The Premodern Origins of Jihadi-Salafism

What is Jihadi-Salafism and how does it relate to classical Islam? Scholars of Terrorism Studies argue that 'Jihadism' and Salafism are derivatives of Wahh?bism and lie on the ideological margins of the Islamic tradition. This book challenges this narrative, demonstrating that concepts associated with the terms including 'divine sovereignty', 'jihad' and 'the caliphate' are utilised by Salafi Ulama in connection with the following disparate classical Islamic traditions: Sh?fi?ite legal theory during the Mongol invasions; Ottoman and Indian anti-colonial ?anafite thought; M?likite and Sh?fi?ite 'political jurisprudence'; and the literalism of the Yemeni luminary Mu?ammad al-Shawk?n? (d. 1834). This is the first book to disaggregate linear histories of Jihadi-Salafism by shifting the focus from Wahh?bism to Sunnism, including M?tur?dite and Ash?arite doctrinal schools and the 'four schools' of law. Based on archival research and interviews, it examines the thought of diverse Ulama, ranging from ?Abdullah ?Azz?m to Ab? Mu?ammad al-Maqdis?. It highlights their profound commitment to the classical Islamic sciences, as well as their distinct interpretations of historical crises that befell the premodern Umma, ultimately articulating a vision for its future.