Ibn Taymiyya’s doctrines link Wahhabism and ISIS through takfir

Evidence

Many contemporary fundamentalists were influenced by Ibn Taymiyya and Sayyid Qutb’s perspectives on jihad. This is evident in the Wahhabi movement, founded by Muhammad ibn Abd al-Wahhab in the 18th century, who was greatly influenced by Ibn Taymiyya. The Wahhabi movement accepted Ibn Taymiyya’s doctrines regarding jihad, such as labeling anyone not adhering to one’s (i.e., the Wahhabis’) particular interpretation of Islam an unbeliever. Ibn Taymiyya’s doctrines about jihad are also accepted by ISIS, who strongly believe in the armed struggle aspect of jihad against non-Muslims and even Muslims who do not adhere to their interpretation of Islam. — Asena Karipek, Portrayals of Jihad, 71

Categorization

• XREF: Connects to broader literature on the intellectual pedigree of takfiri ideology and the premodern roots of contemporary extremism. — connects to: The Qur’an references jihad in several places. It carries different meanings based on context. For example, some verses deal with jihad in warfare. Extremist and terrorist Muslims often use these verses to justify aggressive holy war against non-Muslims. They freely declare jihad and justify attacks and murders of all who do not join their campaign. For example, according to a 2016 study conducted by the Carter Center, a non-governmental organization devoted to advancing human rights and alleviating human suffering established by Jimmy Carter in 1982, two of the verses most utilized by ISIS to justify violent jihad are from Surah Tawbah.; ISIS, for example, seeks to establish a worldwide caliphate in which all Muslims are united under one authority. The group recruits from all over the world, convincing fighters that fighting for this cause will guarantee them a spot in heaven because they will be fighting in the way of God (al-jihad fi sabilillah), thereby making them martyrs. According to Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, the leader of ISIS, believers are those who ‘defend themselves when they are oppressed,’ and among the oppressors are ‘the camp of the [J]ews, the crusaders, their allies, and with them the rest of the nations and religions of kufr [unbelief], all being led by America and Russia, and being mobilized by the [J]ews.’ He believes that Muslims must defend themselves, take revenge, and restore their honor, dignity, and superiority. Al-Baghdadi uses this verse to justify attacks on non-Muslims, especially in the West. However, various Qur’anic commentators have interpreted this verse as a reference to a pre-Islamic king who ordered his subjects to kill believers who would not abandon their monotheistic faith. In general, disagreement among Muslims regarding the use of jihad has been deeply influenced by social and political contexts. In fact, in recent decades, many Muslims believe it is their right or obligation to wage jihad against religious, political or social oppression. For this reason, Muslims other than ISIS have also used the warfare justification of jihad to justify holy and unholy wars. For example, Ayatollah Khomeini called on Muslims worldwide, especially in the Gulf, to rebel against un-Islamic rulers. Also, Hamas in Palestine justifies its use of jihad as a resistance movement to Israeli occupation and oppression.; The modern period also brought about a new ‘fundamentalist’ movement, which came with a reinterpretation of Islam and its own stance on jihad. The fundamentalists tended to focus less on legal arguments and more on the moral justifications and the underlying ethical values of the rules of jihad. Unlike modernist scholars, fundamentalists do not believe that jihad can be divided into ‘offensive’ and ‘defensive’ jihad. In their view, jihad is universal revolutionary struggle and that the modernists’ search for moral justifications for jihad is senseless because jihad is prescribed by the Qur’an. At the same time, fundamentalists say that there are offensive and defensive aspects of jihad. According to fundamentalists, the offensive aspect is to resist all states and governments that govern according to principles contradictory to those of Islam, especially if the principles on which they govern are founded on the sovereignty of people. Fundamentalists define the defensive aspect of jihad as: first, the importance of protecting Islamic-owned territory with the intent of expansion and second, the fact that Islam protects people from anything that hinders their freedom and emancipation. Many contemporary fundamentalists were influenced by Ibn Taymiyya and Sayyid Qutb’s perspectives on jihad. This is evident in the Wahhabi movement, founded by Muhammad ibn Abd al-Wahhab in the 18th century, who was greatly influenced by Ibn Taymiyya. The Wahhabi movement accepted Ibn Taymiyya’s doctrines regarding jihad, such as labeling anyone not adhering to one’s (i.e., the Wahhabis’) particular interpretation of Islam an unbeliever. Ibn Taymiyya’s doctrines about jihad are also accepted by ISIS, who strongly believe in the armed struggle aspect of jihad against non-Muslims and even Muslims who do not adhere to their interpretation of Islam. (+3 more)
• QUESTION: How direct is the causal chain claimed here from Ibn Taymiyya to ISIS, and what do historians think of such genealogical claims?

Broader Connections

• Saudi Wahhabism displaced Arab secular nationalism after the 1973 war #expands (0.65) — Deepa Kumar, Islamophobia and the Politics of Empire, 235