Shiraz Maher. Salaf-Jihadism: The History of an Idea. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2016. 256 pp. $29.95, cloth, ISBN 978-0-19-065112-1.

Reviewed by John Zavage

Published on H-War (September, 2017)

Commissioned by Margaret Sankey (Air University)

Post-9/11 observers struggle not only to un‐ for Western scholars and policymakers striving to derstand the radical ideology that drives fghters understand one of the strongest adversaries of to sacrifce their lives to kill innocents but also to our generation. identify its scope and to even name it. Scholars Maher’s most straightforward contribution to and policymakers refer to Islamist-motivated ter‐ understanding the ideology of these extremist rorists by almost as many diferent names as fghters is to simply identify and defne the main there are attempts to understand them: extrem‐ components of Salaf-Jihadist thinking. This Ma‐ ists, jihadis, salafs ... the list goes on. It is safe to her does with precision, in identifying and de‐ say that Western understanding of the religious scribing fve main components of the Salaf-Ji‐ narrative that motivates such adversaries is elu‐ hadist belief that distinguish it from more main‐ sive. For these reasons, Shiraz Maher’s book, stream Islam. According to the author, these fve Salaf-Jihadism: The History of an Idea, is a criti‐ components are , takfr (excommunication), cally important work. Maher clarifes and pack‐ al-wala’ wa-l-bara ’ (loyalty and disavowal), ages these adversaries’ historical and religious tawhid (oneness of God), and hakimiyah (rule of narrative with unique skill, while giving these God, referred to often as political Islam). Maher fghters a well-researched and well-justifed clarifes these ideas not only by distinguishing name, an anchor of sorts to understand their the‐ them from more mainstream beliefs but also by oretical and historical motivations. In the process, defning in plain terms what Salaf-Jihadists mean he does more than simply provide Western read‐ by them. Maher’s emphasis is helpful to the West‐ ers with an outline to help understand how and ern reader because he unpacks some of the terms why the Salaf-Jihadist narrative is so compelling —like political Islam, jihad, and takfr—that are for its adherents. He also introduces Salaf routinely used in Western parlance to refer to thinkers who believe the narrative but reject the radical extremists but rarely well explained. Ma‐ violence. Most important, for policymakers, Ma‐ her explains them. her makes a strong case for how military inter‐ An equally valuable beneft of Maher’s book vention into Muslim lands, both before and after is that it provides historical linkages for scholars 9/11, serves as motivation that fuels transforma‐ and observers of Islam, Islamism, and Islamist vi‐ tional growth of Salaf-Jihadism. Maher’s work is olence. Maher brings the history of the idea to life, a compelling and worthwhile book—a must read linking it to early Islamic thinkers and charting its H-Net Reviews progression and development to the modern day. and perhaps even engage with the Salaf-Jihadist He elucidates the historical contours of the narra‐ dialogue. These moderate voices include such tive. He anchors Salaf-Jihadist thinking to ancient men as Muhammad Nasir al-Din al-Albani, Sayyid scholars many Westerners may recognize, includ‐ Imam al-Sharif, and Abd al-Muhsin al-Ubaykan. ing Mamluk-era scholar Ibn Taymiyya; ninth-cen‐ The most practical takeaway from Maher’s tury founder of the Hanbali School of Islamic ju‐ book is his skillful characterization of the pro‐ risprudence, Imam Ahmad ibn Hanbal; and eigh‐ found infuence (read: negative infuence, from a teenth-century founder of ’s state- Western view) of Western-led military confict on sponsored Wahhabi doctrine, Muhammad ibn Salaf-Jihadist ideology. According to Maher, West‐ Abd al-Wahhab. Maher links to these ancient ern military policy not only fueled Salaf-Jihadist names many of the twentieth- and twenty-frst- thinking but also transformed it. Many writers ar‐ century Islamic writers whose works have be‐ gue that Western policy decisions have strength‐ come synonymous with both terrorism and politi‐ ened terrorists more than weakened them. If this cal Islam in the modern-day social and scholarly is true, Maher gives a theological and historical discourse. These names include Muslim Brother‐ account of why and how this happened. He shows hood spokesman Sayyid Qutb, Indian founder of how the Western-led wars in and modern political Islam Abul ‘Ala Maududi, 1980s (including the 1979 Soviet invasion of Afghanistan mujahedeen leader Abdullah Azzam, Afghanistan) motivated Salaf theorists to energet‐ and Al-Qaeda mastermind Ayman al-Zawahiri. ically apply their thinking, and provided critical Maher’s stellar research comes to life because he proving grounds for concepts like tawhid and al- connects the ancient names to the modern names wala’ wa-l-bara’. Most poignantly, Maher de‐ through important ideas of lesser-known but criti‐ scribes the 2003 invasion of Iraq as the “crucible cal modern scholars who drive the Salaf-Jihadist of Salaf-Jihadi thought.” He explains that, where‐ debate. These include such names as Saudi Al- as before 2003 many groups were “infuenced to Qaeda leader Yusuf al-Uyayri, Al-Qaeda theorist varying extents by Salafsm,” Iraq “brought to‐ Abu Yahya al-Libi, and Afghan mujahedeen theo‐ gether all of the various aspects ... into a consoli‐ rist Abu Muhammad al-Maqdisi. Maher’s research dated and coherent belief structure” (pp. 17-18). intertwines the ancient theological components With Salaf-Jihadism, Maher’s portrayal of with more recent developments, and brings out Salaf-Jihadist ideology provides depth and clarif‐ and clarifes nuances heretofore elusive to West‐ cation for Western, non-Muslim readers. He ern non-Muslims. presents Salaf-Jihadism as a complex, deeply Interestingly, Maher’s research brings out the rooted living philosophy that engenders lively de‐ fact that some modern-day Salaf-Jihadist scholars bate among its most strident adherents, even now. drive the narrative but at the same time reject Maher distinguishes facets that make the belief much of the violence. These somewhat moderate diferent from more mainstream Islam, while also Salaf-Jihadists shape the contours of the debate, showing how some Salaf-Jihadi scholars feed the but their moderation proves that even Salaf-Ji‐ ideology but reject some of the violence. While his hadism is a living corpus of discourse, with nu‐ prose can be at times repetitive, it does not take ances that elicit disagreement among its most stri‐ away from the book’s importance. Most critically, dent adherents. This is an important concept, be‐ Maher shows how the ideology gained depth and cause it alerts non-Muslims to the varied texture momentum from the counter-extremist wars of of the Salaf-Jihadist discourse. If some Salaf-Ji‐ the late twentieth and early twenty-frst centuries. hadists reject violence, that fact may help guide a With this knowledge, Western scholars and deci‐ more productive Western narrative to counter

2 H-Net Reviews sion makers can temper future military action and counter-terror policy with an accurate under‐ standing of what drives Salaf-Jihadist adver‐ saries. The views expressed in this review are those of the author and do not necessarily refect the of‐ fcial policy or position of the Department of De‐ fense or the US government.

If there is additional discussion of this review, you may access it through the network, at https://networks.h-net.org/h-war

Citation: John Zavage. Review of Maher, Shiraz. Salaf-Jihadism: The History of an Idea. H-War, H-Net Reviews. September, 2017.

URL: https://www.h-net.org/reviews/showrev.php?id=48214

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 3.0 United States License.

3