What is Salafism?

[@LetsTalkReligion]

Correction 1: The clergy that descends from Abd al-Wahhab is called the "Al al-Shaykh" with a long a-sound, not "Ahl al-Shaykh" as I pronounce it here.

[@MohdHilal]

Aal and Ahl mean the same thing ^^

[@mohamedhanafy9492]

@@MohdHilal In the general sense yes the mean the same but with names you stick to one pronunciation

[@PvtPuplovski]

Your respect for the true pronunciation of words not native to you is extremely admirable, the first step to understanding one another is being able to reach thru culture and learn even the seemingly small things like Ahl vs Al. You are definitely a model for someone like me, a monolingual white American looking to learn of all the world has. Thank you for all your work!

[@natholex]

@@MohdHilal “Ahl” means “of” or “belonging to”. “Aal” or “Al” means “descendants of”

[@natholex]

I feel that’s still confusing for people not familiar with the word in Arabic. A better spelling would be “Aal”, to distinguish it from “Al” the definite article.

[@mackenzeeeeznekcam8029]

Your videos helped me get through 8 rounds of chemotherapy. Thank you for bestowing so much theological wisdom, Filip!

[@hamimhameem3411]

Speedy recovery.... stay happy & bubbly during the Highs & Downs of ur Chemo phase..... ..... stay strong & positive, my fellow human. Peace be upon you. As salam mualai kom . 🙂🙂🙂

[@raymondfranklin348]

May Allah grant you Healing

[@samshad9204]

Stay strong may Allah cure u

[@levankhurtsidze5202]

I have got the same problem and waiting for chemo. May God bless you, dear friend, and may the Almighty heal you thoroughly and fully! And may you return to us as healthy as before you faced the problem! I will pray to Jesus for you!

[@samshad9204]

@@levankhurtsidze5202 search gerson therapy cancer and GC-maf. These r very effective treatments

[@adnaanu]

As a Muslim, I had to say you presented a difficult topic in a clear well researched ,non bias and objective manner. Brilliant work 👏

[@dkah8733]

Without being politicaly correct you can think whatever you want about salafism i did salafist practices and it´s the most f*cking peaceful religion more than Cristianism Buddism Islam Judaism Zoroastrianism Hinduism i understand these guys i think that these ideas of revolutionary religion could benefit cristianism and society

[@mano6706]

Salafis think that CHILD marriage or SLAVERY IS HALLAL.

[@n6rcan]

I agree!. As he always did with other sects

[@n6rcan]

@@sidauf whats is the matter with you youre so angry brother

[@asalafistudent]

? Really?

[@SeekersofUnity]

Terrific work on a touchy subject. You really take the discourse to a whole new level. Thank you Filip.

[@Xaviergonzalez85]

He's an academic. He'll not be dogmatic like you. Don't worry.

[@dudeonthasopha]

@@Xaviergonzalez85 weird how you complement Filip and then insult a person he calls a friend and a colleague.

[@Hannestv4607]

True love = the love of God! *God himself went to the cross for you out of love for you as a human being* Philippians 2:5-8

[@suriel8164]

@@Hannestv4607 Incarnation and salvation through blood sacrifice is a very pagan and non abrahamic idea. The whole example of Abraham is proof that God would never demand such a heinous thing despite it being common practice for the pagan religions.

[@Hannestv4607]

All religions presented themselves as lies when they denied Jesus his sacrifice! God is holy and therefore inevitably always absolutely RIGHTEOUS! So God can never be merciful, gracious, because grace is not justice and therefore is wrong! A holy God can only be holy if he NEVER does wrong !! So FACT is without Jesus his SACRIFICE out of love for us we would all be lost! Only YHWH is not lying when he says he is HOLY and MERCIFUL !! Who is YHWH equal? EXACTLY NO ONE !! JESUS gave himself as a sin offering !! A PURE LIFE FOR A LIFE !! Because we have to be holy = without guilt otherwise God will judge us FAIR and RIGHT !! Jesus is YHWH and thus the Creator of EVERYTHING and thus has the weight to wash the whole creation clean with these pure lives (BLOOD) !! God bless you

[@MrKobeFuentes]

One thing not mentioned why salafis are over-represented in media is because of Saudi Arabia’s government and enormous funding they get. Even from other gulf countries. No other form of islam gets 1/10 of the funding salafi movement gets

[@salmaabdullahielmi6182]

It is also why it is dominant amongst highly digitalised and modern populations , including immigrant second generations and western converts, and city people in muslim countries.

[@aaliyah3037]

That’s good alhamdulilah. Ahlul bidah don’t need funding.

[@irfansheikh3046]

@@aaliyah3037 Poor Salafis... Easy to follow a cult when you have given up the capability to think.

[@Mohammed-nn3ts]

What ever salfies say.we find it in Quran and hadeeth. Swfis and sheas always bring things contract with Quran and sunna.

[@عبدالله-ن6ه2ص]

On the contrary, Saudi Arabia, the most important channel funded by the government, is a liberal channel called Al-Arabiya. There is no religious channel funded by the Saudi government, although I hope so. The reason for representing the Salafis in the media channels is because they speak with evidence from the Qur’an and the Sunnah and do not talk about myths, stories and tales, so the media channels respect them more and host them.

[@dakrontu]

This is one of the best channels on KZbin for an analytical approach to understanding religion. Always well-presented and well-researched.

[@Kamrankhan23333]

Blogging theology is a good channel as well

[@petergreen5337]

❤MASHALLAH

[@king-ulking]

Wahabism & Zionsim = Saudi + Israel partnership.

[@novaknight9925]

as someone who studied islam in its various forms and saw its effects on society this is one of the best acadamic analaysis of salafism i have ever seen. keep it up well done !

[@Hadama708]

U clearly haven't

[@LearnTawhid]

The islamic belief is that There's only 1 form of Islam. You clearly haven't studied Islam correctly. Just probably google searchs

[@petergreen5337]

Subhana Allah

[@bradisaacson4656]

I found this presentation enlightening in understanding the general landscape of Islam today. As a westerner I feel that we ignore the Islamic melieu at our own peril. The west has been doing battle with Islam, painted with a broad and ilinformed brush, for far too long. It is a tragedy that we tend to consider all Muslims as enemies without understanding the cultural and religious context of each of the lives we encounter. The world we find ourselves in, with it's challenges, cannot be addressed just with 500 pound smart bombs. We must, and I mean must meet everyone with an attempt at understanding and empathy. It is my prayer that we can dial down the violence that has gripped so many today, unfortunately.

[@judok1426]

On one hand, there is not anything I would like to take away from your comment. I agree with it. But on the other it seems very idealistic, further more disengaged from the truth as to why the US led invasions occured through countless countries. War is profitable and the powers that be are heavily invested in stocks and relationships that profit from wars. It was the Germans, then the Muslims and now it's the Russians and Chinese. It will never end and be realized like you have addressed until governments are overthrown by the communities they dictate to.

[@agraulosgaming3662]

Thank you for this perspective, i completely agree with this!

[@JanjayTrollface]

At the turn of the century there were a few more intelligent talking heads that were warning of the dangers and idiocy of conflating Islam with terrorism, and how drumming up a fear of 'the bearded ones' would not benefit any populous anywhere. After the sept. 11 attacks these voices of reason were all but drowned out by the rabid baying for blood. Democracy needs an educated public to thrive, thank You (and anyone else reading this I guess) for trying to educate yourself further.

[@syedmuhammed3657]

West never did.. Instead look Islam as hindrance to their ideology or development Islam is total submission to Only one God Amlghty.. And Prophet Muhammad Pbuh as last n final prophet.. As quran mentioned. There is no force in religion.

[@reshad8570]

I wish the world was full of people like you, Brad. As a Muslim, I must say, I am ashamed of the outlook of today’s Muslim world.

[@t-kazan4405]

Excellent video, Phillip. I learned a lot. Since you covered Salafism, can you now cover the other schools of fiqh? I’d particularly like to see you cover the Hanafi madhab, which is not only the largest madhab, but also the one considered the most “flexible.”

[@Peanuts76]

Hanafi and Maliki are not well known in modern internet, oh and Islam in East Asia like China, Uyghur, and in Africa, we only know Egypt, as there's Al Azhar there..... It might bee too much for Philip to cover all of those, but hopefully he cover it

[@t-kazan4405]

@@Peanuts76 "not well-known" is highly subjective. The Hanafi madhab is the biggest in Central Asia, Turkey, Arab countries like Egypt and Syria, and Afghanistan and Pakistan. This madhab has been extremely influential in the formation of "mainstream" Islam. Just because the name itself isn't well-known doesn't mean it's irrelevant. The whole point of channels like these is to illuminate less well-known aspects of religion. He's covered plenty of philosophers, Sufi Shaikhs, and religious schools of thought. I don't think it'd be too hard of a task to make a video educating people about the Sunni madhabs.

[@Peanuts76]

@@t-kazan4405 yeah, you were right, especially from people long distance here in South, Indonesia, idk bro, all i know from country you mentioned is always being reported on conflict and war maybe that was all on the news reporter here, it's always bad news and conflicts....

[@Peanuts76]

@@t-kazan4405 i only know about egypt with Al Azhar, and Turkey on those Rumi's whirling dervish..... Syria, Afghan and Pakistan always had something goin on, war, conflict, Isis Al Qaeda, city of ruins, it's all i know from the news man....

[@aquatranquility7666]

O neo-salafis of today. Do you really think following your reviver Mohammed Ibn Abdul Wahab wil take you to Jannah? Have you forgotten the "Hadith about Najd" ? Read on. If you can "see" with the eyes of your heart and you are not brain dead, then the following is a wakeup call for you to repent from todays "neo Salafism" : 1. "Narrated Ibn `Umar: The Prophet (ﷺ) said, "O Allah! Bestow Your blessings on our Sham! O Allah! Bestow Your blessings on our Yemen." The People said, "And also on our Najd." He said, "O Allah! Bestow Your blessings on our Sham (north)! O Allah! Bestow Your blessings on our Yemen." The people said, "O Allah's Apostle! And also on our Najd." I think the third time the Prophet (ﷺ) said, "There (in Najd) is the place of earthquakes and afflictions and from there comes out the side of the head of Satan."" : sunnah.com/bukhari:7094 Now the interesting part here is that the Sahabah who said: "And also on our Najd." were Sahabah from the Najd area of Arabia at that time. Reason is that though many of todays "neo salafis" claim it's najd of Iraq, Iraq was not even Muslim country at that time ,so the Sahabah was from Najd of Arabia. To back this point up you need to look at Hadith about Miqat points for Haj, and it is clearly mentioned that Iraq was not Muslim at that time,so there were no Sahabah from Iraq asking for blessing for their " iraq najd"(as claimed by neo salafis) , but they were asking for blessing for the Najd of Arabia. Narrated `Abdullah bin Dinar: Ibn `Umar said, "The Prophet (ﷺ) fixed Qarn as the Miqat (for assuming the Ihram) for the people of Najd, and Al-Juhfa for the people of Sham, and Dhul-Hulaifa for the people of Medina." Ibn `Umar added, "I heard this from the Prophet, and I have been informed that the Prophet (ﷺ) said, 'The Miqat for the Yemenites is Yalamlam.' "When Iraq was mentioned, he said, "At that time it was not a Muslim country." sunnah.com/bukhari:7344 2. Imam Bukhari even wrote a whole chapter called : "(16)Chapter: “Al-Fitnah will appear from the EAST.” : sunnah.com/bukhari/92 Several Hadith mentions that the fitna will appear from the EAST. Only Najd of Arabia lies to the East of Medina ( Hijaz) : Narrated Salim's father: The Prophet (ﷺ) stood up beside the pulpit (and pointed with his finger towards the East) and said, "Afflictions are there! Afflictions are there, from where the side of the head of Satan comes out," or said, "..the side of the sun.."sunnah.com/bukhari:7092 Narrated Ibn `Umar: I heard Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) while he was facing the East, saying, "Verily! Afflictions are there, from where the side of the head of Satan comes out." sunnah.com/bukhari:7093 Abu Hurairah narrated that the Messenger of Allah(s.a.w) said: "Faith is Yemeni, and disbelief is from the direction of the EAST. Tranquility is for the people of sheep, and wickedness and Riya is in those who boast among the people of horses and the people of camels....sunnah.com/tirmidhi:2243 Now tell me who in the EAST boast among the people of horses and the people of camels? People from Najd in arabia! 3. In the first Hadith mentioned above قَرْنُ الشَّيْطَانِ ‏"‏‏.‏ " ( QARN-usheitan ) is mentioned. Interestingly Syyedina Mohammed (pbuh) said that Miqat point for Najd in Saudi is QARN : Narrated Salim bin `Abdullah from his father: I heard Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) saying, "The Miqat for the people of Medina is Dhul-Hulaifa; for the people of Sham is Mahita; (i.e. Al-Juhfa); and for the people of Najd is QARN. And said Ibn `Umar, "They claim, but I did not hear personally, that the Prophet (ﷺ) said, "The Miqat for the people of Yemen is Yalamlam." sunnah.com/bukhari:1528 4. Now look at this google map. Najd of Saud lies to EAST of Madinah, and Iraq is NORTH-EAST : aalequtub.files.wordpress.com/2019/12/13912697_1218930288140440_5976180288688380779_n.jpg Conclusion: The Hadith of Najd speaks about najd of Arabia and none other najd anywhere else.So anyone who wants to save their akhirah,should repent from wahabism and come over to Sufism and join true Ahlus Sunnah Wal Jamah aqeedah: www.ahlus-sunna.com

[@m.razifdwikurniawan-5132]

I was already satisfied with your cover on Ibn Taimiyah, but then you surprise us with a much deeper topic, covering the whole Salafism! Great job on this subject, Philip!

[@josemarques9313]

​@Fahad Siddiqui ok, but he was concerned about the people who were not aware of Islam in sufism and the most important thing is the way of salafism and after the process of developing as a human being maybe it is a good opportunity to study sufism. This is the way I understand that. isn't it?

[@Hannestv4607]

*The ETERNAL GOD would do anything for you!!* Even out of love for you he went to the cross as a human!! Philippians 2:5-8

[@LetsTalkReligion]

Glad to hear it!

[@yolemae6580]

@Fahad Siddiqui No.

[@e420s_]

@@Hannestv4607 I find you for the third time. Why did you ignore me the last 2 times. Hans wurst?

[@ZimmTheGoalie]

Thank you for this great video! I really wish people 20 years ago could have seen this (and your other videos) to show how generalizing all forms of Islam as the same is the wrong answer.

[@cowsmuggler1646]

They have goat beard. They are followers of goat. say ton.

[@petergreen5337]

❤ALHAMDULILAH

[@RobespierreThePoof]

A more nuznced understanding of any religion is always better. At the same time, it is notable that some of the criticisms of Islam that have emerged in the past twenty years do apply to all the largest sects and varieties of islam. Salafism is certainly the origin of quite a few recent historical phenomena in "radical Islam "; However, if you listen to ex-muslim critics of Sunni and Twelver Shia Islam, they often do not come from a Salafi background. It's worth listening to their perspective. At its core, their criticisls of Islam point out the ways Islamic modernism has made Islam even less compatible with the conditions of modernity. I suspect you have to look to the Ibadi, Ismaili, and secularized Western Muslims to find an alternative. I'm not certain.

[@hamdanalm7769]

Excellent content brother

[@EcclesiastesLiker-py5ts]

I would love a video comparing the Islamic Jurisprudence Schools.

[@MrNeosantana]

That would be a very long series, because the differences are all nuance. I approve

[@alfiansofakhair4630]

@@MrNeosantana Just want to say this 😅 But, I think the good way is to cover each of the major school of Islamic jurisprudence rather than comparing them all in a single video

[@MrNeosantana]

@@alfiansofakhair4630 Yeah, a video series about their history, where they spread and how they spread might be really cool

[@asalsameer5041]

No reason to compare. All are legitimate & important.

[@Mikhail.Tolstykh]

@@asalsameer5041 all ?

[@maquacr7014]

That is an amazing research. You are one of the best in the business when it comes to an academic approach on religions.

[@remzibajrami7969]

Sheikh Albani he's from my country Albania ,he originates from the city of Shkodër (Albania) but he has an important history in the Islamic world

[@strayink1725]

So far this is the most neutral documentary about salafism, no bias and so objective. I'd 100% recommend this channel if someone ask me about the history of Islamic movements.

[@ianaliciaperry5243]

Thank you so much for the fantastic unbiased content!

[@petergreen5337]

Yes indeed

[@stageiiwappie950]

My 8 incher agrees

[@yasami1]

Thank you so much! To me, you are a real peace-maker through providing knowledge in a way, that clearly shows ways, to understand better, and not condemn any kind of belief-system. I am so happy to have found your channel!

[@seyedmeghdadtabatabai750]

Your content, as always, is incredibly well-formulated, well-presented, scholistic, and unbiased. Thank you.

[@husaind2962]

Excellent video as usual! It’s refreshing to see the religious elements of Salafism covered in-depth, rather than just the political aspects we tend to emphasize in the west because of debates over immigration and extremism.

[@haylobos8261]

They are followers of goat. Coo far.

[@Alex_Plante]

Many religions seem to have sub-sects that are either more spiritual such as Sufism or legalistic and fundamentalist such as Salafism. Is there a sociological reason why at different periods either the spiritualist or legalistic versions of a religion become more or less popular? I'm not asking solely about Islam, but about all religions in general.

[@HesderOleh]

From my understanding there are such a variety of reasons that one group becomes more or less possible and that anyone who tries to give a one size fits all explanation is just throwing out data that doesn't fit their thesis. Then when you try to attribute reasons of why a particular religion at a particular time followed a certain direction you often are just HARKing (hypothesizing after the results are known). Furthermore I would suggest that spiritual isn't the opposite of legalistic and fundamentalist. The Mysticism vs Rationalism axis isn't always corelated with antinomianism. I would also point out that legalistic and fundamentalist don't go together always either. Many fundamentalist Christians use the term legalism pejoratively for example.

[@adnanilyas6368]

Salafism can be plenty spiritual for the individual. Remember, Salafism claims to offer a direct means of understanding God through his works without the aid of scholars. What Salafism most definitely is not is pluralistic. Likewise, while Sufism can be legalistic (remember, many judges and scholars historically were Sufis), it is also very much pluralistic. We do actually see sociological reasons why societies become more or less pluralistic. A society that perceives itself under threat will begin to put up walls and narrowly define itself in a bid of self-preservation. Meanwhile, a society that views itself as dominant or ascendant will more readily tolerate deviance as a product of growth. And, indeed, we see this with Salafism and Sufism. Figures like Abd al-Wahhab and Ibn Taymiyyah arose in reaction to periods of mass upheaval and crisis (colonialism and Mongol conquest, respectively). In contrast, Sufism spread during the long marked periods were Islam was dominant in its region.

[@stevesmith4901]

I have two responses to your question. One, if you take even a cursory look at history you'll notice, any change in the social order, especially due to external reasons, like colonialism, results in internal reflection to explain the fall of the old order, and more importantly, offer a new way forward, given the new reality. This then results in a new religion, different from the older one. The difference could be a minor one, as in a call to rid the religion of innovations; or a major one, as in the complete abandonment of the old religion and the adoption of an entirely new one. Second response is more philosophical in nature. In the philosophy of Hegel, systems of ideas, like religion, have inherent contradictions which after sometime lead to the questioning of the validity of those ideas. Therefore to resolve these contradictions, a new set of ideas are proposed that resolve those inherent contradictions. We would see this as a new version of the religion. This process, however, is never ending. Every new proposition (aka religion) will go through this dialectical process, as it is called. Change, as they say, is the only constant in life.

[@PLCSadra]

Judaism's Sect Pharisees, Mainstream Saducees, Fundamentalist Essenes, Spiritualist

[@Sundar...]

@@stevesmith4901 The Hegelian dialectic is a self-fulfilling prophecy, not philosophy.

[@GospodinStanoje]

Thank you for making these videos. I will definitely soon become a patreon. It's something that is an interest of mine for quite some time, but have never actually sat down and considered other religions. I would love to learn about as many religions as possible. Thank you for doing such a great job. Your video "Did Jesus Exist?" bought me. It was such an honest approach. So professionally done, as unbiased as one can be covering life of Jesus. I guess I also have that need to go deep down the rabbit hole and learn about specific niche things as you've mentioned in one of your Q&As. Greetings from Serbia! :)

[@geraldmeehan8942]

Thank you for yet another interesting and informative episode. Always good to learn about and try to understand various religious perspectives

[@tstarr8314]

Great work Filip! This was a very good explanation of Salafism. Regarding the last part about who is attracted to Salafism, I'm particularly interested in western converts who practice it. I have spoken with some and my observation has been that many are unconsciously attracted to extremes. Their lives pre-conversion were often extreme - casual sex, drugs, clubbing, etc - and in converting they go to the other extreme. Even some people who were brought up Muslim but deviated from the path (usually during adolescence) often swing towards Salafism when they find their way back to the religion. Psychologically they may have developed an insecure attachment style and Salafism provides them with a strict set of rules, much like a safety net, which mainstream Islam does not.

[@romankorenic4518]

interesting psychological perspective, thank you for sharing it.

[@therealdoy99]

From personal experience this is a major problem for young converts especially in the internet age. When you don't have a good social network of flesh and blood human friendships you look to the internet to answer your questions about Islam. Unfortunately, like he mentioned, Salafis dominate the internet space so you'll often receive rulings that have little to no application in a Western society like the US. It's often a foreign scholar who has no idea what it's like to be an American, but when you read it he provides no scope of interpretation, making you think that every Muslim around you is engaged in Bidah and sin. This effect compounds because no sane person like to be around someone who constantly corrects them for petty things that may or may not even be wrong in the first place. Thus, more isolation. Islam is meant to empower the individual not turn him into an armchair critic that just goes around looking for minor faults to point out.

[@stevves4647]

@@bloggyhead4957 being incompatible with liberalism or secularism isnt 'extreme'

[@1heilpeatler1]

yup this is it, great catch.

[@سعيدصالح-ض3ط]

@@therealdoy99 …Liberal Secular Weak Muslims who practice the American and Western version of Islam dominate the Internet and KZbin. Allah’s Faithful Believers, Fundamentalists, Extremists and Jihadists are few even In the Islamic World, so no need to worry

[@emilianoviolinista]

I've been watching your channel for some time now, just want to say that I truly appreciate all your efforts. Thanks.

[@TheMagicofJava]

Excellent especially regarding the dominance on the internet and how it is portrayed as the only interpretation of Islam. An issue which make me a target, despite agreeing with some of the docterine.

[@bosbanon3452]

Hello my country men

[@G_Singh222]

@@guineesspirit7640 What’s your view on Muslims who believe that jahannam isn’t eternal and Allah will save the nonbelievers because he’s the most merciful ?

[@JabranImran]

@@G_Singh222 People should be very careful not to confuse human opinions with their understanding of God. If it is not mentioned in the Quran or by the prophet (or via other means directly from God) then it is unknown. Either way God is the most wise and most just so it doesn’t really matter what we think because we humans are in no place to judge anyone (including disbelievers) or guess what God’s judgment could be since such things are beyond our existence. Humans barely know how gravity works let alone have any insight about God that hasn’t been given too us by God.

[@huskee7684]

What exactly makes you a target? What about salafiyah that you disagree with?

[@TheMagicofJava]

@@huskee7684 Sounds like a provocative comment, what exactly is your purpose in asking?

[@Coffeemugs4chicken]

Excellent work, amazing that such high quality content is available for free. Many thanks.

[@yannur6841]

Your channel is awesome!!! I was waiting for a salafism video ater the one on Ibn Taymiya and you didn't disappoint!!!

[@tahirkamrankhan]

Very enlightening- just wonderful . Learnt a lot . Thank you so much .

[@king-ulking]

Wahabism & Zionsim = Saudi + Israel partnership.

[@Chicago203]

Well researched and very well presented! Thanks for sharing.

[@abdallaawad4636]

This might be the clearest way someone has explained Salafism I have ever saw thank you for your hard work

[@petergreen5337]

Agreed. ALHAMDULILAH

[@wordawakeningny]

Great teaching Brother Holm. Thoroughly enjoyed it.

[@mrtransmogrify]

Your ability to fathom the intricacies and finer grains of the subject is almost superhuman... as if you lived through the centuries and saw the various events unfold in front of your own eyes ... 👍🏽

[@tayyabshahzad688]

A very informative and much needed lecture in today's times.

[@petergreen5337]

❤ALHAMDULILAH

[@fahdhussein6760]

This is exceptionally great work. I closely know some active believers in Salafist and Wahhabi ideas and this helps me get a better understanding of them. Tough subject to work with. Keep up the great content.

[@cowsmuggler1646]

They style themselves like goat. They are followers of goat. ab lease.

[@coffe2270]

bro really said wahhabi ideas

[@fahdhussein6760]

@@coffe2270 Yep.

[@fahdhussein6760]

@@salsabil97109 I don't understand. Being called Salafist or Wahhabi is offensive? Maybe I need to rewatch the video.

[@coffe2270]

@@fahdhussein6760 watch a video on salafism by a MUSLIM

[@haboulghar]

I’ve been watching your videos for the past month. I’m enjoying them immensely I find them very informative. I love that you have references that you are unbiased as a practicing Sufi Muslim. I also find them very enriching. They help me find my own path based on history and the interpretation of different schools of thought that you are presenting, I want to thank you very much for all your effort truly inspiring

[@zAbder]

As a Muslim, I am really very impressionned about your neutrality to expose information about this religion. Respect!

[@stageiiwappie950]

My 8 incher defitnely agrees

[@AkbarDeenPodakkudi]

Very good narrative. As you said as neutral observer, your narrative is so extensive and acceptable. Appreciate your work.

[@cowsmuggler1646]

He is just reading their promotional pamphlets. But tell us what they do. Know them by their fruits. And their fruits ain't so nice. They are coo far.

[@shahdabkhan3782]

thanks man, your work has enabled me to think about a very significant issue which i have been looking for. i might share it with you someday but now the idea in my head is still vague and fragmented.

[@days_hadd]

muhammad ibn abdul wahaab (رحيمه الله) died in 1792 and the first picture wasnt taken until 1827... the pic used when you mention him is often thrown around with his name attached but no actual picture of him exists.

[@bulldog6545]

A British dog Wahab trained specifically to destroy Ahl ul Sunnah.

[@sahilridwan5746]

Great video. Being a Salafi myself, I really enjoyed your talk. I wanna clarify that the concept of Salafism doesn't exclude the four canonical Madhhabs we have in the Sunni world today. Since each of these groups claim and strive to follow the teachings of the Salaf, they can be considered Salafi, provided that they leave the extra baggage that crept into their beliefs and practices in thee later centuries. Another clarification I want to make is that, Salafi doesn't ask people to make independent Ijtihad in every issue. This is a common misconception towards them.

[@dri_him]

Salafism and Wahhabism are retarded movements for people who can't think for themselves and instead promote a very pedantic and fascistic form of literal Islam. If God is said to have hands and legs then it is taken literally which is no different than believing God to have become human and thus part of creation itself. Salafism is not the same as following the Salaf, which they aren't even unique in doing so. The problem with salafism is that it doesn't adapt to modern circumstances, so they live in hypocrisy forbidding somethings but allowing other things that weren't event present during the time of the prophet. We need to interpret the holy scriptures according to the times we actually live in, because this is how the earliest muslims did. The Salaf saw a current situation or dilemma and then solved any issues according to their contemporary understandings, which we are supposed to do ourselves! The holy Quran is meant to be for all times but that doesn't mean that our understanding of it should stay static and lifeless. Since times change and we live in a totally different day and age compared to the earliest muslims. We drive cars and not camels, we have instruments to calculate the sun and moon, and so much more but these extremist movements try to confine and kill off any further societal progress beneficial to all mankind.

[@OsirisMawn]

Least extreme salafi comment. Also.why are you on KZbin even? Isn't mobile phones supposed to be haram according to your socalled school of thought. You should be using parchements ro write

[@raisul_raj]

​@@OsirisMawn From where are you getting that, 😂

[@nazc2431]

Thank you so much for amazing content, great lesson to learn and understand others

[@harropizza]

Thoroughly enjoy your channel. You're brave to cover this topic my friend 😅

[@chompythebeast]

What's anyone gonna do? Leave negative comments? That would probably be good for his algorithmic interaction

[@maquacr7014]

@@chompythebeast Nobody is going to do anything now. However, he could have gotten in trouble a decade ago.

[@KashmiriBudShikan]

the only abusers u can expect is Sunni (Ahle Sunnah) and Shias i am from Ahle Sunnah but learning about salafism our knowledge isnt perfect lets learn instead of abusing each other and call names like quburis and wahabis@@chompythebeast

[@faisalahmed2228]

Hi Dude! Being myself a Salafi, I truely appreciate your neutral and academic approach to this topic. Thanks mate. Many of your works are gems.

[@ماهر-ل1ط]

Salafi are extremists. Do u really believe people should be stoned to death? Omg

[@alexmaurilewis]

From my humble opinion. I think if you call yourself a Salafi it is very arrogant, you are saying that you are a companion of the Prophet. It’s like saying I am from the best. I think if you are a Muslim it is better to say you are a weak Muslim. If not you will be judge by that standard.

[@faisalahmed2228]

@@alexmaurilewis I'm a Salafi Sufi. How's it?

[@alexmaurilewis]

@@faisalahmed2228 To say you are a Sufi is the second most arrogant

[@faisalahmed2228]

@@alexmaurilewis I'm a Muslim. How does it sound now? :D

[@emilsinclair553]

only auto-generated captions unfortunately, but your diction is so clear it almost doesn't matter, which is a nice surprise. great video

[@Kitsune-kun663]

your channel is easily one of the best on KZbin. Thank you very much for all this amazing, informative and entertaining content!

[@anagil8775]

This is the most honest and correct talk about Salafism I have ever heard from a non-Muslim. I do not know how you managed to get the correct facts from this chaotic mess of so called "internet facts" and produce such an excellent work.

[@tstarr8314]

Filip is an academic who has researched Islam for years, as he explained at the beginning of his video by mentioning his thesis and can be seen by his many videos on Islam. He didn't just turn to sheikh google for information.

[@anagil8775]

@@tstarr8314 I understand that, but with the bombardment of false information from the media specially about Islam makes it hard for even the academic to extract the correct facts. That is why I admire Filip for this excellent work.

[@jacobblack2381]

​@@tstarr8314what's An "Academic" ?🤔🤔

[@lotusday7551]

Thank you for your wise and deep approach to Islamic studies. Your Arabic is flawless.

[@The_Prenna]

This was very useful. Thank you. My primary contact with Salafism has been seeing the masses of Salafists in the comment sections of Sufis on social media. I've also noticed that young, white, male reverts in Western countries tend towards Salafism/Wahabism. Do you have any thoughts on why that might be?

[@VigilantGuardian6750]

It's probably because salafi dawah is very active in west and salafi types is who they got taught about Islam primarily, it's probably also got something to do with the authoritative manner in which they talk about religion that is attractive as opposed to more softer, sophisticated and less direct type dawah from nonsalafi missionaries. It could also to do with how soft Christianity is and how strict Salafis are, so going from one extreme to another is very typical.

[@fkjms73]

It’s because these reverts did their homework and learned from the primary texts of Islam (Quran & Hadith) and read the tafaseer and the opinions of the early scholars on such matters.

[@OsirisMawn]

​@@fkjms73you wish. The answer is simple. Because it is funded. They are one of the richest sects there are.

[@PakuZero]

@@VigilantGuardian6750 It's really not that complicated, to become muslim for most of them was through a path of reason and spirit, the middle path, the most reasonable religion in every way was islam. But once you enter now you have to decide where you get your knowledge, very quickly using the same way they came to islam in the first place they see that clearly sunni islam is the correct path, and who are the ones who actually follow the sunnah? The salafi

[@HD13POWER]

The Major Dispute Between Salafis and Other Sects (I made it in Plural because all Sects were affected by Ahlul-Kalam including Mu'tazila, Maturidi, Ash'arites, Shias, Sufism etc). The dispute is there willingness to reject Hadiths if the statement in the Hadiths doesn't allign with their Creed View as well distort the Arabic meaning in the Quran that doesn't allign with their Creed View. Second Dispute is "who sets the limits of God's attributes". These are the most important two subjects: 1- Do we have the authority to reject authentic Hadiths if it doesn't fit our own view? 2- Who has the authority to set limits on God's attributes? For example: Mu'tazila sect went forward to disable all God's attributes to meet the Kalam view while Maturidi said we should have limits. Ash'arites said also we should have limits and not disable all God's attributes. Salafis said "who has the authority to set these limits"? No one! So, we shouldn't involve in this matter and leave it to God and His messenger.

[@muhammadali8491]

Exact explanation

[@iedeen_]

It isnt only the salafis that excommunicate on the premise of intentionally missing all your prayers, rather the prophet as he is quoted saying multiple times in authentic ahadiths from at-Tirmidhi, Sunan Ibn Majah, Sunan Abi-Dawud, Sunan Al-Nasai (etc) that the prophet said "The covenant which separates the believers from the non-believers is Salah. Who ever leaves is has disbelieved". Slightly paraphrasing but the meaning hasn't been enhanced. الْعَهْدُ الَّذِي بَيْنَنَا وَبَيْنَهُمُ الصَّلاَةُ فَمَنْ تَرَكَهَا فَقَدْ كَفَرَ

[@mystichalaly8083]

This content is as close to 100% accurate as it can get. Gold

[@a1990hussain]

My respect for you had been growing anyway as I went through your videos - and then you share your experience of going to West Africa as part of your Masters study. You care more about understanding Islam than the vast majority of Muslims I know personally.

[@WereScrib]

Honestly it is very interesting to see very clear parallels between Salafism's rise and perceived dominance in online and public spaces and that of the general rise of Restorationist movements in Christianity, which, frankly I am much more familiar with. Though obvious this is more a literal textual interpretation rather than the literal translation issue that plagues American Protestantism, but the similarity to approach in the onslaught of Capitalism is interesting.

[@saadanis6820]

Why are some American evangelicals so aggressive?

[@WereScrib]

@@saadanis6820 Secular politics, mostly. There's a huge focus in secular politics to sway religious votes and present EVERYTHING you hear in American Christian circles through extreme languages. I.E. You look at actual, say pro-life majority movements and the polls internally in those things, and they generally agree with most of what pro-choice people believe in, pretty much across the board as far as regulations. But the coverage of a law that's relatively mundane (I.E. permitting a doctor to order an abortion of a baby in a case when the a stillbirth will kill a mother without the mother's permission, due to her being incapacitated) Will be covered in Christian circles, due to decades of internal lobbying, politicking, and political isolation, will be covered via a 'doctors are now permitted to kill children' and some interview with fake/fringe doctors/conspiracy theorists will be presented via a mini documentary about this being done to force population shifts. (Despite what people think, this is often framed within Christian commentaries as anti-Native, Black or Hispanic eugenics programs, as said communities are overwhelmingly Christian in the USA)

[@mranapra6439]

Shout out I am from Senegambia 🇬🇲🇸🇳, you should do a video on The Mourides Brotherhood

[@Vak_g]

Philip your channel is an oasis! Thank's to your work we finally can understand some fundemental ideas about islam! Living in Europe I was never educated about islam and unfortunatelly I have to admit that most europeans hold stereotypical and totally false views about the muslim comunities. Thank you very much for helping us understand this part of world!

[@retrocomputing]

Do you think the way Muslims live in the Muslim countries is not representative of Islam?

[@Vak_g]

@@retrocomputing Generally speaking I dont think there is a representative way of living. Religions are diverse. What I meant with my comment is that we need to be more educated before we can make judjments about the islamic world.

[@retrocomputing]

@@Vak_g if it's backed by scholars, religious traditions and the book itself it's quite representative. If a large portion of Muslims living in Europe supports these archaic customs it's representative. What's not representative is thinking that every religion is good and just and compatible by default. It's completely baseless

[@InayahDaneen]

@@Vak_g What is your religion ?

[@mahaduzumaki6643]

@@retrocomputing islam is good and just though

[@hafizshahrearfaisal9196]

Very comprehensive and perceptive presentations of Salafism. Would love to see how different schools of Islam treated Ijtihad, Tauhid, Salat, other pillars of Islam etc. based on different sets of expressive ontological and socio-political understandings. Also, another wish is you guys covering the importance of Master Disciple (Murshid-Murid) in Sufi thoughts and why that remains common in almost all Sufi orders, if I am not wrong. Thank you for the amazing videos.

[@Nedwin]

It will not enough in an hour of a youtube video. You need to learn ushul fiqh and tarbeeyah in at least 4 semesters of an Islamic foundational course. 😁

[@fieldmarshal7081]

Salafiyyah is the true version of Islam. Pure and Authentic. When we distinguish ourselves from the rest it’s based on the aqeeda or creed/ manhaj. As for madhabs/schools of thought in regards to fiqh we respect the imams. And all of them were atharis not sufis or ashari or ahlul bidah. All the 4 imams are salafis and learned from one another and they share our aqeeda. And as a salafi I also follow shafi’i and there is no contradiction because salafiyyah is manhaj/aqeeda and shafi’i is a madhab/ fiqh school of thought.

[@user-ji3jy5wg4v]

Salafi Is the truth and truth always win. I'm somali and our people use to be soufi grave worshipping thanks to true islam now most of our somali people are salafi and soufi practices are seen wrong In most somali communities .

[@mughal_r9374]

Nice fairytale. “Salafis” are a deviant sect, the extremists among them are upon bidah and shirk

[@hamzehhoussani191]

Islam is Islam .. there are no versions but rather interpretations and understanding. And yours is the most incoherent and shallow one . Using attractive titles isn't going to change that.

[@OsirisMawn]

​@@hamzehhoussani191the salafis can't talk without saying they are the best only form of islam

[@joepetrisko]

FABULOUS presentation. You do a magnificent job of describing all the very subtle nuances of the different branches & offshoots of Islam in ways that a common lay person such as myself can easily understand. Thank you very much. joeinbuenosaires 😎

[@HassanRadwan133]

Excellent summary. Great work.

[@cowsmuggler1646]

He is just reading their PR pamphlets. But know them by their fruit. And they destroy the tombs of the prophets, hurt Muslims mainly, and hunt the saints. And make Quran unrecognizable with their wild interpretations. Which they call reform. But it is eradication. They are coo far. Followers of the goat. Which is why they style their beard like goats.

[@FatymaZAli]

i was just watching your videos!

[@TheForeignersNetwork]

Any time you give a large group of people the power to excommunicate based on subjective opinion, it automatically leads to a lot of infighting and hatred. For this reason, Salafism is not my "favorite" branch of Islam, especially because many of them tend to look down their noses at people who think differently. This is also part of the criticism that I have towards certain sects of Christianity, particularly evangelicalism, since they tend to revert to Biblical literalism (however misguided it might be). The human experience is simply not that cut-and-dry!

[@HajjiJesus]

There are two points that need to be pointed out. 1. Religion in this case Islam must be based on their sources or there will be nothing to tie each other or centrality in time. 2. People are people. They are human beings. They will Era and will keep doing mistakes and big or small. If one were to talk about Islam, they better have Authentic Sources or else, they have literally nothing, merely opinions of people. Islam per origin, by scripture is a legalistic, textural religion with faith and intention being the center or core.

[@seanbowe5529]

Yes but who exactly decides what’s an authentic source?

[@HajjiJesus]

@@seanbowe5529 If you are talking about Quran, the evidence for its Authenticity is there in the Quran itself. There are challenges, predictions, scientific facts not known at the time, logical reasoning, etc. If you are talking about Hadith, there are standards set to know what is Authentic and what is not Authentic. All this also covered and kept in check by Quran .

[@seanbowe5529]

@@HajjiJesus Specifically in regards to the Hadith, yes there are standards set but those standards differ substantially depending on who you are asking. I think investigating these differences and really trying to understand what is written in both Hadith and the Quran is not something that should be frowned upon like it is by more literalist schools of thought. The standards of Hadith interpretation and authenticity (in my opinion) should be constantly scrutinised and challenged and not just accepted at face value.

[@HajjiJesus]

@@seanbowe5529 For Hadith, we do. You will not get any better than the efforts done by Muslim scholars 1000 years ago. It is opened for scholars though. We have books that help anyone who would want to try their luck. For Quran, it is different story because it come in not as Hadith but as scripture, memorized and written down by as early as the people who Prophet Mohamed SAW recommended to learn Quran from. In addition, it has no defect either in chain wise or written form. That is not all. Even God says multiple times in the Quran for us to try our luck and bring something like it if we think it is fake. *No body, Muslim or Non-Muslim could for the last 1400 years.* Hadith, we have tens of thousand fake ones. *Known fake ones, fabrications.*

[@Knowledge.Seeker13]

I loved this video. It was quite informative and easy to understand.

[@grinningchicken]

Great content as usually. I have a theory about the modern advance of Salafism was because the western powers wanted a alternative version of Islam to compete against secular pan-Arabism led by people like Gamal Abdul-Naser or pan-islamism led by people like Qutb of Khomenei Salafism because of the rigidity couldn't accept other Arab religions like Christians or Druze, secular, moderate Sunni, Sufis or Shia into a anti-colonial coalition and created an immediate schism and made the Middle east and Muslim world into smaller more digestible chunks.

[@ardd.c.8113]

You give the western world too much credit. The islamic world has always been one of competing tribes and the west loves to sponsor groups that challenge dictators. That's all there is to it.

[@grinningchicken]

@@ardd.c.8113 Or maybe the same people who funded far right Christian groups like the Contras in South America to challenge communism and socialism funded far right Muslim groups to challenge pan-Arab socialism and Islamism. Israel admits to helping groups like Hamas to hurt Yasser Arafat. The US admits to funding the Arab Afghans to fight Secular Muslims socialist in Afghanistan who later became al-Qaeda. Seymour Hersh wrote a long article 2007 that the US was funding Sunni radicals to challenge the pro-Iran Pan-Islamist Shia. The US openly funded Sunni Jihadist in Libya and Syria to fight Pan-Arabist socialists Muammar Qaddafi and Bashar Al-Assad.

[@kavorkaa]

Yes,its all the Wests fault,it feels better that way

[@ISAbyanymeans]

@@kavorkaa Lmfaoo

[@lotoreo]

@@kavorkaa that's not what he's saying, be intellectually honest please. Reducing his statement to "it's all the west's fault and the west's fault only" is the same move as reducing any critiques of contempary Islamic culture to "Islam is all bad all the time"

[@phileon2323]

Hi! Great channel! I think your arabic pronunciation is really good for someone who (I assume) is not a native speaker. Displaying the name of concepts transcribed in latin is a great idea, but could you also include the actual arabic spelling alongside the latin transcription. It could be useful for some who wants to do a precise research (and we all know that latin transcriptions are not perfect). Have a nice day either way!

[@humzdon4life]

His Jordanian

[@sahildhillon562]

Bro I love your video’s! Keep up the good work man you are the best.

[@Atlaslean]

Thank you. Hit the nail on the head. Unfortunately many young people can be attracted to literalist interpretations not from their heart, but from unfortunate social and economic factors. Truly enlightening video.

[@mahaduzumaki6643]

how is any of that unfortunate its a great thing they are coming to pure islam

[@dri_him]

Salafism and Wahhabism are retarded movements for people who can't think for themselves and instead promote a very pedantic and fascistic form of literal Islam. If God is said to have hands and legs then it is taken literally which is no different than believing God to have become human and thus part of creation itself. Salafism is not the same as following the Salaf, which they aren't even unique in doing so. The problem with salafism is that it doesn't adapt to modern circumstances, so they live in hypocrisy forbidding somethings but allowing other things that weren't event present during the time of the prophet. We need to interpret the holy scriptures according to the times we actually live in, because this is how the earliest muslims did. The Salaf saw a current situation or dilemma and then solved any issues according to their contemporary understandings, which we are supposed to do ourselves! The holy Quran is meant to be for all times but that doesn't mean that our understanding of it should stay static and lifeless. Since times change and we live in a totally different day and age compared to the earliest muslims. We drive cars and not camels, we have instruments to calculate the sun and moon, and so much more but these extremist movements try to confine and kill off any further societal progress beneficial to all mankind.

[@kasimshaikh3750]

That's bullshit people like straight forwardness and cutting the evils off at its roots. That's why people who want to engage in these evils hate it. They don't like getting cut off at the root the want to dabble in it.

[@DDDSSDDDSSDDDSS]

Rid yourself of all this innovation and go back to the roots.

[@user-ue4fh5mv9s]

i am a young salafi and looking back at it the reason i was so attracted to the movement was the idea of purity of the teachings and practice of islam without all the practices most muslims indulge in.

[@MostafaElguindy]

Very balanced. Great effort.

[@yudanzhang7079]

It is very clear and well-structured! Thank you!

[@molemo7215]

Please do more videos on west african sufism and marabout histories 😀

[@PLCSadra]

Tijaniyyah, and Samaniyyah, both Sufism influence West Africa

[@ALZBNZ]

it’s not islam

[@blackanarchicreacts]

​@@ALZBNZracist. The first West African head of Al-Azhar University, Ibrahim Niass, was a Tijaniyya Sufi. But I'm sure you know more about Islam than a scholar whose movement counts for hundreds of millions of West African Muslims, as well as representing the mainstream of African Islam more generally.

[@luiscmrosario2191]

great video as always! as a learned ex "Wahabi" I found no faults except that I must say, the concepts of "Takfir" and "Al Wala Wal Bara" actually go back to the time of the Prophet and his companions, of course at that time the terminologies were not set but anyone how looks into the books of Sira(biography) of Muhammad and especially the main companions can see so. But as always loved the video and can't wait for the next. peace!

[@silentbyte196]

Wasabi

[@Trysomieflexntjes]

@@silentbyte196 wasahbi

[@hxyzazolchak]

What are you now?

[@ibrahim-sj2cr]

why were the munafiq during the time of the prophet peace be upon him not outed as hypocrites?

[@stevesmith4901]

Does this mean other salafi concepts do not go back to the time of the Prophet? Are there any salafi concepts that don't go back to the Prophet?

[@Aws895]

For Muslims who adopt Salafi way of life, there are genuine reasons. One can agree or disagree but one can’t ignore the reasons why salafism makes sense. Salafism challenges the blind belief in personalities who are almost seen as infallible within Sufism. A belief that Islam doesn’t have. In most countries “Sufi families” controlled the society and were seen as superior just because of their blood. Vast masses blindly followed them & they took full benefit from it controlling all aspects of society. And it’s without doubt that many times they promoted practices which are very contrary to Islamic beliefs. They didn’t allow vast masses outside their immediate circle to access Islamic knowledge. A practice contrary to Islamic beliefs because it doesn’t treat itself as a secret religion. They exploited people from “lower classes”. They acted like intermediaries between Allah and the rest of the believers. Almost as sole contractors of religion. Again a belief that Islam doesn’t have. They even in many places developed a sort of anointed clergy like that of Catholics or Orthodox. A belief that Islam doesn’t have. In theory leadership roles in Islam are open to anyone worthy & considered worthy by the congregation. There isn’t a hierarchy which anoints such positions. In modern era when knowledge including religious knowledge became widely available, these young people realised that half of what they were told by these “contractors of religion” wasn’t even a part of the religion. Salafism demolishes this blind following. It demolishes ritualisation of religion. It demolishes the need for contractors. And it demolishes the belief in “low blood” or “high blood”. It truly goes beyond ethnicity and culture to create a sense of common belief. Your background doesn’t matter. I am not a Salafi but that is due to theological differences I have with them. But no one can deny the emancipation that it has brought to so many believing Muslims. I have seen it around me by my own eyes. The families which used to exploit an area because they were seen as holy aren’t able to do so now because the area around them turned Salafi and thus had no need for “intermediaries “.

[@TeeTee-zm2re]

Arab royals rule whole countries

[@SaidAhmad]

It seems like these people worship their religion and not Allah proper. It’s kind of a “have it my way” Islam where by “my” they mean their way or the highway. Good thing Allah (swt) is more accepting than that!

[@DrBen85000]

Upholding The Quran And Sunnah Of Rasulullah SAW is Worshipping Allah SWT. Dedication To His SWT Religion means to Worship Him SWT Alone. An Objective Look At Islam will Lead To The Salafi is Correct.

[@SaidAhmad]

@_ none of what you cite is in the Quran, the indisputable truth, your religion is therefore more rightly called “Mohammedanism” not Islam. You sir have fallen under the thrall of your religious leadership…

[@Allahuma.sali.ala.muhammad.]

​@@SaidAhmadare you okay in the coconut? Allah says in the Quran And whatever the Messenger has given you - take; and what he has forbidden you - refrain from. And fear Allah; indeed, Allah is severe in penalty.

[@SaidAhmad]

@@Allahuma.sali.ala.muhammad. Salaamu Alaikum! Brother, you have misunderstood the context of Sura Al Hashr verses 7-8. The context is the conflict between the burgeoning Muslim community in Medina and the Jewish tribe of the Banu Nadir. Shortly after his and his followers exodus from Mecca to Medina, the prophet, concluded a treaty with the banu Nadir according to which they pledged themselves to neutrality in the hostility between the Muslims and the pagan Quraysh. After the Muslim victory in the battle of Badr the leaders of that Jewish tribe declared that Mohammed was, indeed the prophet that had been predicted in the Torah, but one year later, after the near defeat of the Muslims at Uhud the banu Nadir treacherously, broke their compact with the prophet and entered into an alliance with the Meccan Quraysh. Because of this, the prophet placed before them, two alternatives, either war or departure from Medina with all of their possessions. The banu Nadir choose war. When they lost the conflict, they were banished from Medina. Ayats number 5-8 references the booty that the Muslim community came into possession of as a result of this banishment and informs that community that only the prophet would be allowed to make the decision as to what was to be done with the former Jewish properties left behind. The full English translation from Yusuf Ali is as follows: “What Allah has bestowed on his messenger, and taken away from the people of the township, belongs to Allah, to his messenger to kindred and orphans, the needy and the wayfarer; in order that it may not merely make a circuit between the wealthy among you. So take what the messenger assigned to you and deny yourselves that which he withholds from you and fear, Allah, for Allah is strict in punishment.” Please read Quran with care. Do not depend on religious leadership to tell you what our blesséd Lord and Benefactor says when we know the our Lord speaks in plain language that obviates the need for “scholars”, muftis, shaikhs, mullahs or any other high holy muckuty mucks to explain to us His holy words.

[@monus782]

This movement reminds me of some movements within the Protestant Reformation as it also was an attempt to return to the faith's roots (in this case to the earliest generations of Jesus' followers), in particular I was reminded of Calvinism when you mentioned around 17:04 of how Muslims in these traditions are judged by their actions.

[@TeeTee-zm2re]

It's used by the West to divide muslims

[@sealandsand1225]

I have similar thoughts, especially regarding sin. Don't see any difference in teachings, which is interesting cause the final thought came from total opposite books. Calvinism has more in common with Islam then Christianity.

[@lindajustacrochetsister4659]

Thanks for another great video

[@MrThedalaillamaknows]

As a long(ish) time follower, this is without doubt one of your best written and most interesting pieces. Thank you.

[@adibahmed2653]

Hello, Well researched video, it’s great to see an academic portrayal of salafism. I thought a lot of the information presented explained salafism from the vantage point of how salafis see themselves, which is definitely important. I have some observations and thoughts of my own that I thought were noteworthy to share and highlight certain points from a more classical perspective. The connection of Imam Ahmad (RA) to Ibn Taymiyyah (RA) to Imam Abd Wahab (RA) to modern day salafism is a connection made from the vantage point of salafism. Outside looking in, Salafis definitely draw inspiration from these figures and look up to them but there is little evidence to support that they grapple deeply with those figures’ intellectual heritage. This is true even for Imam Abd Wahab whose thought definitely was reflected in salafism as a movement but not so much in salafism as an order. Only two or three texts of his are taught in salafi seminaries. His spiritual manuals that which grapple with the 4 pillars of Islamic spirituality (hunger, silence, isolation, and wakefulness) are not known by even a representative well read salafi. These works reflect how he grappled constructively with Sufism from the madrasah insitution of his time. As for Ibn Taymiyyah, a careful look at his thought shows a lot of incongruencies between his works and modern day salafi thought. His treatment of the eternity of hell is one well known example in academia. In addition, he was part of an institution that promotes Sufism. This particular institution is the tariqah. He also praised ibn Arabis Futuhat Makiyyah and his criticalness of Ibn Arabi mainly drawed from the Fusus hikam. Also, it is his father, Majd Ibn Taymiyyah, not himself that impacted modern day hanbali fiqh. Ibn Taymiyyah’s intellectual legacy is typically portrayed as the teacher of 3 important figures for modern day Sunni seminaries (ibn qayim, ibn hajar, and ibn kathir radiAllahu 3anhum) CORRECTION: Ibn Qayim, and Ibn Kathir radiAllahu 3anhuma (3/31/2023) Imam Ahmad was known to be highly appreciative of Proto sufis of his time. He also has many traditions ascribed to him where he sought blessings. As for hanbali fiqh it is a bit of a misnomer to say it is the most strict of the four surviving schools of law. It is similar to shafi fiqh. The “strictness” of legal methodogies ultimately leads to more laxed legal verdicts on everyday matters. This is because of the legal axiom that on everyday matters the default status is ‘permissible’ until demonstrated by the Quran and Sunnah as ‘forbidden’. In addition, it is well attested that on issues of prayer the hanbali madhhab has a large scope. This is attributed in the tabaqat tradition of the hanabilah to the fact that Imam Ahmad would work to pay off his education instead of receiving some sort of patronage. Therefore, he knew the challenges of the everyday Muslim in performing prayer. An example of the Hanbali school having a large scope on issues of prayer would be the Hanbali legal verdict that the Friday congregation prayer can be prayed outside of the time of Zhuhur. His madhhab is the only madhhab to hold that as an official position. In addition, traditional events subscribed to “sufis” such as nisf-shaban are recognized in the official position of the madhhab. All this information was brought to support the argument that these figures (and legal school) were part of the discourse of classical Islam. Meaning any critique they had with regards to certain excesses were internal critiques. This is not the case for modern day salafism which recognizes neither tasawwuf as an Islamic science nor any of its institutions as anything but harmful innovation. There can also be a lot said for salafism. Examples of their discourse with regards to political theory and science include, but are not limited to, their discussions on the Khalifat in the modern day as well as their discussions on whether it is permissible or not to vote in a ‘non Muslim’ country. The last point I’ll bring is with regards to their ‘constructive project’. Ultimately, the possibility to re-deriving legal and theological verdicts requires an agreed upon corpus to draw upon. Traditionally, this is what made Albani central to salafism as his work on authenticating the Hadith corpus was needed for the reconstructive project. However, after his work was academically critiqued universally by contemporary hadith scholars, you see modern day salafis adopting many hanbali positions (although they will defer to well known positions of salafi scholars whenever there arises a difference of opinion, i.e. nisf-shaban.) and athari creed. Hope these points provoked some curiosity and was helpful in delving deeper into the discussion on salafism.

[@MG-kt1nv]

Wow amazing insight mashallah. Do you have a reference to where he praised ibn arabi futuhut Makiyya. Isn’t this the same book where he talked about wahdut al wajid. Would seem surprising

[@teukufadel8293]

Ibn Hajar? Isn't he a shafi'i scholar just like the widely-known Imam An Nawawi? Hence the reason you could see some salafi love to read their books such as Riyadhus Shalihin and Bulughul Maram for the Syafi'i Fiqh

[@nadyasabran]

hi can you give us references?/recommendation for further read. thanks for the explanation!

[@a.s8897]

"This is not the case for modern day salafism which recognizes neither tasawwuf as an Islamic science nor any of its institutions as anything but harmful innovation." Sufism has gone through many changes throughout history, so there is no one form of it, in its beginnings, Sufis used to be considered pious people and they didn't have all the innovations they have today. it was Sufism that changed not Salafism

[@adibahmed2653]

@@teukufadel8293 That's a good point. I revised my statement. Ibn Hajar (RA) was born after Ibn Taymiyyah (RA) past away. I do think any person who loves to engage with ahadith and has a scholarly bent regardless of background would like bulugh maram and riyadSaliheen.

[@bashanti83]

One of the few videos on youtube where everyone in the comment section agrees and gives positive comments. Well researched, clear message, non bias. 10/10.

[@fuadaydros]

thanks for educating us

[@rizj]

Excellent video. Very informative. It is also worth mentioning as Filip mentions, that Salafism is a spectrum of strands, some extreme and some less so. So if you're not a follower of Salafism, you cannot simply categorise them as a homegenous group. It is also important to note as Filip mentions in the video of the resources and books online and in print, the vast array of Salafi literature available counter to non-Salafi, traditional Sunni Islam books. This is one reason why youngsters, esp. in the western world as influenced by them. Bearing this in mind, it is also important to beware of the tamperings of these classical and traditonal Islamic collections by the Salafis themselves and adding in their peculiar beliefs and ideas and passing them as authentic Islam as portrayed by the pious predecessors. Salafis do not do taqlid, but it can be seen in their texts that they quote from their scholars a lot and take from them in a fashion that is taqlid-like. When having discussions with them, they usually do not accept non-Salafi approved scholars quotes/resources/citations. They also grandise ibn-Taymiyyah and his lineage of students as well as their modern scholars of the Salafi movement such as al-Albani, ibn-Baz, etc. As other's have said in the comments below, Salafism is a reductionist movement under the guise of reformation and takes out the spirituality and the spirit from the religion, moving more towards literal textual interpretation. I also feel that the modern day Salafis also do not fairly mention that ibn Taymiyyah being in a Sufi tariqa and he himself used to say that he was a sufi and was proud of it. Nevertheless, scholars like ibn-Taymiyyah and his student ibn-Qayim did contribute some fascinating works towards Islam. Great video and please keep up the good work.

[@ibrahim-sj2cr]

thats so true..remember its not taqleed when salafis do it just when other muslims do it! reductionist is an excellent way to describe them. salafism is a hodgepodge of different groups its crazy how divided they are they are not a 'group' like deobandi, brelvi or shafi excellent comment btw well written and factual

[@danielacevedo647]

Personally, as a new muslim, some of my most negative interactions with other Muslims, in person and online, have been at the hands of Salafis. I personally can't stand the self righteous attitude many seem to have, and how quick they are to invoke takfir, even on relatively small differences of opinion. Many times, their evidences, and their rulings, are so taken out of context, I can't help but wonder what possessed them to come to those conclusions. I lean more towards the Hanafis and the Malikis, but never would I call a Hanbali or a shafi a disbeliever. But salafis, many of them have no qualms for doing so. It's tragic.

[@-hor]

@@danielacevedo647 brother she lied on ibn taymiyah he was salafi and i am arabian i know what its mean here is what its mean from saudi scholar kzbin.info/www/bejne/h4fYaoqfo9JqpNk

[@Peanuts76]

@@danielacevedo647 those righteous and absolute-strict way of intepreting Qur'an and Sunnah gonna bring some problem, as Islam itself filled with so many diverse group and intellectual heritage, even here in Indonesia they make small unnecessary things in religion as somewhat an Islam's core problem... And it's a lot, even some Senior scholars they critics of somewhat heretics and bid'a, then who the hell gonna right in Islam if it's not their own, this mentality probably works for some people, not me.....

[@mahaduzumaki6643]

@@danielacevedo647 Whatever the case and whatever interactions you had with salafi online. You cannot deny that salfiya is the truth and every muslim must not innovate and has to follow the sunnah of rassolaaha saw.

[@greenmountainbrownie6473]

I am the 10,000 person to like the video! Great video, very informative

[@TheSilverBullet3]

salafi in a nutshell is people who follow the quran and the sunnah based on understanding of the 3 praised centuries by the peophet pbuh, which are the Sahaba(companies of the prophet), Altabe'en(the students of the Sahaba), Tabe'e al Tabe'en(the students of the Altabe'en).

[@yourfriends]

Real 💯

[@acultofpersonality7162]

I didn't imagine one day I would learn an Islamic thing from a non-Muslim person! That means you are really educated and well-informed!! Keep it up.

[@Halal_Dan]

If only it wasn't half-truths and missing evidences lol

[@madisonvava8342]

@@Halal_Dan explain?

[@Hadama708]

​@@Halal_Danexactly

[@Halal_Dan]

@@madisonvava8342 He's trying hard to portray normal Islam as something extreme or different while pretending to be neutral. "Salafism" (following the Salaf) is literally what the Prophet ﷺ commanded us to do.

[@namakubento9276]

​@@Halal_Dan Rafidhis call themselves followers of Imam Ali, yet they failed to follow Imam Ali. You can call yourself a salafi(follower of salaf), but it doesnt matter at all if you failed to follow them

[@Lost2Found.]

I love your videos my friend!

[@orthodoxmuslim]

This is a fair review about salafiya. It should be emphasized though that in salafiya, it is not opposed to the schools of thought such as the hanafi, maliki, shafi-ee, hanbali, etc. Salafiya only condemns fanatical approach to any school of thought such as following a certain fatwa or ruling of a certain school of thought despite the fact that there is a clear evidence to the contrary from the Quran and the Sunnah. It is true that most salafis are following the hanbali madhab, but they also follow the rulings of other madhab (school of thought) over the hanbali madhab if those rulings have clearer evidence from the Quran and the Sunnah. The opponents of Salafiya within the Muslim world are not the schools of thought (madhabs) but the deviant sects such as the Shia rafida, mystic sufis, and ahlul kalam which includes the maturidis and ashairas because these deviant sects have different theological approach on the oneness of God (tawhid). Most of them if not all of them use greek philosophy in understanding and interpreting the Quran instead of following the understanding of the sahaba, the students of the sahaba, and the students of the students of the sahaba (the first 3 generations known as the salaf as-saleh) which the Muslims are instructed in the Quran in Surah 9:100. Salafiya also does not distance from politics, they are not "quitests" because Islam includes both spiritual and earthly matters. Salafi scholars are simply discouraging people to revolt against the government through violence if such revolt would result to a worse scenario, such as death of many people especially women and children, damage of properties which would result to poverty, etc.

[@A-Pro100]

100%

[@maddada]

Great summary brother, thank you.

[@orthodoxmuslim]

@@maddada barakallaho feykum brother. I know this stuff because I myself is following the manhaj of the salafus-saleh but i dont call myself as a salafist.

[@dhenoyznero]

That's why the Indonesian salafi/wahhabi minority a very new transnational Islamic movement in Indonesia condemns the majority of Muslims in Indonesia who adhere to the Sunni Syafi'i Maturidiyah Asyariah Madzhab like me as heretics and infidels. Even though we don't worship the devil and we don't worship Ali Radhiyallahu Anhu like the Iranian Shia rafidah. It hurts so much we call the Salafis/Wahhabi as a part of Sunni but they call us heretics, even though we have same Al-Qur'an, Shalat with the same movement and reading, fasting, go to hajj, don't curse 4 sahaba, have the same rukun/pillars of faith and the rukun/pillars of Islam, the only difference is We Indonesian Muslim just DENY Alloh is above, have hands and feet and sit on throne chairs (arsy) as Wahhabis believe or worshipers of Zeus and worshipers Jesus believe. How could it be the Wahhabi sect, which was born in the 18th century initiated by Muhammad Bin Abdul Wahab then continued by Albani until now the descendants of its adherents are so easy to punish other Muslims who adhere to 4 Sunni schools Madzhab and Sufis outside their Wahabi teachings as infidels and heretics even though we (4 Madzhab) existed long before the Wahhabi movement was born even though we hate deviant Shia. We initially accepted the presence of Wahhabis/Salafist with open arms because during Suharto's new order era in the 80-90s Islam experienced a decline because it was forced to become secular and the Wahhabi movement attract sympathy and support from Muslims in Indonesia who feel dry in faith, but when their movement developed they destroyed the unity of the Muslim Ummah from within, damaged the image of a peaceful Islam in Indonesia with the Bali Bombings, Jakarta Bombings, Yogyakarta Bombings and many more and now they openly condemn us Sunni madzhab as heretics through their da'wah on social media. This is very sad because we have always wanted to build a peaceful and moderate Islam as a form of da'wah but that effort was simply crushed by Wahhabis Salafis just because we don't believe Allah is above, we don't have beards, we don't wear short pants, we don't believe Allah has body parts (Mujassimah) as Wahhabis believe, we dont believe 3 Tauhid (plagiarism of the christian trinity) new understanding from Ibn Taymiyyah etc.

[@orthodoxmuslim]

@@dhenoyznero You are not making any sense at all simply because your knowledge about Islamic history is so limited. Salafiya is not a group of people, it's a methodology in understanding Islam. Wahhabis are named forged by westerners, not by the students of Muhammad ibn Abdul Wahhab. Your so-called Shaifi'i belief about God is false; Imam Shafi'i followed the belief of the salafus-saleh. The belief that you have is not the belief of Imam Shafi'i, it's the belief of the later Muslims who subscribed to the philosophical arguments used by Abul Hasan Al Ashari hence the label ashariya. Both the clear text of the Quran and the clear text of the Sunnah agree that Allah is above the heavens, above the arsh. These clear texts from the Quran and from the Sunnah has been opposed by those who used greek philosophy like yourself. You should not be naming yourself as sunni because you oppose the sunnah, you should call yourself as a philosopher. For a true believer, whatever Allah mentions in the Quran or the Prophet in his sunnah we say "We hear and we obey" - we are not like you - you use philosophy in understanding the quran instead of the Sunnah.

[@mapk1516]

Excellent video my good friend, though I wish you would have explored a bit more on modernists and reformists such as Muhammad Abduh and Jalaludin Al Afgani, but thank you for mentioning them anyway. Here in Indonesia, the second largest Muslim organization, Muhammadiyah, was set up by Kyai Haji Ahmad Dahlan, who was inspired by the teachings of Muhammad Abduh and sought to utilize modern educational practices to 'purify' Islam in Indonesia which back then still had some syncretism in the way it was practiced. They favored Ijtihad over Taqlid which was preferred by the more Traditionalist Muslim organization Nahdlatul Ulama. Because of this, they do acknowledge similarities to the Salafis, but they don't consider themselves as such.

[@TheMagicofJava]

Although of course Muhammadiyah is actually older than Nahdlatul Ulama and was founded in the Kraton in Jogja, one of the most important places in Kejawen.

[@mapk1516]

@@TheMagicofJava yes, that is correct, but when talking about the number of members, NU has way more than Muhammadiyah.

[@rolandboston48774]

Yes it is refreshing to see Islamic modernists being mentioned

[@theghosthero6173]

Is this why indonesian women now wear the same veil as arab women? I was under the impression that local muslim fashion was very different in indonesia in the 19th century.

[@mapk1516]

@@theghosthero6173 let's not generalize all Indonesian women here. Some do wear the Niqab, others wear the standard hijab without the face covering, and some don't wear it at all.

[@ameen3854]

very informative, i really appreciate ur great work

[@tonynakhle4223]

Great scholarly work as usual....How about making a video on the history of The Guardianship of the Islamic Jurist ( Wilayat al Faqih ) as an ideology, the basis of the political regime in Iran today?

[@worldofmix6766]

So admitted that you're an ISIS sympathizer lol

[@tonynakhle4223]

@@worldofmix6766 😋

[@fatimashirazi]

Being from a traditional Muslim family, as a young Muslim I also got inclined to the ideas of Salafism. Although I was aware of all the ideas discussed in this video but the way he presented it in a smooth manner was spectacular. Much appreciated hardwork. Putting a tough topic in alignment like this is an art!

[@Halal_Dan]

You should stay inclined and follow the Prophet

[@hvkhbojnlinlubobilib3220]

@@Halal_Dan yes we should follow the quran and the prophet but we should reject salafism/wahabism because that’s not islam

[@Halal_Dan]

@@hvkhbojnlinlubobilib3220 What distinction are you trying to make?

[@soulsmouls]

@@hvkhbojnlinlubobilib3220cry sufi

[@kerstinklingelhoeffer6759]

Splendid Overview. Thank you

[@chuckles5689]

One thing you should've pointed out is the way the printing press helped bring about a theological shift in Islam, just like it did in Christianity. With the vast majority of Muslims becoming literate, it helped promote individual readings of the Quran and their own personal interpretations. It also helped weaken regionalist rituals, that would be termed "bid'ah."

[@bobettethedestroyerthebuil1034]

I think it should be well understood that Saudi Arabia spent 4 billion a year propagating a sort of blend of wahabbism and salafism, then later purely Wahhabism after their split with the Muslim brotherhood. It has had quite an effect on all Islam.

[@Dhoom1981]

With Saudi Arabia do you mean the government or the people or the culture in whole ?

[@theokra]

@@Dhoom1981 It is their state doctrine, the people are likely to follow it as well. It is also popular other Gulf countries like Qatar.

[@bobettethedestroyerthebuil1034]

@@Dhoom1981 Government of course. I harbor no ill will to the people or culture. The Saudi royal family however have done a lot of damage to Islam with their spreading is islamism and extremism, a lot of the current terrorist groups wouldn’t exist without them spreading their sect around.

[@eca3101]

The brotherhood aren’t salafi…

[@maquacr7014]

@@eca3101 Muslim brotherhood was in alliance with Salafism until they developed their differences.

[@danishnurfirdausbinazminor7114]

Your videos are always the best 📈

[@ZakariahSH]

This is more like a political approach rather than traditional religion. They used religion against Ottoman Empire.

[@evh1734]

Seems a lot like evangelical Christianity here in the usa

[@NP1066]

There's no distinction between politics and religion in Islam

[@NP1066]

@Intuition Traditionally.

[@ej8530]

@Intuition well Islamic politics is a spectrum. Disagreeing with someone based on a political belief can still amount to both having a correct opinion, as long as the premise for the discussion is the ruling of Allah and what Allah demands.

[@stevves4647]

You sound pathetic grasping at straws, the arabian revolt had nothing to do with salafiyyah

[@James_Wisniewski]

I guess it's sort of like how Orthodox Jews consider their methods of practicing Judaism not as a restoration of ancient Jewish practice but as a continuation of how they've always done things, though the modern Orthodox movement has a clear lineage that can be traced to specific German rabbis in the 18th and 19th centuries.

[@James_Wisniewski]

@Abdullah I never said it was.

[@James_Wisniewski]

@Abdullah Zionism != Judaism in the same way that all Muslims aren't Arab nationalists. Zionism is a political ideology, and many Zionists aren't practicing Jews.

[@spencervrz4641]

Found you channel after looking up mandaeism after it appeared in Crusader Kings 3. Your video on it was great and informative. Keep up the good work on these awesome and interesting videos.

[@canislupus909]

Absolutely wonderful. I am a Salafi, and that I didn't know much of it as you have prescribed. Thanks!

[@worldofmix6766]

How many heads you choped off?

[@canislupus909]

@@worldofmix6766 you are the only left

[@worldofmix6766]

@@canislupus909 im from iran and i killed 11 arabs

[@canislupus909]

@@worldofmix6766 ah your bad. there have been discussed two types of Muslim, Salafi and Sufi. Where do you come from?

[@Beyonder1987]

My experience with Salafis is they are hyper strict and arrogant. They believe they are right by the will of Allah

[@joannfelder8392]

You are the best. You do such a good job at explaining religion and I thank you.

[@thothegyptian6708]

Thank you for raising a very important point. Salafism is often represented as “following the purest form of Islam”. If that were true I myself would be a salafi.

[@user-yn1qu7ci9f]

Lol OK 'Thoth'

[@mrty5213]

@@user-yn1qu7ci9f cope

[@mahaduzumaki6643]

that is exactly what salafism is

[@huskee7684]

What do you follow?

[@dri_him]

Salafism and Wahhabism are retarded movements for people who can't think for themselves and instead promote a very pedantic and fascistic form of literal Islam. If God is said to have hands and legs then it is taken literally which is no different than believing God to have become human and thus part of creation itself. Salafism is not the same as following the Salaf, which they aren't even unique in doing so. The problem with salafism is that it doesn't adapt to modern circumstances, so they live in hypocrisy forbidding somethings but allowing other things that weren't event present during the time of the prophet. We need to interpret the holy scriptures according to the times we actually live in, because this is how the earliest muslims did. The Salaf saw a current situation or dilemma and then solved any issues according to their contemporary understandings, which we are supposed to do ourselves! The holy Quran is meant to be for all times but that doesn't mean that our understanding of it should stay static and lifeless. Since times change and we live in a totally different day and age compared to the earliest muslims. We drive cars and not camels, we have instruments to calculate the sun and moon, and so much more but these extremist movements try to confine and kill off any further societal progress beneficial to all mankind.

[@natholex]

Good video. It should be elaborated Taqleed means accepting the views of established schools ‘as-is’. In that whatever was to be obtained from Quran and Sunnah has already been obtained by school forefathers. And now it is just a matter of interpreting the views of your own school. In contrast, Salafi and some other modern reformist scholars argue against the accepting ‘as-is’ policy. The works of established schools are a great resource for learning, but interpretation should be done of the Quran and Sunnah, not the works of previous scholars. Their approach is critical understanding rather than ascribing to the works of others.

[@natholex]

@Aussie Muzzy thats an applied interpretation of it, and one specific case

[@natholex]

@Aussie Muzzy I am and unfortunately from an area where religious thought is predominantly taqleedi

[@natholex]

@Aussie Muzzy Actually I retract my previous comment. Your definition is inaccurate. Taqleed doesn’t necessitate contradiction to revelation. It is possible; doesn’t necessitate it.

[@natholex]

@Aussie Muzzy No but why would it matter? As for the reformist thing, what kind of a question is that…?

[@salmaabdullahielmi6182]

The Salafi method confuses hadith and usul-fiqh. The Maliki school considered the amal, the practice of Ahle Madina as more authoritative that of a solitary hadith, this is their madhab and their legal reasoning represented by generations of scholars within the early and later generations. That is why they will follow the amal of Medina over a solitary hadith. Abu Hanifas school which is a Kufan school based on Imam Ali and Ibn Masud school. In traditional sunnism we distinguish between the taqlid of the unlearned person, the average Muslim who isn't knowledgeable in the principles of the Law, and the taqlid of the scholar. Taqlid and ijtihad are a spectrum and exist also on various levels for the scholar, a scholar can be for example mujtahid fil madhab or mujtahid fil mursal but not mujtahid mutlaq which is practically impossible in the later period. Besides books like the hadith Canon were never meant for the masses to derive independent rukings, they were scholarly literature. Salaf as Salih weren't a unified school of thought as well they were a blessed generation including many figures who became fountainhead for different schools of thought. What salafis today follow is a form of reductionist, literalist and rejectionistic hanbalism.