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Salafism
OED Definition:
Salafiyya: A strictly orthodox Sunni Muslim reform movement advocating a return to the early Islam of the Qur’an and the Sunnah.
NB: Salafiyya and Salafism refer to the movement. Salafi and Salafist to its adherents.
Term Variants: Salafi
How this term should be used
Today the terms ‘Salafism’ and ‘Wahhabism’ have become almost interchangeable. Journalists should take care, however, not to give the impression that this movement is a sect of Islam alongside the Sunni and Shi’a sects. All of the Salafi movements adhere to Sunni beliefs and legal schools, and are part of Sunni Islam.
The words “Salafiyya” and “Salafism” come from the root word “Salaf” which means “predecessors” and refers to the first three generations of Muslims, whom Salafis use as models to guide their theological interpretations.
While the core assumption of Salafism is that the most authentic form of Islam was that practiced by the Prophet Muhammad and the early Muslims, there are differences of opinion amongst scholars about how this applies to daily life. There are scholars who believe, for instance, that adherence to one of the four schools of Islamic jurisprudence is unnecessary and that Muslims should use their own judgment to interpret the Quran and Hadith. Others still adhere to the principles of these schools, but advocate against a blind following of only one, allowing for more flexibility in practice.
Salafism and Salafi are somewhat ambiguous terms. The academic, Henri Lauzière notes that, “For decades, a majority of Scholars in the West…and self-proclaimed Salafi activists in the Muslim world, conceived of salafiyya as an enlightened reform movement aimed at the revival and progress of Islam.” In contemporary usage, however, it is much more likely that when one encounters the term “Salafism”, it is being used to describe the official methodology of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, often also referred to as ‘Wahhabism’.
John Eduardo Campo draws a firm distinction between what he calls “Modernist Salafism” and “Wahhabi Salafism”.
Modernist Salafism, according to Campo, is a movement which has its roots in 19th Century Egypt and seeks to reconcile Islam with Science and Modernity.
They [Modernist Salafists] have called for modernizing the educational system (but still keeping Islamic subjects in the curriculum), creating democratic governments, and liberating women from shackles of tradition. In promoting these ideals, Salafists portrayed the Islam’s [sic] civilizational heritage as superior to that of the West, redefining traditional concepts in conformity with their progressive outlook.
Wahhabi Salafism, on the other hand, is closely allied to Saudi rulers and has become “embedded in the authoritarian government of the Saudi state.” Furthermore, according to Campo, “Wahhabi Salafism, because it is so closely tied to a regime that holds great wealth from its oil revenues and because millions of pilgrims visit Mecca and Medina each year, has had widespread influence on Muslims around the world.
Coupled with the high visibility of Wahhabism, the fact that Wahhabis themselves choose to refer to themselves as Salafis has meant that usage of these terms to denote Modernist Salafism is increasingly rare.