Ramadhan Kareen.

It seems what is being advocated here is that Sayyid Qutb’s thoughts and works are the foundational pillar, upon which, modern day terrorism has flourished. However, being familiar with Qutb’s works, though maybe not all, I fail to see a link between them and the barbaric acts that are being committed today in the name of Islam. The similtude of holding Qutb responsible for terrorism would be like holding Ali ibn Abi Talib responsible for Shi’ism.

Seems to me that the article (moonlight.htm), as well as other writings by the author, is itself in danger of over-simplifying Salafism.

Not all people who feel an attraction to the Salafi school of thought necessarily do so out of a desire to simplify Islam into black and white–although I don’t deny that this might indeed be the reason for some of them.

I know some brothers who are staunch Salafis, and yet they still have respect for classical Islamic scholarship, and do not appear to think that the wheel has to be invented anew, or nobody had ever shaped the wheel correctly before their group came along.

I think that they think that Salafism is merely the anti-dote to the ‘popular piety’ (Urs, Mawlid, Chehlum, Mausoleums, Saint Worship, Superstitions, Talismans, Bid’aat, etc.) that they find neither palatable nor in line with traditional Islam (the austere monotheism of the Sahaba).

If my understanding of their mindset is at all accurate, can we honestly describe their reasons for becoming Salafis as a peculiarly modernist desire to do away with past scholarly interpretations of the holy writ and start from a clean sheet of paper?

Thoughts?

Wassalam,
Asim

In reference to Asim’s: “I think that they think that Salafism is merely the anti-dote to the ‘popular piety’ (Urs, Mawlid, Chehlum, Mausoleums, Saint Worship, Superstitions, Talismans, Bid’aat, etc.) that they find neither palatable nor in line with traditional Islam (the austere monotheism of the Sahaba).”

The “austere monotheism of the Sahaba” was replete with examples of what now might erroneously be considered a reprehensible innovation by a Salafi. The Sahaba collected the Prophet’s (Allah bless him and give him peace) hair, water from ablution, and personal items for their baraka. The urs, mawlids, talismans, and love (not worship) of the awliya are but examples of this yearning for baraka.

Not to mention their validity in every school of Sunni jurisprudence.

Wasalaam,

Atif