Characteristics of Salafi jurisprudence

The various judgments that are presented to the society by Salafi scholars in various individual and social fields in committees and sites are in contradiction with the principles of the four Sunni schools. This difference in the judgment, which has caused the duality of individuals in following, is such that it strengthens the formation of the fifth jurisprudential school along with the Sunni jurisprudential schools. The followers of this new school, called Salafis, on the one hand, forbid following of the four schools, and on the other hand, they are followers. This ideology has been widely disseminated in the last century by three currents called the Wahhabis, the Ekhwanolmoslemin, and the jihadist Salafis.

This descriptive-analytical study has examined the differences between Salafi jurisprudence and the four schools regarding the main and secondary sources of jurisprudential inference and also some unique features of Salafi jurisprudence. The result of this research is the appearance of a new jurisprudence in the Islamic world called Salafi jurisprudence, which was founded by Ibn Taymiyyah and all contemporary Salafis follow him. One of the most important features of this jurisprudence is the opening of the ijtihad and the sanctity of following and special reliance on the tradition of leaving. Their basis in the subject of ijtihad and following has caused a wave of unruly ijtihadism among the followers of Salafism, especially the youth; To the extent that some contemporary Salafis have not accepted and objected to such ijtihad. The Salafis claim that adherence to a particular school or adherence to a particular mujtahid is an innovation that originated in the fourth century. On this basis, the followers of other schools are accused of infidelity and polytheism. However, such a claim contradicts the historical evidences. Regarding the tradition of leaving, they have invoked the rule of leaving the narration, which is the same as quoting leaving, believing that any action that has not been narrated to us by the Prophet (peace be upon him) means the narration of leaving the action by that Imam. Hence, many Muslim acts, such as celebrating the birth of the Messenger of God (pbuh), rely on the tradition of leaving the accused to heresy. While the correctness of such a rule and its totality is not accepted.