Omar’s Reviews > Understanding Salafism: Seeking the Path of the Pious Predecessors > Status Update

Typologies of Salafism
-Wiktorowicz: Purists (apolitical), Politicos (reformist), Jihadis (militant).
-Pall: Purists (rejectionists & politico-purists), Harakis (politicos & jihadis).
-Wagemakers: Quietists, Politicos, Jihadis.
-Qadhi: Multivariable, open-ended approach: classifies groups by theology, law, politics, and other priorities (e.g., Albānī Salafism, Saudi establishment, Ṣaḥwa, ISIS).

Chapter 1 of Understanding Salafism provides a bird’s-eye view of the movement, defining it as a strand of Sunni Islam rooted in the ahl al-ḥadīth tradition, characterized by literalist theology, strict monotheism, rejection of innovation, and the claim of being the sole “Saved Sect.” Politically, Salafism is diverse, encompassing apolitical quietists, loyalists, reformist activists, and militant jihadis.