Of Debatable Benefit

Though an individual may possess the correct intention for martyrdom-seeking, Jihadi-Salafi jurists argue that such intentionality does not secure the permissibility of a martyrdom-seeking operation. The operation as a legitimate tactic of war and struggle in God’s cause must also be debated. Beginning with a discussion of the permissibility of immersing oneself into a superior enemy force, and a question of the permissibility of striking human shields, this chapter argues that Jihadi-Salafi jurisprudence on the subject of martyrdom operations reveals a rearrangement of the objectives of the law. Such a rearrangement, the chapter concludes, suggests that for Jihadi-Salafis, it is to the public benefit of the umma to put the preservation of religion ahead of life, reason, lineage, or property. Such a move demands a comparison with Western utilitarian approaches, such as that of Jeremy Bentham.

Conclusion

Many researchers argue that contemporary Jihadi-Salafi movements will fall apart under the weight of their own extremism. This concluding chapter argues that such pronouncements may be premature. The Jihadi-Salafi narratives of suffering and oppression—their theodicy—suggest that nation-states will never fully address the needs of Muslims and may even sustain the circumstances of their disenfranchisement. To demonstrate this, the chapter explores the structure of the state developed by ISIS’s caliphal project, paying particular attention to the structure of its program of youth education. If states fail to account for these “cubs of the caliphate,” there is a possibility of another generation of youth finding appeal in the theodicy and self-renunciative asceticism of Jihadi-Salafism.

A Jihadi-Salafi Legal Tradition? Debating Authority and Martyrdom

Jihadi-Salafi movements are responsible for infamous and sensational acts of violence. Often this leaves their legal discussions overlooked. This chapter argues that by focusing on the legal and theological texts produced by those whom Jihadi-Salafis identify as legal authorities—particularly the nonbinding genre of Islamic legal literature known as the fatwa—it is possible to identify the formation of a Jihadi-Salafi legal tradition possessing digital institutions and legal authorities to whom faithful adherents can turn for guidance. Using the recruitment and attempted attack of Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab, the legal writings of Anwar al-ʿAwlaki, and the Minbar al-Tawhid wa-l-Jihad of Abu Muhammad al-Maqdisi, the chapter explores the contemporary crisis of legal authority facing contemporary Muslim communities, generally, and how Jihadi-Salafis are attempting to answer that crisis through their agreements and disagreements on the interpretation and application of the law.

Intentional Suffering

This chapter, along with the next, provides a comprehensive analysis of Jihadi-Salafi jurisprudence on the question of martyrdom-seeking operations (al-amaliyyat al-istishhadiyya), often referred to as suicide bombings in the West. Central to this analysis is an application of the theories of renunciation and subjectivity underlying the Jihadi-Salafi creed and methodology. For Jihadi-Salafi jurists, what separates suicidal ideation from a martyr’s intention (niyya) is a question of one’s individual subjective identity. A martyr must not have concern for the world (dunyā) or possess any improper desire for material wealth or comfort. Instead, a martyrdom seeker must undertake the act intending it for God alone. The legal texts defending martyrdom operations, the chapter concludes, reveal that Jihadi-Salafis appropriate as their ideal precedents for these operations the actions of the Salaf as well as the actions of early Muslim renunciants such as ʿAbd Allah ibn al-Mubarak (d. 181/797), author of the earliest known work on jihad.

Self-Renunciation and State Formation

While the legal defenses of martyrdom-seeking operations of al-Qaʿida jurists and their sympathizers emphasize individual acts of self-renunciation, the state-building project of Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi’s self-declared caliphate of the Islamic State of Iraq and al-Sham (ISIS) instrumentalized martyrdom-seeking operations as fundamental to its political objectives. Alongside the arguments of Abu Bakr al-Naji and Abu ʿAbdullah al-Muhajir, the authors and jurists of ISIS—foremost among them Turki al-Binʿali, a former student of Abu Muhammad al-Maqdisi and grand mufti of ISIS—maintained Jihadi-Salafi narratives of theodicy and self-renunciation but identified specific gender roles for men and women in the state-building project. Women were to practice self-renunciation away from the battlefield and within the household, where they were to prepare the next generation of fighters. Men, on the other hand, were expected to go forth and fight in God’s cause, seeking martyrdom if necessary.

Performing a Renunciative Unity

For Jihadi-Salafi jurists and authors, the contemporary global system of nation-states and those Muslim-majority governments and nations supporting its continuance bear responsibility for the suffering and oppression faced by contemporary Muslim communities. This chapter argues that Jihadi-Salafi debates on creed (ʿaqīda) and methodology (minhāj) provide an interpretation of the causes of suffering and evil in the world—a theodicy—and contend that these are best addressed through a mode of self-renunciation patterned on the beliefs and practices of the earliest communities of Muslim faith (the Salaf). Traditions of self-renunciation (zuhd) are not unique to Jihadi-Salafis and have long been present in discussions of jihad—dating to the Kitab al-Jihad of ʿAbd Allah ibn al-Mubarak (d. 797). Framing this discussion are the anthropological, sociological, and philosophical theories of religion offered by Richard Valantasis, Peter Berger, Michel Foucault, and Gavin Flood.

Introduction

Among the challenges facing any researcher of contemporary Jihadi-Salafism is navigating the various theoretical and methodological approaches available for its study. This introduction traces a historical genealogy of the development of Jihadi-Salafism alongside the various approaches used to study it—including the use of social movement theory (SMT). It notes that the cultural products of Jihadi-Salafi movements are an essential part of Jihadi-Salafi legal and theological debates and reveal a common theodicy and call to self-renunciation for the faith.