al-Juthur al-Tarikhiyya li-Haqiqat al-Ghuluw wa al-Tatarruf wa al-Irhab wa al-Unf
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al-Juthur al-Tarikhiyya li-Haqiqat al-Ghuluw wa al-Tatarruf wa al-Irhab wa al-Unf (The Historical Roots of the Reality of Extremism, Radicalism, Terrorism, and Violence) is a contemporary treatise by the Saudi scholar Ali bin Abd al-Aziz al-Shibl, a professor at Imam Muhammad Ibn Saud Islamic University . The work examines the conceptual definitions, historical origins, theological causes, and manifestations of religious extremism, violence, and terrorism from an Islamic perspective .
Structure and Conceptual Framework
The treatise is organized into an introduction (muqaddima), a preliminary conceptual section (tamhid), and three chapters . In the introduction, the author emphasizes the principle of Islamic moderation (wasatiyya) and justice as core attributes of the Muslim community and Ahl al-Sunnah wa al-Jama'ah, citing the Quranic verse: وَكَذَلِكَ جَعَلْنَاكُمْ أُمَّةً وَسَطًا لِتَكُونُوا شُهَدَاءَ عَلَى النَّاسِ وَيَكُونَ الرَّسُولُ عَلَيْكُمْ شَهِيدًا ("And thus We have made you a median community that you may be witnesses over mankind and the Messenger may be a witness over you" [al-Baqarah: 143]) .
The preliminary section defines the core terms and delineates the relationships between them :
- Ghuluw (Extremism/Excess): Defined technically as exceeding the legally established boundaries in religious matters . The author cites classical lexicographers—such as al-Jawhari, al-Fayruzabadi, Ibn Manzur, and Ibn Faris—alongside scriptural warnings, including the Prophetic injunction: إياكم والغلو في الدين؛ فإنه أهلك من كان قبلكم الغلو في الدين ("Beware of excess in religion, for those before you were destroyed only by excess in religion") .
- Tatarruf (Radicalism/Edge-taking): Derived from moving away from moderation toward an extreme boundary (either deficiency or excess) . The author notes that ghuluw is a more specific subset of tatarruf, stating that every instance of ghuluw is tatarruf, but not all tatarruf is ghuluw .
- Irhab (Terrorism) and Unf (Violence): Clarified through their classical linguistic derivations and their contemporary socio-political usage .
Historical Roots and Doctrinal Origins
Al-Shibl traces the historical origins of religious excess to pre-Islamic eras, citing early forms of extremism among the people of Noah toward righteous individuals, the polytheistic developments of ancient Greek beliefs, and deviations within earlier scriptural traditions .
Within Islamic history, the author identifies the earliest emergence of armed political and theological extremism in the Kharijites (al-Khawarij) . Their rebellion commenced verbally through agitation and discord against the third Caliph, Uthman ibn Affan, culminating in his assassination, and escalated into armed conflict and indiscriminate takfir (excommunication) of Ali ibn Abi Talib, Mu'awiya ibn Abi Sufyan, and ordinary Muslims guilty of major sins . The author also notes the influence of these early extremist inclinations on other theological sects, including the Rafida, Jahmiyya, and Mu'tazila .
The book argues that the root cause of violent extremism and terrorism stems fundamentally from flawed comprehension of theological names and rulings (al-asma' wa-al-ahkam)—specifically classifying individuals as believers, sinners, or disbelievers—and concludes that the primary remedy for extremism and radicalism lies in sound, authentic religious knowledge (al-'ilm al-shar'i al-sahih) .
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