The Essence And History Of The Concept Of “Salaf”
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.57033/mijournals-2026-4-0304Keywords:
salaf, salaf al-salih, modern Salafism, Ahl al-Sunna wa-l-Jama‘a, (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/ usul al-fiqh, ijtihad and disagreement, manhaj (methodology), sectarianism. by/4.0/)Abstract
TThis article analyses the theoretical, historical and linguistic Accepted: 28-05-2026 foundations of the concept of “salaf”. It examines the lexical meanings of the Published:09-06-2026 Arabic term “salaf” – precedence, continuity and relations of lending – and their connection with its technical meaning in Islamic teaching, namely the concept of “salaf al-salih” (the righteous predecessors), representing the first three centuries of Islam. The study explores the distinctions between the classical understanding of the salaf and modern Salafism, which emerged in the eighteenth Copyright: © 2026 by the authors. century. It further examines, on the basis of scholarly sources, the role played Submitted for open access publication by the views of such figures as Ibn Khuzayma, al-Darimi, Ibn Taymiyya, Ibn under the terms and conditions of the Qayyim al-Jawziyya and Muhammad ibn Abd al-Wahhab in the formation of Creative Commons Attribution the ideology of modern Salafism. (CC BY) licenseReferences
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