No topic has captured the public imagination of late quite so dramatically as the specter of global jihadism. While much has been said about the way jihadists behave, their ideology remains poorly understood. As the Levant has imploded and millenarian radicals claim to have revived a Caliphate based on the teachings of the Prophet Mohammed, the need for a nuanced and accurate understanding of jihadist beliefs has never been greater.Shiraz Maher charts the intellectual underpinnings of salafi-jihadism from its origins in the mountains of the Hindu Kush to the jihadist insurgencies of the 1990s and the 9/11 wars. What emerges is the story of a pragmatic but resilient warrior doctrine that often struggles - as so many utopian ideologies do - to consolidate the idealism of theory with the reality of practice.His ground-breaking introduction to salafi-jihadism recalibrates our understanding of the ideas underpinning one of the most destructive political philosophies of our time by assessing classical works from Islamic antiquity alongside those of contemporary ideologues. Packed with refreshing and provocative insights, Maher explains how war and insecurity engendered one of the most significant socio-religious movements of the modern era.

CONTENTSAcknowledgementsNote on TransliterationGlossaryINTRODUCTION1. IntroductionThe Prayer Hall PutschSalafi-Jihadism: typologies and definitionsIntellectual historyJIHAD2. The Obligation of FightingThe virtues of jihadAuthorising defensive declarations of jihad3. Applying Jihad in Salafi ThoughtAttacking the far enemy as a defensive measureThe rules of qitalQisas: the law of equal retaliationVicarious liabilityHuman shields (tatarrus)TAKFIR4. Establishing DisbeliefThe foundations of takfirThe emergence of takfir as a tool for intra-Muslim violenceThe postponers emerge5. Praxis in ActionThe roots of modern takfirThe tyrants (tawaghit)Criminals transgressors and oppressors (mujrimun and zalimun)Heretics (mushrikun and rawafid)AL-WALA' WA-L-BARA'6. The Making of Love and HateAl-wala' wa-l-bara'Understanding al-wala' wa-l-bara' and its linguistic dimensionsThe emergence and development of al-wala' wa-l-bara' as apolitical concept in the first and second Saudi statesThe development of al-wala' wa-l-bara' as a theoretical doctrineof dissent7. Al-Wala' wa-l-Bara' as Social EmpowermentManifestations of al-wala' wa-l-bara' as a means of rebellionseparation and confrontationAkhaff al-dararayn as a means of derogation from the prohibitionof isti'ana bi-l-kuffarResistance to akhaff al-dararayn and the rise of popular dissentContemporary Salafi-Jihadi interpretations of al-wala' wa-l-bara'TAWHIID8. Realising MonotheismTawhid in Salafi thoughtTawhid al-uluhiyya: Islam as a living idealPolitical applications of tawhid9. Holy War and the Essence of MonotheismJihad as the means of realising tawhidHAKIMIYYA10. The Dawn of Modern Political IslamThe birth of an idea: from reform to governanceThe fear of secularismTransposing Maududi's thought to the Arab worldArab discourse on hakimiyya shifts from inclusive to aggressive:the fight against domestic tyrannyHakimiyya as temporal empowerment11. Securing God's RightsThe revival of hakimiyya discourse in Saudi ArabiaIntra-Salafi debates on obedience, jihad and islahTawhid al-hakimiyya as a Salafi-Jihadi neologism12. ConclusionNotesBibliographyIndex