf was not always a part of the production of a specific ideology.Just as there was a surge of interest in Islamism following the rise of al-Qaeda and its various offshoots in the wake of 9/11, Salafism has become topi-cal again with the rise of ISIL. While politicians and the media across the West S8122-Bishara.indd 1S8122-Bishara.indd 17/6/22 2:42 PM7/6/22 2:42 PM
© 2022 Stanford University Press, Redwood City

Chapters in this book

  1. Frontmatter i
  2. Contents v
  3. Preface vii
  4. 1 What Is Salafism? 1
  5. 2 On Apostasy 48
  6. 3 Religious Associations and Political Movements 63
  7. 4 Wahhabism in Context 95
  8. Conclusion 134
  9. Key People and Religious Associations 151
  10. Glossary 157
  11. Notes 161
  12. Bibliography 197
  13. Index 211
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https://doi.org/10.1515/9781503631793-002

Chapters in this book

  1. Frontmatter i
  2. Contents v
  3. Preface vii
  4. 1 What Is Salafism? 1
  5. 2 On Apostasy 48
  6. 3 Religious Associations and Political Movements 63
  7. 4 Wahhabism in Context 95
  8. Conclusion 134
  9. Key People and Religious Associations 151
  10. Glossary 157
  11. Notes 161
  12. Bibliography 197
  13. Index 211
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