Salih Habib Allah al-Sini

Salih Habib Allah al-Sini, also known by the Chinese name Qi Xueye, is a Chinese Muslim author known for his treatise Wasatiyyat al-Islam (The Moderation of Islam) Wasatiyyat al-Islam.

Scholarly Focus and Thought

In his study Wasatiyyat al-Islam, al-Sini explores the fundamental Islamic concept of wasatiyyah (moderation or balance), highlighting it as a distinctive attribute granted to the Muslim community Wasatiyyat al-Islam. Drawing on scriptural evidence such as the Quranic verse وَكَذَلِكَ جَعَلْنَاكُمْ أُمَّةً وَسَطًا لِتَكُونُوا شُهَدَاءَ عَلَى النَّاسِ وَيَكُونَ الرَّسُولُ عَلَيْكُمْ شَهِيدًا ("And thus We have made you a just community that you will be witnesses over the people and the Messenger will be a witness over you," Surah al-Baqarah 2:143), he examines the linguistic and theological dimensions of moderation Wasatiyyat al-Islam.

Al-Sini articulates that Islamic moderation establishes a life methodology designed to balance spiritual and material human needs in harmony with innate human disposition (fitrah), integrating the seen and unseen realms Wasatiyyat al-Islam. In illustrating Islam's capacity for reconciling disparate cultures and standing as a mediator between East and West, he cites orientalist scholar Hamilton Gibb Wasatiyyat al-Islam. He emphasizes that adherence to wasatiyyah requires rejecting both excess (ifrat) and neglect (tafrit), cultivating a well-balanced character that models the comprehensive understanding and conduct of the early generations (al-salaf al-salih), and actively countering religious extremism, drawing upon contemporary scholarship such as the writings of Yusuf al-Qaradawi on confronting radicalism Wasatiyyat al-Islam.