Salafi Movement

The Salafi movement or Salafism (Arabic: السلفية, romanized: al-Salafiyya) is a revival movement within Sunni Islam, founded in the late 19th century and influential in the Islamic world to this day. 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 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 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; 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 early Islamic practice. In legal matters, Salafis usually advocate ijtihad (independent reasoning) and oppose taqlid (blind faith) to the four or five schools (madhahib) of Islamic jurisprudence while some remain largely faithful to them, but do not restrict themselves to 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 However, Afghani and Abduh had not self-described as “Salafi” and the usage of the term to denote them has become outdated today.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 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 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 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.

wikipedia/en/Salafi%20movement

Did The Pagans of Mecca Have a Form of “Tawhid”? – A Critical Analysis of the Salafi View

Salafis often claim that the pagans of Mecca had a form of “Tawhid al-Rububiyyah” (Oneness of Lordship) but lacked “Tawhid al-Uluhiyyah” (Oneness of Worship). This idea originates from Ibn Taymiyyah and is popular among modern Salafi scholars such as Muhammad Ibn Abdul Wahhab, Ibn Uthaymeen, and Al-Albani**.

Let’s break this down:

Salafis argue that the polytheists of Mecca did not deny that Allah was the Creator and Sustainer but worshipped others besides Him, which made them mushrik (polytheists).

📜 Quranic Evidence Used by Salafis:

“If you ask them, ‘Who created the heavens and the earth?’ they will surely say, ‘Allah.’”
(Surah Luqman 31:25)

“Say: Who provides for you from the heaven and the earth? Or who owns hearing and sight? And who brings forth the living from the dead and the dead from the living? And who rules over all affairs? They will say: ‘Allah.’ Say: Will you not then fear Him?”
(Surah Yunus 10:31)

From this, Salafis conclude that the pagans recognized Allah as the Supreme Creator but still worshipped idols as intermediaries, making them guilty of Shirk al-Uluhiyyah (associating partners in worship).

They use this to argue against Sufi practices such as tawassul (seeking intercession) and Istighatha (seeking help from saints), claiming these practices resemble the shirk of the pagans.

While it is true that the pagans acknowledged Allah’s existence, they did not have any real Tawhid. Here’s why:

A) The Mushrikun Rejected Allah’s Absolute Sovereignty

Acknowledging Allah as the Creator is not enough to call someone a monotheist. True Tawhid means:
✔ Accepting Allah’s absolute authority in legislation and command.
✔ Worshipping Allah alone without partners.

📜 Quranic Refutation:

“And most of them do not believe in Allah except while associating partners with Him.”
(Surah Yusuf 12:106)

🔍 Key Point: This ayah shows that their belief in Allah was not pure monotheism, because they always mixed it with shirk.

Even their “Tawhid al-Rububiyyah” was corrupted because they believed that:

• Allah could not manage everything directly, so they needed idols as intermediaries.
• Allah had “daughters” (angels), which they worshipped (Surah Najm 53:19-22).
• Allah needed partners, so they sacrificed to idols (Surah An’am 6:136).

➡ This is not Tawhid—this is a corrupt belief in Allah.

The threefold division of Tawhid into:

1. Tawhid al-Rububiyyah (Oneness in Lordship).
2. Tawhid al-Uluhiyyah (Oneness in Worship).
3. Tawhid al-Asma’ wa al-Sifat (Oneness in Names and Attributes).

❌ This categorization does not exist in the Quran or Hadith. It was developed by Ibn Taymiyyah and later spread by Salafi scholars.

📜 The Quran presents Tawhid as one unified concept:

“Say, He is Allah, the One.”
(Surah Ikhlas 112:1)

“There is no god but Me, so worship Me.”
(Surah Anbiya 21:25)

➡ Tawhid cannot be divided artificially—it is about recognizing Allah in all aspects without separating His Lordship from Worship.

💡 Conclusion: Asking for intercession through Prophets or Awliya (saints) is not shirk, because it is not direct worship—it is like asking a righteous person to make dua for you.

🔹 The Quran itself states that the pagans did not have real belief in Allah—they mixed it with false ideas.
🔹 The threefold division of Tawhid is an innovation—true Tawhid cannot be artificially divided.
🔹 Comparing Sufi tawassul to idol worship is false—there is a fundamental difference between calling upon a living, conscious intercessor and worshipping an inanimate idol.

📢 Final Thought: The Salafi claim that the Mushrikun had ”Tawhid” is misleading. If they had true Tawhid, they would not have been called Mushrikun. Tawhid is a complete, indivisible reality—any deviation from it is a corruption of belief.

Ibn Taymiyyah’s views or how this concept influenced Wahhabism