Mohammed Hijab recently proposed what he calls the “Najdi Fork.” The argument is straightforward enough: Salafis should admit that if Shaykh Muhammad b.
Hello Bassam Zawadi 👋, for long time I have been enjoying reading most of your articles on your site "call to monotheism", (especially the rebuttal articles to the Christian's Polemics) and later I realized that you haven't posted anything new on your site!
And today I signed up to this platform (Substack) and noticed that you're living very well and hopefully your still posting many articles as before...
Anyway. May Allah (SWT) reward you, grant you peace, and bless you and your family with good health and endless happiness in this life and the hereafter. AMEEN! 🤲
As salamu 'alaykum, JazkaAllahkheyr for this article akhi Bassam.
I wanted to bring something to your attention:
Recently, Hijab also became more emboldned to actually stoop to the level to DH when it comes to poisoning the well by the impromptu coining of new, pseudo-intellectual, Mustashriq-like descriptors for his detractors like "hardline-literalists" or oxymoronic terks such as "proto-Salafis" and trying to distinguish them from "neo-Salafis", as if he tries to become the UK-version of YQ.
On top of that, and very perfidiously he dared to make another fallacious and devios argument on akh Sneakos stream, that "We (in the WEST are the free Muslims and they're not" and to the effect of "We are free to speak, using freedom of speech against their governments and they are not, that means we are the TRUE Muslims."
It's publicly known that the young Sneako, a recent revert who has zeal and Gheerah for the Deen, is also a proud American, who other Du'āt have critiqued for supporting MAGA (he also wore it sometimes), joining hands with controversial US-rappers speaking out against the Z1oni1st lobby, and someone who values "free speech" because "censoring" implies to him fault being hidden. And Hijab CHOSE to say to him.
Hijab is basically making a sweeping statement as a freedom of speech enjoying Gharbiyy, without any Tafseel, context, restrictions, without even seemingly trying to filter these concepts through Qur'an and Sunnah and implicitly turning the diaspora community in the West as a sort of reference point for the Ummah instead of the other way around, in a Western-centric fashion. And again, funnily it's as if YQ is speaking through him.
I mention this akhi, is because as nonsensical as they may sound, the small kernel of truth in these arguments is misused to distract from a real, 'ilm-based discussions and it seems that they 're gonna use more of these types of smears in the future, wa Allah AlMusta'ān.
Salam Alaikum, in the spirit of presumably knowing the writer, just to entertain checkmating the fork idea properly but with one gapping hole left(I keep away from najdi and counter najdi polemics with a pole), seems like many of the core arguments also rest with the fact that a legitimate Caliphate exist and according to the blood brothers podcasts with Bro Hajji as guest, they made contacts at Istanbul library to confirm if they received a letter from MiAW from an Iqamatul Hujjah perspective and they affirmed nothing in the extensive ottoman records spanning centuries.
The point being that If MiAW didn't "tolerate" the Ottoman Sufis, then he sure shouldn't and wouldn't tolerate sovereign states etc etc as treaty worthy people. There could be more nuances being left out but for simplicity sake especially with a recognized caliphate of the era, this should be monumental enough.
I'm not sure you've offered anything particularly substantive here. It seems to me that you've simply restated Hijab's argument without engaging the points raised in the article.
Could it be that the Ottomans were viewed (rightly or wrongly) as active and direct propagators of shirk who possessed the ability to stop it but chose not to? And if Shaykh Muhammad ibn ʿAbd al-Wahhab were alive today, would it not be possible that he would assess contemporary states differently? These points were already mentioned in the article.
For the "fork" argument to succeed, it would need to establish much more than this. As it stands, it remains highly speculative and falls well short of being a compelling dilemma.
Not to be belabour the argument as I prefer to just read the articles and digest what is beneficial amidst the murky polemics it has been. I believe those who have been rational on the discussion focus more on the consistency of the principles and those who profess them 100% as opposed to the counterfactuals. I personally love the evolution and adaptation of Najdi engagement across 3 centuries as a political theorists myself so I dont see Hijab making a meaningful engagement outside a back and forth dyad.
The spirit of my contribution focused on:
"The principles they espoused may remain the same, but the application of those principles to novel circumstances often depends upon factual judgments, assessments of capability, competing harms and benefits, and considerations that differ substantially from those encountered in their own eras." There's a core lack of trust in believing MiAW ever had a consistent reported set of attributions from him in his application of engaging the milleu of his time. I personally think its less about him and more about the nature of the records.
But the point you hinted on as regards Ottoman shirk perception is what I am about of. Emphasis om whether there was a due process, or a team examining his responses to a recognized Muslim Caliph(in a universal way)of his time and not just a deviant sultanate seems to be what right questions MiAW and brings about the what if discussions and counterfactuals that may be out of place but need to be acknowledged in due time by Salafi factions just as you have in your article. Am not versed in understanding protocols of when to rebel against a Sultan or coming from the outside of the caliphate domain to fight it. Hence my discussion on Iqamatul Hujja etc. One would have to tackle the perception that MiAw had a che Guevara mindset and wouldn't simply invoke maqasid and take a rest in modern Saudi or Somalia or Mali today(whether drones or no drones).
Salam Alaikum. It will be good to actually see the authors names of anyone publishing refutation unless by default its Bassam Zawadi, who said he doesnt have an emotional attachment to MiAW. We want to track the sources similar to other articles. We haven't seen Bassam also being attributed in a while so that is important. If the Muslim Skeptics do that to theirs, nothing wrong with yours iA
Wa alaykum assalam. I, Bassam Zawadi, am the default author unless stated otherwise at the beginning like with the many translations or guest articles.
I dont think so sir, I used to Go under Ayatullah or Ayat under Kabir Al as fars posts, or with a different surname or Muhammad in my main account which is hibernating. Usually deactivation leads to loss of friends and inability to add new people if you are past friends limits. Hayakallah
Hello Bassam Zawadi 👋, for long time I have been enjoying reading most of your articles on your site "call to monotheism", (especially the rebuttal articles to the Christian's Polemics) and later I realized that you haven't posted anything new on your site!
And today I signed up to this platform (Substack) and noticed that you're living very well and hopefully your still posting many articles as before...
Anyway. May Allah (SWT) reward you, grant you peace, and bless you and your family with good health and endless happiness in this life and the hereafter. AMEEN! 🤲
As salamu 'alaykum, JazkaAllahkheyr for this article akhi Bassam.
I wanted to bring something to your attention:
Recently, Hijab also became more emboldned to actually stoop to the level to DH when it comes to poisoning the well by the impromptu coining of new, pseudo-intellectual, Mustashriq-like descriptors for his detractors like "hardline-literalists" or oxymoronic terks such as "proto-Salafis" and trying to distinguish them from "neo-Salafis", as if he tries to become the UK-version of YQ.
On top of that, and very perfidiously he dared to make another fallacious and devios argument on akh Sneakos stream, that "We (in the WEST are the free Muslims and they're not" and to the effect of "We are free to speak, using freedom of speech against their governments and they are not, that means we are the TRUE Muslims."
It's publicly known that the young Sneako, a recent revert who has zeal and Gheerah for the Deen, is also a proud American, who other Du'āt have critiqued for supporting MAGA (he also wore it sometimes), joining hands with controversial US-rappers speaking out against the Z1oni1st lobby, and someone who values "free speech" because "censoring" implies to him fault being hidden. And Hijab CHOSE to say to him.
Hijab is basically making a sweeping statement as a freedom of speech enjoying Gharbiyy, without any Tafseel, context, restrictions, without even seemingly trying to filter these concepts through Qur'an and Sunnah and implicitly turning the diaspora community in the West as a sort of reference point for the Ummah instead of the other way around, in a Western-centric fashion. And again, funnily it's as if YQ is speaking through him.
I mention this akhi, is because as nonsensical as they may sound, the small kernel of truth in these arguments is misused to distract from a real, 'ilm-based discussions and it seems that they 're gonna use more of these types of smears in the future, wa Allah AlMusta'ān.
BarakAllahfeekum
bro just said a whole load of nothing lol, Sheikh Muhammad latin al shaykh takfired the whole Ottoman Empire, so ofc MIAW would do the same.
Salam Alaikum, in the spirit of presumably knowing the writer, just to entertain checkmating the fork idea properly but with one gapping hole left(I keep away from najdi and counter najdi polemics with a pole), seems like many of the core arguments also rest with the fact that a legitimate Caliphate exist and according to the blood brothers podcasts with Bro Hajji as guest, they made contacts at Istanbul library to confirm if they received a letter from MiAW from an Iqamatul Hujjah perspective and they affirmed nothing in the extensive ottoman records spanning centuries.
The point being that If MiAW didn't "tolerate" the Ottoman Sufis, then he sure shouldn't and wouldn't tolerate sovereign states etc etc as treaty worthy people. There could be more nuances being left out but for simplicity sake especially with a recognized caliphate of the era, this should be monumental enough.
wa alaykum assalam,
I'm not sure you've offered anything particularly substantive here. It seems to me that you've simply restated Hijab's argument without engaging the points raised in the article.
Could it be that the Ottomans were viewed (rightly or wrongly) as active and direct propagators of shirk who possessed the ability to stop it but chose not to? And if Shaykh Muhammad ibn ʿAbd al-Wahhab were alive today, would it not be possible that he would assess contemporary states differently? These points were already mentioned in the article.
For the "fork" argument to succeed, it would need to establish much more than this. As it stands, it remains highly speculative and falls well short of being a compelling dilemma.
Not to be belabour the argument as I prefer to just read the articles and digest what is beneficial amidst the murky polemics it has been. I believe those who have been rational on the discussion focus more on the consistency of the principles and those who profess them 100% as opposed to the counterfactuals. I personally love the evolution and adaptation of Najdi engagement across 3 centuries as a political theorists myself so I dont see Hijab making a meaningful engagement outside a back and forth dyad.
The spirit of my contribution focused on:
"The principles they espoused may remain the same, but the application of those principles to novel circumstances often depends upon factual judgments, assessments of capability, competing harms and benefits, and considerations that differ substantially from those encountered in their own eras." There's a core lack of trust in believing MiAW ever had a consistent reported set of attributions from him in his application of engaging the milleu of his time. I personally think its less about him and more about the nature of the records.
But the point you hinted on as regards Ottoman shirk perception is what I am about of. Emphasis om whether there was a due process, or a team examining his responses to a recognized Muslim Caliph(in a universal way)of his time and not just a deviant sultanate seems to be what right questions MiAW and brings about the what if discussions and counterfactuals that may be out of place but need to be acknowledged in due time by Salafi factions just as you have in your article. Am not versed in understanding protocols of when to rebel against a Sultan or coming from the outside of the caliphate domain to fight it. Hence my discussion on Iqamatul Hujja etc. One would have to tackle the perception that MiAw had a che Guevara mindset and wouldn't simply invoke maqasid and take a rest in modern Saudi or Somalia or Mali today(whether drones or no drones).
Salam Alaikum. It will be good to actually see the authors names of anyone publishing refutation unless by default its Bassam Zawadi, who said he doesnt have an emotional attachment to MiAW. We want to track the sources similar to other articles. We haven't seen Bassam also being attributed in a while so that is important. If the Muslim Skeptics do that to theirs, nothing wrong with yours iA
Wa alaykum assalam. I, Bassam Zawadi, am the default author unless stated otherwise at the beginning like with the many translations or guest articles.
Jazakallahu Khayran for clarifying, we dont get to see your FB posts again so good knowing you are living well and hopefully Ph.D completed iA
Always good to come across a former FB friend. Would I recognize your name?
I dont think so sir, I used to Go under Ayatullah or Ayat under Kabir Al as fars posts, or with a different surname or Muhammad in my main account which is hibernating. Usually deactivation leads to loss of friends and inability to add new people if you are past friends limits. Hayakallah