Chaouia-Ouardigha ( Arabic : الشاوية ورديغة ) was formerly one of the sixteen regions of Morocco from 1997 to 2015. It was situated in north-central Morocco in the historical region of Chaouia . It covered an area of 7,010 km² and had a population of 1,893,950 (2014 census). The capital was Settat .
149-612: The last Wali (governor) of the region was Mohamed Moufakkir. Moroccan regions were reorganized in September 2015: Khouribga Province joined Béni Mellal-Khénifra , while the other three provinces were incorporated into Casablanca-Settat . The region was made up of the following provinces: This Morocco location article is a stub . You can help Misplaced Pages by expanding it . Wali The term wali ( Arabic : وَلِيّ , romanized : waliyy , lit. 'friend'; plural أَوْلِيَاء , ʾawliyāʾ )
298-595: A pīr's role is to guide and instruct his disciples on the mystical path. Hence, the key difference between the use of walī and pīr is that the former does not imply a saint who is also a spiritual master with disciples, while the latter directly does so through its connotations of "elder". Additionally, other Arabic and Persian words that also often have the same connotations as pīr , and hence are also sometimes translated into English as "saint", include murshid ( Arabic : مرشد , meaning "guide" or "teacher"), sheikh and sarkar (Persian word meaning "master"). In
447-473: A "[friend of God] marked by [special] divine favor ... [and] holiness", being specifically "chosen by God and endowed with exceptional gifts, such as the ability to work miracles ." Moreover, the saint is also portrayed in traditional hagiographies as one who "in some way ... acquires his Friend's, i.e. God's, good qualities, and therefore he possesses particular authority, forces, capacities and abilities." Amongst classical scholars, Qushayri (d. 1073) defined
596-783: A belief in the existence and miracles of saints was presented as "a requirement" for being an orthodox Muslim believer. Aside from the Sufis, the preeminent saints in traditional Islamic piety are the Companions of the Prophet , their Successors , and the Successors of the Successors . Additionally, the prophets and messengers in Islam are also believed to be saints by definition, although they are rarely referred to as such, in order to prevent confusion between them and ordinary saints; as
745-486: A cluster of contemporary Sunni renewal and reform movements inspired by the teachings of classical theologians—in particular Ibn Taymiyya (1263–1328 CE/661–728 AH). These Salafis dismiss the 19th century reformers as rationalists who failed to interpret scripture in the most literal, traditional sense. Conservative Salafis regard Syrian scholars like Rashid Rida (d. 1935 CE/ 1354 AH) and Muhibb al-Khatib (d. 1969 CE/ 1389 AH) as revivalists of Salafi thought in
894-644: A holistic conception of Islamic state and society; similar to the Wahhabi movement. Muslim Brotherhood 's Syrian leaders like Mustapha al-Siba'i and 'Isam al-'Attar were also influential in the movement and their ideas influenced numerous Jordanian students. The Damascene Salafiyya consisted of major scholarly figures like Muhammad Bahjat al-Bitar al-Athari , 'Ali al-Tantawi , Nasir al-Din al-Albani , 'Abd al-Fattah al-Imam, Mazhar al-'Azma, al-Bashir al-Ibrahimi, Taqiy al-Din al-Hilali , Muhiy al-Din al-Qulaybi, 'Abd Allah al-Qalqayli, etc. Numerous books of
1043-524: A major influence on many Muslim thinkers and movements across the Islamic world . Salafi Muslims oppose bid'a (religious innovation) and support the implementation of sharia (Islamic law). In its approach to politics , the Salafi movement is sometimes divided by Western academics and journalists into three categories: the largest group being the purists (or quietists ), who avoid politics;
1192-406: A manner akin to all those Christian saints who began to be venerated prior to the institution of canonization . In fact, a belief in the existence of saints became such an important part of medieval Islam that many of the most important creeds articulated during the time period, like the famous Creed of Tahawi , explicitly declared it a requirement for being an "orthodox" Muslim to believe in
1341-690: A master and a 'pole' by" Abu 'l-Ḥasan al-S̲h̲ād̲h̲ilī (d. 1258). It was this last figure who became the preeminent saint in Maghrebi piety, due to his being the founder of one of the most famous Sunni Sufi orders of North Africa: the Shadhiliyya tariqa . Adhering to the Maliki maddhab in its jurisprudence , the Shadhili order produced numerous widely honored Sunni saints in the intervening years, including Fāsī Aḥmad al-Zarrūq (d. 1494), who
1490-811: A more conservative strand of Salafiyya , which would also influence the ideologues of the Muslim Brotherhood in Egypt . The usage of the term " Salafiyya " to denote a theological reform movement based on the teachings of the Salaf al-Salih ; was popularised by the Syrian disciples of Tahir al-Jaza'iri who were active in Egypt during the 1900s. They opened the famous " al-Maktaba al-Salafiyya " ("The Salafi Bookshop") in Cairo in 1909. Rashid Rida co-operated with
1639-542: A person adheres to it inwardly and outwardly, then he is like the believer who is following truth inwardly and outwardly." Historians and academics date the emergence of Salafiyya movement to the late 19th-century Arab world , an era when European colonial powers were dominant. Notable leaders of the movement included Jamal al-Din Qasimi (1866–1914), 'Abd al-Razzaq al Bitar (1837–1917), Tahir al-Jazai'iri (1852–1920) and Muhammad Rashid Rida (1865–1935). Until
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#17327764868471788-454: A person who "supported the pure Sunna and al-Tariqa al-Salafiyah ( Salafiyah way or methodology )"; referring to his non-conformist juristic approach that was based on direct understanding of Scriptures and his practice of issuing fatwas that contradicted the madhabs . At least one scholar, Henri Lauzière, casts doubt on al-Sam'ani, claiming he "could only list two individuals—a father and his son—who were known" as al-Salafi. "Plus,
1937-571: A public role. Rasuls likewise have a mission of transformation of the world at large. The amount of veneration a specific saint received varied from region to region in Islamic civilization, often on the basis of the saint's own history in that region. While the veneration of saints played a crucial role in the daily piety of Sunni Muslims all over the Islamic world for more than a thousand years (ca. 800–1800), exactly which saints were most widely venerated in any given cultural climate depended on
2086-443: A rank below the prophets but are nevertheless exalted by God. The references in the corpus of hadith literature to bona fide saints like the pre-Islamic Jurayj̲, only lent further credence to this early understanding of saints. Collected stories about the "lives or vitae of the saints", began to be compiled "and transmitted at an early stage" by many regular Muslim scholars, including Ibn Abi al-Dunya (d. 894), who wrote
2235-535: A rank below the prophets. Later important works which detailed the hierarchy of saints were composed by the mystic ʿAmmār al-Bidlīsī (d. between 1194 and 1207), the spiritual teacher of Najmuddin Kubra (d. 1220), and by Ruzbihan Baqli (d. 1209), who evidently knew of "a highly developed hierarchy of God's friends." The differences in terminology between the various celestial hierarchies presented by these authors were reconciled by later scholars through their belief that
2384-555: A return to the Salaf , Rashid Rida emphasised the path of the first four Rightly-Guided Caliphs ( Khulafa Rashidin ) and the revival of their principles. Rida's revivalist efforts contributed to the construction of a collective imagined Salafi community operating globally, transcending national borders. For this reason, he is regarded as one of the founding pioneers of the Salafiyya movement and his ideas inspired many Islamic revivalist movements. Rashid Rida's religious approach
2533-767: A theology). Also important in its manhaj (Arabic: منهج i.e. Methodology) are certain legal teachings as well as forms of sociability and politics. The Salafi da'wa is a methodology, but it is not a madhhab (school) in fiqh (jurisprudence) as is commonly misunderstood. Salafis oppose taqlid to the Maliki , Shafi'i , Hanbali , Hanafi or Zahirite law schools of Sunni fiqh. The followers of Salafi school identify themselves as Ahlul Sunna wal Jama'ah and are also known as Ahl al-Hadith . The Salafiyya movement champions this early Sunni school of thought, also known as traditionalist theology . Salafis place great emphasis on practicing actions in accordance with
2682-592: A work entitled Kitāb al-Awliyāʾ ( Lives of the Saints ) in the ninth-century, which constitutes "the earliest [complete] compilation on the theme of God's friends." Prior to Ibn Abi al-Dunya's work, the stories of the saints were transmitted through oral tradition ; but after the composition of his work, many Islamic scholars began writing down the widely circulated accounts, with later scholars like Abū Nuʿaym al-Iṣfahānī (d. 948) making extensive use of Ibn Abi al-Dunya's work in his own Ḥilyat al-awliyāʾ ( The Adornment of
2831-543: Is unlawful and challenge the authority of the legal schools. In their perspective, since the madhhabs emerged after the era of Salaf al-Salih (pious predecessors); those Muslims who follow a madhhab without directly searching for Scriptural evidences would get deviated. These include the scholars of Ahl-i Hadith movement, Muhammad Nasir Al-Din al-Albani (d. 2000), Muḥammad Ḥayāt al-Sindhī (d. 1163), Ibn 'Amir al-Ṣanʿānī (d. 1182), al-Shawkānī (d. 1250), etc.; who completely condemn taqlid (imitation), rejecting
2980-553: Is absolutely forbidden. Atharis engage in strictly literal and amodal reading of the Qur'an and hadith (prophetic traditions) and only their clear or apparent meanings have the sole authority in creedal affairs. As opposed to one engaged in Ta'wil (metaphorical interpretation), they do not attempt to conceptualize the meanings of the Qur'an rationally; and believe that the real meanings should be consigned to God alone ( tafwid ). Following
3129-573: Is an act of shirk (polytheism). Contemporary Salafis generally discard the practice of adhering to the established rulings of any particular Madhhab , condemning the principle of Taqlid (blind imitation) as a bid'ah (innovation) and are significantly influenced by the legal principles of the Zahirite school, historically associated with anti- madhhab doctrines that opposed the canonization of legal schools. Early Zahirite scholar Ibn Hazm's condemnation of Taqlid and calls to break free from
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#17327764868473278-462: Is from the genealogical dictionary of al-Sam'ani (d. 1166), who wrote a short entry about the surname "al-Salafi" (the Salafi): "According to what I heard, this [surname indicates one's] ascription to the pious ancestors and [one's] adoption of their doctrine [madhhabihim]." In his biographical dictionary Siyar a`lam al-nubala , Athari theologian Al-Dhahabi described his teacher Ibn Taymiyya as
3427-467: Is most commonly used by Muslims to refer to a saint , or literally a "friend of God ". In the traditional Islamic understanding, a saint is portrayed as someone "marked by [special] divine favor ... [and] holiness", and who is specifically "chosen by God and endowed with exceptional gifts, such as the ability to work miracles ". The doctrine of saints was articulated by Muslim scholars very early on in Islamic history , and particular verses of
3576-410: Is no confusion, for Muslims, over their specific referents in Islam, namely: the reality of iman with Godwariness and those who possess those qualities." In Persian , which became the second most influential and widely spoken language in the Islamic world after Arabic , the general title for a saint or a spiritual master became pīr ( Persian : پیر , literally "old [person]", "elder" ). Although
3725-566: Is to interpret literally the Koranic verses and hadiths that relate to the Divine attributes [ ijra' ayat al-sifat wa ahadith al-sifat 'ala zahiriha ], and without attributing to Him anthropomorphic qualities [ ma' nafy al-kayfiyya wal tashbih ]." The followers of the Salafiyya school look to the medieval jurist Ibn Taymiyya as the most significant classical scholarly authority in theology and spirituality. Ibn Taymiyya's theological treatises form
3874-460: The Fuqaha (jurisconsultants) in the study of hadith , their interpretations and rationalisation. Thus, he was accommodative towards classical structures of Fiqh . In Yemen , influential scholar Muhammad ibn Ali Al-Shawkani (1759–1834) condemned Taqlid far more fiercely, and his movement advocated radical rejection of classical Fiqh structures. The promotion of Ijtihad of these movements
4023-502: The Sahaba as exemplar role models in religious life, they emulate them through the lens of the classical traditions of the madhahib and its religious clergy . On the other hand, Salafis attempt to follow the Salaf al-Salih through recorded scriptural evidences, often bypassing the classical manuals of madhahib . Nonetheless, both Salafis and Mutakallimun empasize the significance of
4172-529: The Salaf al-Salih ; who were the early three generations of Muslims that succeeded Prophet Muhammad . They consider the faith and practices of salaf al-salih as virtuous and exemplary. By seeking to capture values of the Salaf in their own lives, Salafis attempt to recreate a 'golden age', and revive a pristine version of Islam, stripped of all later accretions, including the four schools of law as well as popular Sufism . The emergence of Salafism coincided with
4321-467: The murid - murshid relationship in mysticism , as well as the Silsilas (chains of transmission) upon which Tariqah structures were built. In particular, Rida fiercely rebuked political quietism and pacifist doctrines of various Sufi orders. The Salafiyya of Rida and his disciples held onto an ideal of the complete return to the religious and political ways of the salaf . In calling for
4470-576: The Arab world . Rida's religious orientation was shaped by his association with Syrian Hanbali and Salafi scholars who preserved the tradition of Ibn Taymiyya. These ideas would be popularised by Rida and his disciples, immensely influencing numerous Salafi organisations in the Arab world. Some of the major Salafi reform movements in the Islamic world today include the Ahl-i Hadith movement, inspired by
4619-619: The Athari school of theology largely come from the Salafi movement; they uphold the Athari works of Ibn Taymiyya . Ibn Taymiyya himself, a disputed and partly rejected scholar during his lifetime, became a major scholar among followers of the Salafi movement credited with the title Shaykh al-Islam . Other important figures include major scholars important in Islamic history, such as Ahmad ibn Hanbal . While proponents of Kalam revere early generations of Salaf al-Salih , viewing Muhammad and
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4768-610: The Balkans . Regarding the rendering of the Arabic walī by the English "saint", prominent scholars such as Gibril Haddad have regarded this as an appropriate translation, with Haddad describing the aversion of some Muslims towards the use of "saint" for walī as "a specious objection ... for [this is] – like 'Religion' ( din ), 'Believer' ( mu'min ), 'prayer' ( salat ), etc. – [a] generic term for holiness and holy persons while there
4917-594: The First World War , religious missions of the Salafi call in the Arab East had operated secretively. Following the First World War, the Salafi ideas were spread and established among the intelligentsia. Politically oriented scholars like Rashid Rida had also emphasized the necessity to establish an Islamic state that implements Sharia (Islamic law) and thus laid the intellectual foundations for
5066-679: The Ottoman Maturidite scholar Muhammad Zahid al-Kawthari (1879–1952); accusing him of heresy. In the treatise, Bitar vigorously advocates Ibn Taymiyya's literalist approach to the theological question of the Divine attributes ( Al- Asma wa-l-Sifat ) and seemingly anthropomorphic expressions in the Qur'an . At the height of his career, Bitar enjoyed the respect of Syrian ulema and laypersons of all groups. For his student Nasir al-Din Albani (1914–1999) and his purist Salafi followers, Bitar
5215-549: The Quran and certain hadith were interpreted by early Muslim thinkers as "documentary evidence" of the existence of saints. Graves of saints around the Muslim world became centers of pilgrimage – especially after 1200 CE – for masses of Muslims seeking their barakah (blessing). Since the first Muslim hagiographies were written during the period when the Islamic mystical trend of Sufism began its rapid expansion, many of
5364-752: The Quran , the concept of sainthood is clearly described. Some modern scholars, however, assert that the Quran does not explicitly outline a doctrine or theory of saints. In the Quran, the adjective walī is applied to God , in the sense of him being the "friend" of all believers (Q 2:257 ). However, particular Quranic verses were interpreted by early Islamic scholars to refer to a special, exalted group of holy people. These included 10:62 : "Surely God's friends ( awliyāa l-lahi ): no fear shall be on them, neither shall they sorrow," and 5:54 , which refers to God's love for those who love him. Additionally, some scholars interpreted 4:69 , "Whosoever obeys God and
5513-470: The Salafi movement , Wahhabism , and Islamic Modernism , all three of which have, to a greater or lesser degree, "formed a front against the veneration and theory of saints". As has been noted by scholars, the development of these movements has indirectly led to a trend amongst some mainstream Muslims to resist "acknowledging the existence of Muslim saints altogether or ... [to view] their presence and veneration as unacceptable deviations". However, despite
5662-606: The Wahhabi movement in the Arabian Peninsula , subcontinental reform movements spearheaded by Shah Waliullah Dehlawi , Shah Ismail Dehlawi and Sayyid Ahmad Shaheed as well as the Yemeni islah movement led by Al-San'aani and Al-Shawkani . These movements had advocated the belief that the Qur'an and Sunnah are the primary sources of sharia and the legal status quo should be scrutinized based on Qur'an and Hadith . Far from being novel, this idea
5811-516: The Wali'Allah of a particular place prays for that place's well-being and for the health and happiness of all who live therein. Here is a partial list of Muslim Awliya Allah : Salafi movement [REDACTED] Politics portal The Salafi movement or Salafism ( Arabic : السلفية , romanized : al-Salafiyya ) is a revival movement within Sunni Islam , which
5960-562: The madhhabs . While they doctrinally condemned Taqlid and advocated Ijtihad , historically the Wahhabi legal practice was grounded mostly within the confines of Hanbali school, until recently. The doctrinal rejection of Taqlid by Wahhabis would lead to subsequent emergence of prominent Wahhabi ulema such as Sa'd ibn 'Atiq, Abd al-Rahman al-Sa'dii , Ibn 'Uthaymin , Ibn Baz , etc.; who would depart significantly from Hanbali law. Other Salafi movements, however, believe that taqlid
6109-456: The puritanical and revivalist Islamic movements of Salafism and Wahhabism , whose influence has "formed a front against the veneration and theory of saints." For the adherents of Wahhabi ideology, for example, the practice of venerating saints appears as an "abomination", for they see in this a form of idolatry . It is for this reason that the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia , which adheres to
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6258-449: The walī ḥaḳḳ Allāh on the one hand and the walī Allāh on the other. According to the author, "the [spiritual] ascent of the walī ḥaḳḳ Allāh must stop at the end of the created cosmos ... he can attain God's proximity, but not God Himself; he is only admitted to God's proximity ( muḳarrab ). It is the walī Allāh who reaches God. Ascent beyond God's throne means to traverse consciously
6407-556: The " mujaddid madhhab al-salaf fil-Sham " (the reviver of the ancestral doctrine in Syria). While these reformers were critical of various aspects of popular Sufism , they didn't deny Sufism completely. The Cairene school of Muhammad Abduh emerged as a separate trend in 1880s, and would be influenced by the Damascene Salafiyya , as well as Mu'tazilite philosophy. Abduh's movement sought a rationalist approach to adapt to
6556-418: The "final" edicts of any specific madhhab . The origins of Salafism are disputed, with some historians like Louis Massignon tracing its origin to the intellectual movement in the second half of the nineteenth century that opposed Westernization emanating from European imperialism (led by Al-Afghani , Muhammad Abduh , and Rashid Rida ). However, Afghani and Abduh had not self-described as "Salafi" and
6705-682: The 1880s, due to its popularity amongst the reformist ulema in Damascus. Furthermore; most of the medieval treatises of the classical Syrian theologian Ibn Taymiyya were preserved in various Damascene mosques. Salafi scholars gathered these works and indexed them in the archives of the Zahiriyya Library ( Maktabat Zahiriyya ), one of the most prominent Islamic libraries of the 19th century. Most influential Salafi scholars during this period were Tahir al-Jazai'ri, 'Abd al-Razzaq al-Bitar and Jamal al-Din Qasimi . These scholars took precedent from
6854-418: The 18th-century reformers influenced by Ibn Taymiyya, such as Al-Shawkani, Ibn 'Abd al-Wahhab, Shah Waliullah etc. and called for a return to the purity of the early era of the Salaf al-Salih (righteous forebears). Like Ibn Taymiyya during the 13th century; they viewed themselves as determined preachers calling to defend Tawhid (Islamic monotheism), attacking bid'ah (religious innovations), criticising
7003-611: The 19th century as a reaction to the spread of European ideas" across the Islamic World and "sought to expose the roots of modernity within Muslim civilization". Starting from the French scholar Louis Massignon , Western scholarship for much of the 20th-century considered the Islamic Modernist movement of 19th-century figures Muhammad Abduh and Jamal al-Din al-Afghani (who were Ash'ari rationalists) to be part of
7152-411: The 21st century, Salafi teachings and ideas had become so mainstreamised that many modern Muslims, even those who do not self-identify as Salafi, have adopted various aspects of Salafism. At times, Salafism has also been deemed a hybrid of Wahhabism and other post-1960s movements. Academics and historians have used the term "Salafism" to denote "a school of thought which surfaced in the second half of
7301-638: The Alusi family of ulama to promote reformist ideas, influenced by Wahhabism through his teacher 'Ali al-Suwaydi. He also combined the theological ideas of Sufis and Mutakallimun (dialecticians) like Razi in his reformist works. Shihab al-Din's son, Nu'man Khayr al-Din al-Alusi , was also heavily influenced by the treatises of Siddiq Hasan Khan , an early leader of the Ah-i Hadith movement. He regularly corresponded with him and received an Ijazat (license to teach) from Siddiq Hasan Khan, and became
7450-413: The Islamic world today, playing a vital part in the daily piety of vast portions of Muslim countries like Pakistan, Bangladesh, Egypt, Turkey, Senegal , Iraq, Iran, Algeria, Tunisia, Indonesia, Malaysia, and Morocco, as well as in countries with substantive Islamic populations like India, China, Russia, and the Balkans . The general definition of the Muslim saint in classical texts is that he represents
7599-595: The Maghreb, Abū Madyan stopped at Béjaïa and "formed a circle of disciples." Abū Madyan eventually died in Tlemcen , while making his way to the Almohad court of Marrakesh ; he was later venerated as a prime Awliya Allah of Tlemcen by popular acclaim. One of Abū Madyan's most notable disciples was ʿAbd al-Salām Ibn Mas̲h̲īs̲h̲ (d. 1127), a "saint ... [who] had a posthumous fame through his being recognised as
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#17327764868477748-466: The Messenger, they are with those unto whom God hath shown favor: the prophets and the ṣidīqīna and the martyrs and the righteous. The best of company are they," to carry a reference to holy people who were not prophets and were ranked below the latter. The word ṣidīqīna in this verse literally connotes "the truthful ones" or "the just ones," and was often interpreted by the early Islamic thinkers in
7897-538: The Ottoman monarchy and its clerical establishment as well as relentlessly condemning Western ideas such as nationalism . According to historian Itzchak Weismann : "The Salafi trend of Damascus constituted a religious response to the political alliance forged between the Ottoman State under the modernizing autocracy of Sultan Abdül Hamid II and orthodox sufi shaykhs and ulama who were willing to mobilize
8046-457: The Ottoman state apparatus". Between 1630 and 1680 there were many violent quarrels that occurred between the Kadızadelis and those that they disapproved of. As the movement progressed, activists became "increasingly violent" and Kadızadelis were known to enter "mosques, tekkes and Ottoman coffeehouses in order to mete out punishments to those contravening their version of orthodoxy." During
8195-499: The Qur'an has pointed to it in different places, and the sayings of the Prophet have mentioned it, and whoever denies the miraculous power of saints are only people who are innovators and their followers." In the words of one contemporary academic, practically all Muslims of that era believed that "the lives of saints and their miracles were incontestable." In the modern world , the traditional idea of saints in Islam has been challenged by
8344-538: The Qutb in order that he may direct his attention to the weak spot and that by his blessings the imperfection may be remedied. Another is from Ibn Arabi , who lived in Moorish Spain. It has a more exclusive structure. There are eight nujabā ("nobles"), twelve nuqabā , seven abdāl , four awtād , two a'immah ("guides"), and the qutb. According to the 20th-century Sufi Inayat Khan , there are seven degrees in
8493-478: The Saints ). It is, moreover, evident from the Kitāb al-Kas̲h̲f wa 'l-bayān of the early Baghdadi Sufi mystic Abu Sa'id al-Kharraz (d. 899) that a cohesive understanding of the Muslim saints was already in existence, with al-Kharraz spending ample space distinguishing between the virtues and miracles ( karāmāt ) of the prophets and the saints. The genre of hagiography ( manāḳib ) only became more popular with
8642-609: The Salaf in the Sunni tradition . Salafi Muslims consider Qur'an , Sunnah (which they equate with the Kutub al-Sittah ) and The Actions or Sayings of The Sahaba as the only valid authoritative source for Islam. While Salafis believe that investigation of novel issues should be understood from the Scriptures in consideration of the context of modern era, they oppose rationalist interpretations of Scriptures. In addition to limiting
8791-460: The Salafi hermeneutic approach, Salafis differ from that of non-Salafis in some regards of permissibility. Ibn Taymiyya was known for making scholarly refutations of religious groups such as the Sufis , Jahmites , Asha'rites , Shias , Falsafa etc., through his numerous treatises. Explaining the theological approach of " Salafiyya ", Ibn Taymiyya states in a fatwa : "The way of the Salaf
8940-450: The Sufi's spotless mind realizes that it has no real existence in itself; his existence is only God's light and he is only the mirror. In certain esoteric teachings of Islam, there is said to be a cosmic spiritual hierarchy whose ranks include walis (saints, friends of God), abdals (changed ones), headed by a ghawth (helper) or qutb (pole, axis). The details vary according to
9089-474: The Sufis were responsible for articulating the religion's deepest inward truths, later prominent mystics like Ibn Arabi (d. 1240) only further reinforced this idea of a saintly hierarchy, and the notion of "types" of saints became a mainstay of Sunni mystical thought, with such types including the ṣiddīqūn ("the truthful ones") and the abdāl ("the substitute-saints"), amongst others. Many of these concepts appear in writing far before al-Tirmidhi and Ibn Arabi;
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#17327764868479238-811: The Sunnis of the area. Some of the most popular and influential Maghrebi saints and mystics of the following centuries were Muḥammad b. Nāṣir (d. 1674), Aḥmad al-Tij̲ānī (d. 1815), Abū Ḥāmid al-ʿArabī al-Darqāwī (d. 1823), and Aḥmad b. ʿAlāwī (d. 1934), with the latter three originating Sufi orders of their own. Famous adherents of the Shadhili order amongst modern Islamic scholars include Abdallah Bin Bayyah (b. 1935), Muhammad Alawi al-Maliki (d. 2004), Hamza Yusuf (b. 1958), and Muhammad al-Yaqoubi (b. 1963). The veneration of saints in Maghrebi Sunni Islam has been studied by scholars with regard to
9387-718: The Turkish Islamic lands, saints have been referred to by many terms, including the Arabic walī , the Persian s̲h̲āh and pīr , and Turkish alternatives like baba in Anatolia, ata in Central Asia (both meaning "father"), and eren or ermis̲h̲ (< ermek "to reach, attain") or yati̊r ("one who settles down") in Anatolia . Their tombs, meanwhile, are "denoted by terms of Arabic or Persian origin alluding to
9536-439: The Wahhabi creed, "destroyed the tombs of saints wherever ... able" during its expansion in the Arabian Peninsula from the eighteenth-century onwards. As has been noted by scholars, the development of these movements have indirectly led to a trend amongst some mainstream Muslims to also resist "acknowledging the existence of Muslim saints altogether or ... [to view] their presence and veneration as unacceptable deviations." At
9685-849: The Wahhabi movement in Arabia , Ahl-i Hadith movement in India and Salafiyya movement in the Arab world of the late-19th and early 20th centuries. The person most responsible for this transformation was the Albanian Islamic hadith scholar Muhammad Nasir al-Din al-Albani , a protege of Rashid Rida, who is generally considered as the "spiritual father" of the Purist Salafi current and respected by all contemporary Salafis as "the greatest hadith scholar of his generation". As of 2017, journalist Graeme Wood estimated that Salafi "probably" make up "fewer than 10%" of Muslims globally, but by
9834-583: The authority of the legal schools, and oblige Muslims to seek religious rulings ( fatwa ) issued by scholars exclusively based on the Qur'an and Hadith ; with no intermediary involved. The Ahl-i Hadith ulema would distinguish themselves from the Wahhabis who followed the Hanbali school while they considered themselves as following no particular school. In contemporary era, al-Albani and his disciples, in particular, would directly criticise Wahhabis on
9983-548: The beliefs and practices of the first Muslim generation in the first/seventh century" (" enjoining good and forbidding wrong "). Driven by zealous and fiery rhetoric, Kadızade Mehmed was able to inspire many followers to join in his cause and rid themselves of any and all corruption found inside the Ottoman Empire . Leaders of the movement held official positions as preachers in the major mosques of Baghdad, and "combined popular followings with support from within
10132-411: The concept of the saint and the organisation of pilgrimages displays no fundamental differences." The veneration of saints really spread in the Turkish lands from the tenth to the fourteenth centuries, and played a crucial role in medieval Turkic Sunni piety not only in cosmopolitan cities but also "in rural areas and amongst nomads of the whole Turkish world." One of the reasons proposed by scholars for
10281-426: The core doctrinal texts of Wahhabi , Ahl-i Hadith and various other Salafi movements. According to the monotheistic doctrine of Ibn Taymiyya, Tawhid is categorised into three types: At-tawḥīd ar-rubūbiyya (Oneness in Lordship), At-tawḥīd al-ulūhiyya (Oneness in Worship) and At-tawhid al-assmaa was-sifaat (Oneness in names and attributes). Ibn Taymiyya's interpretation of the Shahada (Islamic testimony) as
10430-467: The creedal doctrines of the medieval Syrian Hanbali theologian Ibn Taymiyya , who had strongly condemned philosophy and various features of Sufism as heretical. Ibn Taymiyya's radical reform programme called for Muslims to return to the pristine Islam of the Salaf al-Salih (pious ancestors); through a direct understanding of Scriptures. Further influences of the early Salafiyya movement included various 18th-century Islamic reform movements such as
10579-428: The doctrine of the hierarchy of saints is already found in written sources as early as the eighth-century, it was al-Tirmidhi who gave it its first systematic articulation. According to the author, forty major saints, whom he refers to by the various names of ṣiddīḳīn , abdāl , umanāʾ , and nuṣaḥāʾ , were appointed after the death of Muhammad to perpetuate the knowledge of the divine mysteries vouchsafed to them by
10728-399: The earlier mystics had highlighted particular parts and different aspects of a single, cohesive hierarchy of saints. The goal of the Sufi path is to achieve unification of the self with God ( fanāʾ ). The concept is often described in Sufi allegories as the self mirroring the light of God. Accordingly, the soul is tainted and in need of purification. In the purified state of the Sufi saint,
10877-433: The early Salafiyya movement, a theological faction prevalent across the Arab world during the late-nineteenth and early-twentieth centuries, which was closely associated with the works of Sayyid Rashid Rida (1865–1935). The first phase of the Salafiyya movement emerged amidst the reform-minded ulema of the Arab provinces of the Ottoman Empire during the late nineteenth century. The movement relied primarily upon
11026-406: The entry contains blank spaces in lieu of their full names, presumably because al-Sam'ani had forgotten them or did not know them." In addition, Lauzière claims "al-Sam'ani's dictionary suggests that the surname was marginal at best, and the lone quotation taken from Al-Dhahabi , who wrote 200 years later, does little to prove Salafi claims." The Salafi movement emphasizes looking up to the era of
11175-483: The existence and veneration of saints and in the traditional narratives of their lives and miracles. Hence, we find that even medieval critics of the widespread practice of venerating the tombs of saints , like Ibn Taymiyyah (d. 1328), never denied the existence of saints as such, with the Hanbali jurist stating: "The miracles of saints are absolutely true and correct, by the acceptance of all Muslim scholars. And
11324-434: The figures who later came to be regarded as the major saints in orthodox Sunni Islam were the early Sufi mystics, like Hasan of Basra (d. 728), Farqad Sabakhi (d. 729), Dawud Tai (d. 777–781), Rabia of Basra (d. 801), Maruf Karkhi (d. 815), and Junayd of Baghdad (d. 910). From the twelfth to the fourteenth century, "the general veneration of saints, among both people and sovereigns, reached its definitive form with
11473-620: The grace of God. The contemporary scholar of Sufism Martin Lings described the Islamic saints as "the great incarnations of the Islamic ideal.... spiritual giants with which almost every generation was blessed." The doctrine of saints, and of their miracles, seems to have been taken for granted by many of the major authors of the Islamic Golden Age (ca. 700–1400), as well as by many prominent late-medieval scholars. The phenomena in traditional Islam can be at least partly ascribed to
11622-950: The hadith that states "the Prophets are alive in their graves and they pray". (According to the Islamic concept of Punishment of the Grave —established by hadith —the dead are still conscious and active, with the wicked suffering in their graves as a prelude to hell and the pious at ease.) According to Islamic historian Jonathan A.C. Brown, "saints are thought to be no different" than prophets, "as able in death to answer invocations for assistance" as they were while alive. Saints were envisaged to be of different "types" in classical Islamic tradition. Aside from their earthly differences as regard their temporal duty (i.e. jurist , hadith scholar , judge , traditionist , historian , ascetic , poet), saints were also distinguished cosmologically as regards their celestial function or standing. In Islam, however,
11771-548: The hagiographic traditions of that particular area. Thus, while Moinuddin Chishti (d. 1236), for example, was honored throughout the Sunni world in the medieval period, his cultus was especially prominent in the Indian subcontinent , as that is where he was believed to have preached, performed the majority of his miracles, and ultimately settled at the end of his life. The veneration of saints has played "an essential role in
11920-568: The heavenly advocates for specific Muslim empires, nations, cities, towns, and villages. With regard to the sheer omnipresence of this belief, the late Martin Lings wrote: "There is scarcely a region in the empire of Islam which has not a Sufi for its Patron Saint." As the veneration accorded saints often develops purely organically in Islamic climates, the Awliya Allah are often recognized through popular acclaim rather than through official declaration. Traditionally, it has been understood that
12069-448: The hierarchy. In ascending order, they are pir , buzurg , wali, ghaus , qutb, nabi and rasul He does not say how the levels are populated. Pirs and buzurgs assist the spiritual progress of those who approach them. Walis may take responsibility for protecting a community and generally work in secret. Qutbs are similarly responsible for large regions. Nabis are charged with bringing a reforming message to nations or faiths, and hence have
12218-496: The idea of pilgrimage ( mazār , ziyāratgāh ), tomb ( ḳabr , maḳbar ) or domed mausoleum ( gunbad , ḳubba ). But such tombs are also denoted by terms usually used for dervish convents, or a particular part of it ( tekke in the Balkans , langar , 'refectory,' and ribāṭ in Central Asia ), or by a quality of the saint ( pīr , 'venerable, respectable,' in Azerbaijan )." According to various traditional Sufi interpretations of
12367-458: The idea of the abdāl , for example, appears as early as the Musnad of Ibn Hanbal (d. 855), where the word signifies a group of major saints "whose number would remain constant, one always being replaced by some other on his death." It is, in fact, reported that Ibn Hanbal explicitly identified his contemporary, the mystic Maruf Karkhi (d. 815-20), as one of the abdal , saying: "He is one of
12516-508: The increasing pace of modernisation. While 'Abduh was critical of certain Sufi practices, his writings had Sufi inclinations and he retained love for "true Sufism" as formulated by Al-Ghazali . The Damascene Salafiyya was also influenced by their reformist counterparts in Baghdad , especially the scholars of the Alusi family . Abu Thana' Shihab al-Din al-Alusi (1802–1854) was the first of
12665-422: The influential Alusi family. Three generations of Alusis, Mahmud al-Alusi (d. 1853), Nu'man al-Alusi (d. 1899) and Mahmud Shukri al-Alusi (1857–1924); were instrumental in spreading the doctrines of Ibn Taymiyya and the Wahhabi movement in the Arab world. Mahmud Shukri Al-Alusi, a defender and historian of the Wahhabi movement, was also a leader of the Salafiyya movement. All these reformist tendencies merged into
12814-452: The interpretive system of the canonized schools by espousing a Fiqh directly grounded on Qura'n and Hadith ; have conferred a major impact on the Salafiyya movement. Salafi legalism is most often marked by its departure from the established rulings ( mu'tamad ) of the four Sunni madhahib , as well as frequently aligning with Zahirite views mentioned by Ibn Hazm in his legal compendium Al-Muhalla . Bernard Haykel notes that due to
12963-499: The issue of Taqlid due to their affinity towards the Hanbali school and called for a re-generated Wahhabism purified of elements contrary to doctrines of the Salaf. Other Salafi scholars like Sayyid Rashid Rida (d. 1935) follow a middle course, allowing the layperson to do Taqlid only when necessary, obliging him to do Ittiba when the Scriptural evidences become known to him. Their legal methodology rejects partisanship to
13112-422: The known sunnah , not only in prayer but in every activity in daily life. For instance, many are careful always to use three fingers when eating, to drink water in three pauses, and to hold it with the right hand while sitting. The main doctrines of Ibn Taymiyya 's school, also referred by various academics as " al-Salafiyyah al-Tarikhiyah " (trans: "Historical Salafism") consist of: The Salafi thought seeks
13261-472: The latter being something only the prophets receive; (5) he can work miracles ( karāmāt ) by the leave of God , which may differ from saint to saint, but may include marvels such as walking on water ( al-mas̲h̲y ʿalā 'l-māʾ ) and shortening space and time ( ṭayy al-arḍ ); and (6) he associates with Khidr . Al-Tirmidhi states, furthermore, that although the saint is not sinless like the prophets, he or she can nevertheless be "preserved from sin" ( maḥfūz ) by
13410-574: The leader of the Salafi trend in Iraq. Later he would also send his son 'Ala' al-Din (1860–1921) to study under Hasan Khan. Khayr al-Din Alusi would write lengthy polemics and treatises advocating the teachings of Ibn Taymiyya. The Iraqi reformers rejected the validity of Taqlid in jurisprudence , calling for Ijtihad and condemned ritual innovations like tomb-visitations for the purpose of worship . Salafiyya tradition had become dominant in Syria by
13559-490: The masses in his support." By the 1900s, the reformers had already become commonly known as "Salafis", which in-part was also used to deflect accusations from their opponents; to emphasize that they were different from the Wahhabis of Najd . The Salafi turn against Ibn 'Arabi and Sufism would materialize a decade later, after the First World War , under the leadership of Rashid Rida . This second-stage of Salafiyya
13708-518: The medieval proto-Salafist theologian Taqi al-Din Ibn Taymiyya (d. 1328 C.E/ 728 A.H), which played the most significant role in formalizing the creedal, social and political positions of Ahl al-Hadith ; constitute the most widely referred classical works in Salafi seminaries. It is only in modern times that the label Salafi has been applied to a distinct movement and theological creed. Both modernists as well as traditionalists could apply
13857-533: The mid-nineteenth century British India , the Ahl-i Hadith movement revived the teachings of Shah Waliullah and Al-Shawkani; advocating rejection of Taqlid and study of hadith . They departed from Shah Waliullah's school with a literalist approach to hadith , and rejected classical legal structures; inclining towards the Zahirite school. In the 19th century, Hanbali traditionism would be revived in Iraq by
14006-544: The most significant ninth-century expositor of the doctrine, posited six common attributes of true saints (not necessarily applicable to all, according to the author, but nevertheless indicative of a significant portion of them), which are: (1) when people see him, they are automatically reminded of God; (2) anyone who advances towards him in a hostile way is destroyed; (3) he possesses the gift of clairvoyance ( firāsa ); (4) he receives divine inspiration ( ilhām ), to be strictly distinguished from revelation proper ( waḥy ), with
14155-537: The movement were printed and published through the Islamic Bookstore in Lebanon owned by Zuhayr Shawish. The early leaders of Salafiyya like Sayyid Rashid Rida (d. 1935), Jamal al-Din Qasimi (d. 1914), etc. had considered traditionalist theology as central to their comprehensive socio-political reform programme. Rashid Rida, for instance, argued that Athari theology represented Sunni orthodoxy ,
14304-455: The name of independent legal judgement ( ijtihad ), reject strict adherence ( taqlid ) to the four schools of law ( madhahib ) and others who remain faithful to these. Although Muhammad Ibn 'Abd al-Wahhab (d. 1792 C.E/ 1206 A.H) had personally rejected the practice of Taqlid , Wahhabi scholars favoured following the Hanbali madhhab and generally permit Taqlid in following Fatwas (juristic legal opinions) and encourages following
14453-461: The opposing theological doctrines of Ibn Taymiyya to address new challenges. Other major figures in the movement included 'Abd al-Razzaq Al-Bitar , Jamal al-Din al-Qasimi , Tahir al-Jazairi , etc. 'Abd al-Razzaq Al-Bitar (the grandfather of Muhammad Bahjat al Bitar , a disciple of Rashid Rida) was the leader of the more traditional branch of the reform trend, which would become the Salafiyya of Damascus. Years later, Rashid Rida would describe him as
14602-493: The organization of Sufism ... into orders or brotherhoods". In the common expressions of Islamic piety of this period, the saint was understood to be "a contemplative whose state of spiritual perfection ... [found] permanent expression in the teaching bequeathed to his disciples". In many prominent Sunni creeds of the time, such as the famous Creed of Tahawi ( c. 900 ) and the Creed of Nasafi ( c. 1000 ),
14751-553: The owners of the library starting from 1912 and together published classical works, Hanbali treatises, pro- Wahhabi pamphlets, etc. as well as numerous articles through their official journal " Al-Majalla al-Salafiyya ". The immense popularity of the term at the time caused the Catholic Orientalist scholar Louis Massignon to mistakenly associate the label with Jamal al-Din Afghani and Muhammad 'Abduh, which became
14900-423: The passage of time, with numerous prominent Islamic thinkers of the medieval period devoting large works to collecting stories of various saints or to focusing upon "the marvelous aspects of the life, the miracles or at least the prodigies of a [specific] Ṣūfī or of a saint believed to have been endowed with miraculous powers." In the late ninth-century, important thinkers in Sunni Islam officially articulated
15049-455: The peculiarity of its methodology, Salafis enjoy a relatively less rigid scholarly hierarchy of authorities ( ulema ). Most Salafis unlike other traditional and pre-modern Muslims do not subscribe to a hierarchy that rigorously "constrains and regulates... the output of opinions". As an interpretive community, Salafi tradition, "in contrast to other Muslim traditions of learning", is "relatively open, even democratic". Contemporary proponents of
15198-715: The popularity of saints in pre-modern Turkey is that Islam was majorly spread by the early Sunni Sufis in the Turkish lands, rather than by purely exoteric teachers. Most of the saints venerated in Turkey belonged to the Hanafi school of Sunni jurisprudence. As scholars have noted, saints venerated in traditional Turkish Sunni Islam may be classified into three principal categories: Reverence for Awliya Allah have been an important part of both Sunni and Shia Islamic tradition that particularly important classical saints have served as
15347-480: The presence of these opposing streams of thought, the classical doctrine of saint veneration continues to thrive in many parts of the Islamic world today, playing a vital role in daily expressions of piety among vast segments of Muslim populations in Muslim countries like Pakistan, Bangladesh, Egypt, Turkey, Senegal , Iraq, Iran, Algeria, Tunisia, Indonesia, Malaysia, and Morocco, as well as in countries with substantial Islamic populations like India, China, Russia, and
15496-401: The previously-oral doctrine of an entire hierarchy of saints, with the first written account of this hierarchy coming from the pen of al-Hakim al-Tirmidhi (d. 907-912). With the general consensus of Islamic scholars of the period accepting that the ulema were responsible for maintaining the "exoteric" part of Islamic orthodoxy, including the disciplines of law and jurisprudence , while
15645-407: The prophet. These forty saints, al-Tirmidhi stated, would be replaced in each generation after their earthly death; and, according to him, "the fact that they exist is a guarantee for the continuing existence of the world." Among these forty, al-Tirmidhi specified that seven of them were especially blessed. Despite their exalted nature, however, al-Tirmidhi emphasized that these forty saints occupied
15794-432: The prophets are exalted by Muslims as the greatest of all humanity, it is a general tenet of Sunni belief that a single prophet is greater than all the regular saints put together. In short, it is believed that "every prophet is a saint, but not every saint is a prophet". In the modern world , traditional Sunni and Shia ideas of saints has been challenged by fundamentalist and revivalist Islamic movements such as
15943-479: The ramifications of this phrase include the connotations of a general "saint," it is often used to specifically signify a spiritual guide of some type. Amongst Indian Muslims , the title pīr baba (पीर बाबा) is commonly used in Hindi to refer to Sufi masters or similarly honored saints. Additionally, saints are also sometimes referred to in the Persian or Urdu vernacular with " Hazrat ." In Islamic mysticism ,
16092-524: The re-orientation of Fiqh (Islamic Jurisprudence) away from Taqlid (adherence to the legal precedent of a particular Madhhab ) and directly back to the Prophet , his Companions and the Salaf . This preferred return to the pure way of the Prophet is termed " Ittiba " (following the Prophet by directly referring to the Scriptures). In legal approach, Salafis are divided between those who, in
16241-595: The realms of light of the Divine Names .... When the walī Allāh has traversed all the realms of the Divine Names, i.e. has come to know God in His names as completely as possible, he is then extinguished in God's essence. His soul, his ego, is eliminated and ... when he acts, it is God Who acts through him. And so the state of extinction means at the same time the highest degree of activity in this world." Although
16390-516: The religious, and social life of the Maghreb for more or less a millennium"; in other words, since Islam first reached the lands of North Africa in the eighth century. The first written references to ascetic Muslim saints in Africa, "popularly admired and with followings," appear in tenth-century hagiographies. As has been noted by scholars, however, "the phenomenon may well be older," for many of
16539-469: The restoration of an Islamic Caliphate through military struggle against European colonial powers . However, contemporary Salafiyya are dominated by Purists who eschew politics and advocate Islamic Political Quietism . Contemporary Purist Salafism , widely known as "the Salafi Manhaj " emerged from the 1960s as an intellectual hybrid of three similar, yet distinct, religious reform traditions:
16688-477: The rise of Western colonialism across many parts of the Islamic world . Between the eighteenth and the twentieth centuries, these reformist movements called for a direct return to the Scriptures, institutional standardisations and jihad against colonial powers. The movement developed across various regions of the Islamic World in the late 19th century as an Islamic response against the rising European imperialism . The Salafi revivalists were inspired by
16837-456: The saint as someone "whose obedience attains permanence without interference of sin; whom God preserves and guards, in permanent fashion, from the failures of sin through the power of acts of obedience." Elsewhere, the same author quoted an older tradition in order to convey his understanding of the purpose of saints, which states: "The saints of God are those who, when they are seen, God is remembered." Meanwhile, al-Hakim al-Tirmidhi (d. 869),
16986-437: The saints are represented in traditional texts as serving separate celestial functions, in a manner similar to the angels , and this is closely linked to the idea of a celestial hierarchy in which the various types of saints play different roles. A fundamental distinction was described in the ninth century by al-Tirmidhi in his Sīrat al-awliyāʾ ( Lives of the Saints ), who distinguished between two principal varieties of saints:
17135-435: The same time, the movement of Islamic Modernism has also opposed the traditional veneration of saints, for many proponents of this ideology regard the practice as "being both un-Islamic and backwards ... rather than the integral part of Islam which they were for over a millennium." Despite the presence, however, of these opposing streams of thought, the classical doctrine of saint-veneration continues to thrive in many parts of
17284-496: The second largest group being the activists , who maintain regular involvement in politics; and the third group being the jihadists , who form a minority and advocate armed struggle to restore the early Islamic movement. In legal matters , Salafis usually advocate ijtihad (independent reasoning) and oppose taqlid (adherence) to the four or five schools ( madhahib ) of Islamic jurisprudence while some remain largely faithful to them, but do not restrict themselves to
17433-509: The sense of "saints," with the famous Quran translator Marmaduke Pickthall rendering it as "saints" in their interpretations of the scripture. Furthermore, the Quran referred to the miracles of saintly people who were not prophets like Khidr ( 18:65-82 ) and the People of the Cave ( 18:7-26 ), which also led many early scholars to deduce that a group of venerable people must exist who occupy
17582-617: The source. One source is the 12th Century Persian Ali Hujwiri . In his divine court, there are three hundred akhyār ("excellent ones"), forty abdāl ("substitutes"), seven abrār ("piously devoted ones"), four awtād ("pillars"), three nuqabā ("leaders") and one qutb. All these saints know one another and cannot act without mutual consent. It is the task of the Awtad to go round the whole world every night, and if there should be any place on which their eyes have not fallen, next day some flaw will appear in that place, and they must then inform
17731-462: The spiritual life of Muslims in the region. For the vast majority of Muslims in the Maghreb even today, the saints remain "very much alive at their tomb, to the point that the person's name most often serves to denote the place." While this classical type of Sunni veneration represents the most widespread stance in the area, the modern influence of Salafism and Wahhabism have challenged the traditional practice in some quarters. Scholars have noted
17880-429: The standard practice for Western scholars for much of the 20th century, at the expense of conceptual veracity. Salafis believe that the label " Salafiyya " existed from the first few generations of Islam and that it is not a modern movement. To justify this view, Salafis rely on a handful of quotes from medieval times where the term "Salafi" is used. One of the quotes used as evidence and widely posted on Salafi websites
18029-495: The stories of the Islamic saints were passed down orally before finally being put to writing. One of the most widely venerated saints in early North African Islamic history was Abū Yaʿzā (or Yaʿazzā, d. 1177), an illiterate Sunni Maliki miracle worker whose reputation for sanctity was admired even in his own life. Another immensely popular saint of the time-period was Ibn Ḥirzihim (d. 1163), who also gained renown for his personal devoutness and his ability to work miracles. It
18178-464: The strength of the Ummah (Muslim community) and enabled foreigners to gain control over Muslim lands . Hence, Rida held back from adopting an exclusivist attitude against Asharis during the first two decades of the 20th century. Beginning from the mid-1920s, this leniency gradually disappeared from Salafi activists and scholars to give way to a more partisan stance. Mahmud Shukri al-Alusi, for example,
18327-449: The substitute-saints, and his supplication is answered." From the twelfth to the fourteenth century, "the general veneration of saints, among both people and sovereigns, reached its definitive form with the organization of Sufism —the mysticism of Islam—into orders or brotherhoods." In general Islamic piety of the period, the saint was understood to be "a contemplative whose state of spiritual perfection ... [found] permanent expression in
18476-527: The teaching bequeathed to his disciples." It was by virtue of his spiritual wisdom that the saint was accorded veneration in medieval Islam, "and it is this which ... [effected] his 'canonization,' and not some ecclesiastical institution" as in Christianity . In fact, the latter point represents one of the crucial differences between the Islamic and Christian veneration of saints, for saints are venerated by unanimous consensus or popular acclaim in Islam, in
18625-562: The teachings of Shah Waliullah Dehlawi and galvanized through the South Asian jihad of Sayyid Ahmad Shahid ; the Wahhabi movement in Arabia ; the Padri movement of Indonesia ; Algerian Salafism spearheaded by Abdelhamid Ben Badis ; and others. The term Salafi as a proper noun and adjective had been used during the classical era to refer to the theological school of the early Ahl al-Hadith movement. The treatises of
18774-677: The term. Both movements might have opposite approaches but advocate a belief that Islam has been altered and is in need of a return to a previous form of Islam allegedly practised by the Salafiyya . According to Bernard Haykel , "temporal proximity to the Prophet Muhammad is associated with the truest form of Islam" among many Sunni Muslims . Salafis are first and foremost religious and social reformers engaged in creating and reproducing particular forms of authority and identity, both personal and communal. They define [their] reformist project first and foremost through creedal tenets (i.e.,
18923-454: The testimony to worship God alone "only by means of what He has legislated", without partners, is adopted by the Salafis as the foundation of their faith. In the contemporary era, Ibn Taymiyya's writings on theology and innovated practices have inspired Salafi movements of diverse kinds. The increased prominence of these movements in the twentieth century has led to a resurgence in interest of
19072-425: The theology of the Salafiyya school. Ibn Taymiyya also cited a scholarly consensus ( Ijma ), on the permissibility of ascribing ones self to the beliefs of the Salaf, stating: "There is no shame in declaring oneself to be a follower of the salaf, belonging to it and feeling proud of it; rather that must be accepted from him, according to scholarly consensus. The madhhab of the salaf cannot be anything but true. If
19221-543: The third generation, the Tabi' al-Tabi'in ), who are believed to exemplify the pure form of Islam . In practice, Salafis claim that they rely on the Qur'an , the Sunnah and the Ijma (consensus) of the salaf , giving these writings precedence over what they claim as "later religious interpretations". The Salafi movement aimed to achieve a renewal of Muslim life and had
19370-401: The treatises of any particular schools of law, and refer to the books of all madhhabs . Following Ibn Taymiyya and Ibn Qayyim , these scholars accept the rich literary heritage of Sunni Fiqh and consider the literature of the four Sunni law-schools as beneficial resources to issue rulings for the contemporary era. At the far end of the spectrum, some Salafis hold that adhering to taqlid
19519-569: The tremendously "important role" the veneration of saints has historically played in Islamic life all these areas, especially amongst Sunnis who frequent the many thousands of tombs scattered throughout the region for blessings in performing the act of ziyāra . According to scholars, "between the Turks of the Balkans and Anatolia, and those in Central Asia, despite the distance separating them,
19668-495: The usage of logic with regards to textual interpretations, Salafi scholars also reduce the importance given to medieval legal manuals and texts, giving more priority to the texts from the early generations of the Salaf . Salafis favor practical implementation as opposed to disputes with regards to meanings, meaning may be considered either clear or something beyond human understanding. As adherents of Athari theology , Salafis believe that engagement in speculative theology ( kalam )
19817-402: The usage of the term to denote them has become outdated today. Abduh's more orthodox student Rashid Rida followed hardline Salafism which opposed Sufism , Shi'ism and incorporated traditional madh'hab system. Rida eventually became a champion of the Wahhabi movement and would influence another strand of conservative Salafis. In the modern academia, Salafism is commonly used to refer to
19966-471: The various "types" of saints venerated by Sunnis in those areas. These include: Regarding the veneration of saints amongst Sunni Muslims in the Maghreb in the present day, scholars have noted the presence of many "thousands of minor, local saints whose tombs remain visible in villages or the quarters of towns." Although many of these saints lack precise historiographies or hagiographies, "their presence and their social efficacity ... [are] immense" in shaping
20115-756: The wider Salafiyya movement. However, contemporary Salafis follow a literalist approach with a "heavy reliance on hadith", looking up to Ibn Taymiyya and his disciples like Ibn Kathir , Ibn Qayyim , etc. whom they regard as important classical religious authorities. Major contemporary figures in the movement include al-Albani , Taqi al-Din al-Hilali , ibn 'Uthaymin , Ibn Baz , Ehsan Elahi Zahir , Muhammad ibn Ibrahim , Rashid Rida , Thanā Allāh Amritsari , Abd al-Hamid Bin Badis , Zubair Ali Zaee , Ahmad Shakir , Saleh Al-Fawzan , Zakir Naik , Abdul-Ghaffar Hasan , Sayyid Sabiq , Salih al-Munajjid , Abd al-Rahman Abd al-Khaliq , Muhammad al-Gondalwi , etc. In
20264-604: The works of Hanbali theologian Ahmad Ibn Taymiyya , whose call to follow the path of Salaf , inspired their name. The early phase of this tradition sought a middle-way that synthesised between 'ilm and Tasawwuf . Damascus , a major centre of Hanbali scholarship in the Muslim World, played a major role in the emergence and dissemination of the ideas of this early trend of the Salafiyya . Some scholars in this phase like Amir 'Abd al-Qadir al-Jaza'iri , re-interpreted Ibn Arabi 's mystical beliefs and reconciled them with
20413-461: The writings of Ibn Taymiyya far beyond traditional Salafi circles. Salafis commonly refer to Ibn Taymiyya by the title Shaykh al-Islām . Alongside Ibn Taymiyya, his disciples Ibn Qayyim al-Jawziyya , Ibn Kathir , Al-Dhahabi , etc. constitute the most referenced classical scholarship in Salafi circles. The scholarly works of Ibn Taymiyya, which advocate Traditionalist Creedal positions and intensely critique other theological schools, embody
20562-494: The writings of many of the most prominent Sunni theologians and doctors of the classical and medieval periods, many of whom considered the belief in saints to be "orthodox" doctrine. Examples of classical testimonies include: The rationale for veneration of deceased saints by pilgrims in an appeal for blessings ( Barakah ) even though the saints will not rise from the dead until the Day of Resurrection ( Yawm ad-Dīn ) may come from
20711-584: Was Abu Madyan (d. 1197), however, who eventually became one of the Awliya Allah of the entire Maghreb . A "spiritual disciple of these two preceding saints," Abū Madyan, a prominent Sunni Maliki scholar, was the first figure in Maghrebi Sufism "to exercise an influence beyond his own region." Abū Madyan travelled to the East, where he is said to have met prominent mystics like the renowned Hanbali jurist Abdul-Qadir Gilani (d. 1166). Upon returning to
20860-614: Was a master of theology and hadith . For the Islamist Muslim Brotherhood , Bitar's studies of Islam and the Arabic language were an asset for Islamic Renaissance . Syrian Salafiyya tradition that emerged in late nineteenth century consisted of two divergent tendencies: an apolitical Quietist trend and a "Salafi-Islamist hybrid". The early Salafiyya led by Rashid Rida was dominated by revolutionary Pan-Islamists who had socio-political goals and advocated for
21009-711: Was a traditionist thesis kept alive within the Hanbali school of law. The Wahhabi movement, under the leadership of Muhammad Ibn Abd al-Wahhab , forcefully revived Hanbali traditionism in 18th century Arabia . Influenced by the Hanbali scholars Ibn Taymiyya (d. 728/1328) and Ibn Qayyim al-Jawziyya (d. 751/1350); the teachings of Ibn 'Abd al-Wahhab were also closely linked to the formulation of proto-Hanbalism expounded by early Hanbali writers 'Abd Allah ibn Ahmad (d. 290/903), Abu Bakr al-Khallal (d. 311/923) as well as non-Hanbali scholars like Ibn Hazm , whom he cited frequently. Indian Hadith specialist Shah Waliullah Dehlawi , while rejecting Taqlid , also emphasised on involving
21158-516: Was also accompanied by an emphasis on strict adherence to Qur'an and Hadith . Kadızadelis (also Qādīzādali ) was a seventeenth-century puritanical reformist religious movement in the Ottoman Empire that followed Kadızade Mehmed (1582-1635), a revivalist Islamic preacher. Kadızade and his followers were determined rivals of Sufism and popular religion . They condemned many of the Ottoman practices that Kadızade felt were bidʻah "non-Islamic innovations", and passionately supported "reviving
21307-571: Was an important part of the doctrine of the forefathers ( madhhab al-salaf ). Despite this, the Salafi reformers during this era were more concerned with pan-Islamic unity and hence refrained from accusing the majority of their co-religionists of being heretics; professing their creedal arguments with moderation. Jamal al-Din Qasimi decried sectarianism and bitter polemics between Atharis and followers of other creedal schools , despite considering them unorthodox. For Rashid Rida, intra-Sunni divisions between Atharis and Ash'arites, were an evil that weakened
21456-453: Was championed by Rashid Rida and his disciples across the Islamic World, advocating a literalist understanding of the Scriptures. They were also characterised by a militant hostility to Western imperialism and culture. In addition to condemnations of tomb visits, popular Sufi practices, brotherhoods, miracles and mystical orders; Rida's criticism of Sufism extended to all of it and beyond the critiques of his fellow Salafi comrades. He questioned
21605-540: Was educated in Egypt but taught in Libya and Morocco , and Abū ʿAbd Allāh Muḥammad al-Jazūlī (d. 1465), "who returned to Morocco after a long trip to the East and then began a life as a hermit," and who achieved widespread renown for the miracles he is said to have wrought by the leave of God. Eventually, the latter was buried in Marrakesh , where he ended up becoming of the city's seven most famous Awliya Allah for
21754-468: Was formed as a socio-religious movement during the late 19th century and has remained influential in the Islamic world for over a century. The name " Salafiyya " is a self-designation, to call for a return to the traditions of the "pious predecessors" ( salaf ), the first three generations of Muslims (the Islamic prophet Muhammad and the Sahabah [his companions], then the Tabi'in , and
21903-424: Was less divisive and provided a more reliable basis of faith than Ash'arism . According to Rida, Salafi creed was easier to understand than Kalam (speculative theology) and hence granted a stronger bulwark against the dangers posed by atheism and other heresies. Salafi reformers also hailed the medieval theologian Ibn Taymiyya as a paragon of Sunni orthodoxy and emphasized that his strict conception of Tawhid
22052-419: Was more uncompromising in his defense of Salafi theology than Rida and Qasimi. The hardening of Salafi stance was best represented by Rashid Rida's disciple Muhammad Bahjat al Bitar (1894–1976) who made robust criticisms of speculative theology , by compiling treatises that revived the creedal polemics of Ibn Taymiyya. One such treatise titled " Al-Kawthari wa-ta'liqatuhu " published in 1938 strongly admonishes
22201-424: Was rooted in reviving Ibn Taymiyya's theology as the solution to rectify the decline and disintegration of the Islamic World. Salafiyya movement took a much more conservative turn under Rida's mantle and became vehemently critical of the clerical establishment. Rida's doctrines deeply impacted Islamist ideologues of the Muslim Brotherhood such as Hasan al-Banna (d. 1949) and Sayyid Qutb (d. 1966) who advocated
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