The Premodern Origins of Jihadi-Salafism

Name: The Premodern Origins of Jihadi-Salafism
Price: 219 AUD
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ISBN: 9781399546676

Jaan Islam (Assistant Professor of Political Science, Boğaziçi University)

$219

Hardback

Forthcoming
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English

Edinburgh University Press
12 May 2026

Middle Eastern history; Islamic life & practice; Islamic law

What is Jihadi-Salafism and how does it relate to classical Islam? Scholars of Terrorism Studies argue that 'Jihadism' and Salafism are derivatives of Wahhbism 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: Shfiite legal theory during the Mongol invasions; Ottoman and Indian anti-colonial anafite thought; Mlikite and Shfiite 'political jurisprudence'; and the literalism of the Yemeni luminary Muammad al-Shawkn (d. 1834).

This is the first book to disaggregate linear histories of Jihadi-Salafism by shifting the focus from Wahhbism to Sunnism, including Mturdite and Asharite doctrinal schools and the 'four schools' of law. Based on archival research and interviews, it examines the thought of diverse Ulama, ranging from Abdullah Azzm to Ab Muammad 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.

By: Jaan Islam (Assistant Professor of Political Science Boğaziçi University)
Imprint: Edinburgh University Press
Country of Publication: United Kingdom
Dimensions: Height: 234mm, Width: 156mm,
ISBN: 9781399546676
ISBN 10: 1399546678
Pages: 368
Publication Date: 12 May 2026
Audience: Professional and scholarly , Undergraduate
Format: Hardback
Publisher's Status: Forthcoming

Jaan S. Islam is an Assistant Professor of Political Science at Boazici University, Istanbul. He completed his PhD at the University of Edinburgh as a SGSAH Fellow and worked as a postdoctoral researcher at the University of Oxford. Dr Islam's main research interests are comparative political thought, Islamic jurisprudence and decolonial theory. His recent works include Islam and the State in Ibn Taymiyya: Translation and Analysis (Routledge, 2022) and ""A Jihadi Critique of the Modern State"" published in Political Theory.