al-Ghuluw al-Asbab wal-Ilaj

al-Ghuluw: al-Asbab wal-Ilaj (Religious Extremism: Causes and Treatment) is a contemporary treatise on religious extremism, excommunication (takfir), and violence by the Saudi theologian Nasir ibn Abd al-Karim al-Aql, a professor of creed and contemporary doctrines at Imam Muhammad Ibn Saud Islamic University in Riyadh al-Ghuluw al-Asbab wal-Il…. The work examines the ideological and historical roots of extremism, analyzes its internal and contemporary manifestations, and outlines practical remedies for countering militant ideologies al-Ghuluw al-Asbab wal-Il…+1.

Historical Roots and Context

Al-Aql traces the origins of religious extremism to early unlearned worshippers, individuals driven by personal inclinations, and hypocrites whose emotional rhetoric influenced inexperienced youth with limited legal training al-Ghuluw al-Asbab wal-Il…. He identifies the early Kharijites, extreme factions of Shi'ism, and deviant ascetic tendencies as historical manifestations of this dynamic al-Ghuluw al-Asbab wal-Il….

Addressing Saudi history, the author maintains that while rigid tendencies surfaced alongside the reform movement of Muhammad ibn Abd al-Wahhab and during various stages of the Saudi state, the movement itself is firmly based on the Sunnah and free from extremism, violence, and unjustified excommunication al-Ghuluw al-Asbab wal-Il…. He highlights historical precedents, such as King Abdulaziz's resolution of hardline attitudes through scholarly debate, and references later events including the 1400 AH (1979 CE) Grand Mosque seizure in Mecca, cautioning against modern escalations involving violence, unlawful shedding of blood, and the misapplication of legitimate religious principles like jihad and commanding right and forbidding wrong al-Ghuluw al-Asbab wal-Il…+1.

Causes of Extremism

The treatise categorizes the drivers of extremism into three overarching domains:

• Internal factors within Saudi society: These include shortcomings in tying state decisions to explicit legal arguments, weak official media discourse, and ambiguity surrounding sensitive matters such as foreign relations, non-Muslim residents, commercial laws, and economic institutions al-Ghuluw al-Asbab wal-Il…+2. Al-Aql also cites rapid social transformations and provocative media articles mocking religious traditions as factors exploited by extremists, while defending Saudi educational curricula against allegations of fostering extremism al-Ghuluw al-Asbab wal-Il…+1.
• Universal historical causes: Factors recurrent across eras include insufficient comprehension of religious jurisprudence, taking knowledge from unqualified sources, intellectual arrogance, alienating established scholars, youthful zeal untempered by wisdom, and widespread social injustices al-Ghuluw al-Asbab wal-Il…+1.
• Modern global factors: These encompass widespread secularization across the Muslim world, foreign political and military dominance over Muslim affairs, the marginalization of orthodox practice, emotional imbalances in contemporary activist groups, and a growing disconnect between mainstream scholars and youth al-Ghuluw al-Asbab wal-Il…+4.

Proposed Remedies

Al-Aql proposes a multi-faceted approach to address and rehabilitate extremist movements. He emphasizes the need for transparency in discussing takfir and violence, insisting that legitimate concepts—such as jihad and commanding right—must be carefully distinguished from extremism rather than conflated with terrorism al-Ghuluw al-Asbab wal-Il…. He notes that not all extremists belong to the Kharijites and not all who hold excommunicationist ideas are combatants al-Ghuluw al-Asbab wal-Il….

The treatment centers on dismantling extremist arguments through foundational principles: affirming the legitimacy of the ruler and the oath of allegiance (bay'ah), upholding the authority of senior scholars, maintaining public security to protect the five essential necessities of Islamic law, and clarifying the legal basis of national policies al-Ghuluw al-Asbab wal-Il…+2.

Practically, the work calls for:

• Mobilizing universities—including the Islamic University of Madinah, King Saud University, Umm al-Qura University, and King Khalid University—to sponsor specialized research and intellectual programs al-Ghuluw al-Asbab wal-Il….
• Mandating that senior scholars and officials hold regular open sessions to counsel youth directly al-Ghuluw al-Asbab wal-Il….
• Expanding regional fatwa bodies and training civil and military officials in fundamental legal principles al-Ghuluw al-Asbab wal-Il…+1.
• Conducting direct ideological dialogue with imprisoned figures, pointing to public ideological retractions by detained ideologues as evidence of dialogue's efficacy al-Ghuluw al-Asbab wal-Il….
• Simultaneously curbing counter-extremism that seeks to undermine traditional religious tenets and the early pious predecessors (al-salaf al-salih) in local journalism al-Ghuluw al-Asbab wal-Il…+1.