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Maranatha
Guest
Is Wahabbi Islam a subset of Sunni Islam or are they on par with one another?
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TheDuffie
Guest
Wahabbi is like, a movement of Sunni. I couldn’t tell you more about the behavior of Wahabbism vs. Sunni style, all I know is the correct name is al-Muwahhiddun. Wahabbi is kind of an insult.
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Maranatha
Guest
Thanks for the reply. I wonder how this “movement” of Sunni Islam can have such radically different conclusions about interpretations of the Qur’an than what some claim is the majority view.
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Munawar
Guest
Hi Marantha,
Wahabbism is a subset within Sunnism. The fonder Wahab was a Hanbali Suni.
They generally agree with each other, but their differences are in the finer aspects. Ie what is considered innovation etc.
Munawar
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Irene
Guest
Marantha,
It helps me to compare the relationship to something similiar in the Christian context. So yes, Wahhabism is a subset of Sunni Islam, but more than that, perhaps you’ve heard Wahhabism refered to by the Western MSM as a “puritanical” sect. That’s because, like Munawar said, Wahhabis think things like minarets (the call towers on mosques) are innovations – human embellishments that prevent Muslims from worshipping “purely”, the way God intended. The Puritans had the same complaint about the Anglican service, right? They wanted to “purify” the Church of England of “trappings” and “rituals” that were “too Catholic”,
in order to restore the Christian church to the NT way of worship* as they saw it. * With the Wahhabis, they want to restore Sunni Islam to what they see as the pure, authentic worship of early Islam – Islam under the first three caliphs, or leaders. So yes, they are a subset, but one looking to alter the larger set. 
Our Muslim friends, feel free to correct or add to this characterization.
It helps me to compare the relationship to something similiar in the Christian context. So yes, Wahhabism is a subset of Sunni Islam, but more than that, perhaps you’ve heard Wahhabism refered to by the Western MSM as a “puritanical” sect. That’s because, like Munawar said, Wahhabis think things like minarets (the call towers on mosques) are innovations – human embellishments that prevent Muslims from worshipping “purely”, the way God intended. The Puritans had the same complaint about the Anglican service, right? They wanted to “purify” the Church of England of “trappings” and “rituals” that were “too Catholic”,
in order to restore the Christian church to the NT way of worship* as they saw it. * With the Wahhabis, they want to restore Sunni Islam to what they see as the pure, authentic worship of early Islam – Islam under the first three caliphs, or leaders. So yes, they are a subset, but one looking to alter the larger set. Our Muslim friends, feel free to correct or add to this characterization.
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Maranatha
Guest
How does an individual Muslim decide who has the right interpretation?
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Ye-are-Gods
Guest
Please go to thread What is Islam? and Salvation for All to get a clear picture about Islam.
Thanks
Thanks
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r.gonzales
Guest
muslims have two things to refer back to to see whose interpretation is correct: the Quran and prophet muhammad’s sunnah. and they have the interpretations of the earliest muslims to compare their understandings to: prophet muhammad’s companions and their students. if you refer back to their understanding and see the texts the way they saw it, you should be on the right track.
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amuslima
Guest
Hi,
This is my first post here so please be easy on me. (I’m a Muslim aka sisterjay from the why islam forum).
Anyway, I just wanted to add some things about the wahhabis, which are the same thing as salafis (though the term wahhabi is derogatory); the salafi methodology is taught in the Islamic University of Medina in Saudi Arabia and pushed by the Saudi government. Salafi comes from the name of the first generations of Muslims, As-Salaf-us-Saliheen. The movement is called Salafi because its adherents claim to follow the exact example of these generations. I think it’s important to note that salafi/wahabi almost never means terrorist. Actually, most of the salafis I know want nothing to do with nationalism, government, or politics.
Anyway, from what I’ve viewed here in Philadelphia, most Salafis spend their time gaining knowledge of Islam as they view this as especially important. They basically don’t want to learn Islam through the traditional way of studying under a school of thought (madhab) or through sheikhs they haven’t qualified as they call these methods “taqleed” or “blind following.” They think the traditional methods of learning lead to detrimental religious innovations. However, these traditional methods have been used for 1250 years and continue to be. So in calling the methods taqleed, they are saying and I quote from one of their critics, “No one has understood Islam properly except the Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) and early Muslims and our sheikh.” In this, they are also very divisive though they say otherwise. They basically call all other Muslims and their sheikhs misguided and actually try to guide other Muslims as if they are lost idiots (which has happened to me). Nevertheless, they are a really strong and influential movement right now, and they have brought some important reformations and debate.
A couple really good sites. To hear it from the horse’s mouth:
www.thewahhabimyth.com
This site is really informative if you want to know what they believe about other Muslims, terrorism and the Western world.
To read a refutation of the Salafi Movement by another Muslim go to islamfortoday.com/keller06.htm
Hope this helps and sorry for all the terms.
This is my first post here so please be easy on me
. (I’m a Muslim aka sisterjay from the why islam forum).Anyway, I just wanted to add some things about the wahhabis, which are the same thing as salafis (though the term wahhabi is derogatory); the salafi methodology is taught in the Islamic University of Medina in Saudi Arabia and pushed by the Saudi government. Salafi comes from the name of the first generations of Muslims, As-Salaf-us-Saliheen. The movement is called Salafi because its adherents claim to follow the exact example of these generations. I think it’s important to note that salafi/wahabi almost never means terrorist. Actually, most of the salafis I know want nothing to do with nationalism, government, or politics.
Anyway, from what I’ve viewed here in Philadelphia, most Salafis spend their time gaining knowledge of Islam as they view this as especially important. They basically don’t want to learn Islam through the traditional way of studying under a school of thought (madhab) or through sheikhs they haven’t qualified as they call these methods “taqleed” or “blind following.” They think the traditional methods of learning lead to detrimental religious innovations. However, these traditional methods have been used for 1250 years and continue to be. So in calling the methods taqleed, they are saying and I quote from one of their critics, “No one has understood Islam properly except the Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) and early Muslims and our sheikh.” In this, they are also very divisive though they say otherwise. They basically call all other Muslims and their sheikhs misguided and actually try to guide other Muslims as if they are lost idiots (which has happened to me). Nevertheless, they are a really strong and influential movement right now, and they have brought some important reformations and debate.
A couple really good sites. To hear it from the horse’s mouth:
www.thewahhabimyth.com
This site is really informative if you want to know what they believe about other Muslims, terrorism and the Western world.
To read a refutation of the Salafi Movement by another Muslim go to islamfortoday.com/keller06.htm
Hope this helps and sorry for all the terms.
A
amuslima
Guest
Also, for a brief synopsis of the Salafi and Osama bin Laden’s relationship to them, click here:
liberalsagainstterrorism.com/wiki/index.php/Salafi
liberalsagainstterrorism.com/wiki/index.php/Salafi
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GregoryPalamas
Guest
Another good source for the difference between traditional Muslims and the Salafi and Wahhabi movements is Stephen Schwartz, “The Two Faces of Islam”. Both consider the Sufis to be enemies of true Islam and as the last link indicates they consider war against the West, both intellectual and physical, a necessity.
They are extremely dangerous. I suspect our best defense is to isolate all countries especially Saudi Arabia and block all oil purchases from them. Let them rot in the desert.
Dan L
They are extremely dangerous. I suspect our best defense is to isolate all countries especially Saudi Arabia and block all oil purchases from them. Let them rot in the desert.
Dan L
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Maranatha
Guest
How are we to know who is right. Which school hold the truth and which is misguided?
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fatuma
Guest
The same way that catholics ‘know’ that their chruch is the right one.
wa salam
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Maranatha
Guest
The Catholic Church has upheld the perfect moral system for 2,000 years. Individuals and groups have protested and dissented but the church has never wavered from the truth. Some Islamic schools come close to this perfection but I have not found any that have attained it.
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