al-Salafiyyun wa Hiwar Hadi ma al-Duktur Ali Jumaa
- Author died
- -
- Editions
- Dar Al-Khulafa Al-Rashideen - Dar Al-Fath Al-Islami
al-Salafiyyun wa Hiwar Hadi ma al-Duktur Ali Jumaa (The Salafis and a Calm Dialogue with Dr. Ali Gomaa) is a treatise by the Egyptian author Shehata Saqr, written to address and critique the arguments, characterizations, and legal verdicts leveled against the Salafi movement by the former Grand Mufti of Egypt, Dr. Ali Gomaa .
Context and Composition
The book was composed in late 2011, with the author completing his preface on 5 Dhu al-Hijjah 1432 AH (1 November 2011 CE) . It was written primarily in response to Dr. Ali Gomaa's anti-Salafi publications and statements following the Egyptian revolution of 2011 . In particular, it directly critiques Gomaa's booklet al-Mutashaddidun: Manhajuhum wa-Munaqashat Ahamm Qadayahum (The Extremists: Their Methodology and Discussion of Their Key Issues), issued in Rajab 1432 AH (June 2011 CE) by the Egyptian Ministry of Awqaf as part of its Qadaya Islamiyya series, as well as an op-ed published by Gomaa in The Washington Post on 18 April 2011 titled "Revolution, counter-revolution and new wave of radicalism in Egypt" .
The work features forewords and editorial reviews by two scholars from Al-Azhar University: Dr. Muhammad Bakr Ismail Habib, the head of the Department of Usul al-Fiqh at the Faculty of Sharia and Law in Damanhur, and Dr. Muhammad al-Nashshar .
Contents and Structure
The book is arranged around direct refutations of Gomaa's characterizations of Salafis, engaging with theological, jurisprudential, and political topics :
- Methodological and Rhetorical Critique: Saqr argues that Gomaa abandoned the norms of scholarly Islamic debate by labeling ideological opponents with extreme epithets, accusing them of being Kharijites or holding diseased mentalities, and presenting broad generalizations without empirical evidence . He also highlights perceived internal contradictions in Gomaa's writings, noting that while Gomaa dismissed Salafi authorities as unqualified and disruptive, he nevertheless cited figures like Ibn Taymiyya, Ibn Qayyim al-Jawziyya, and Muhammad Nasir al-Din al-Albani in his own works . Saqr also questions Gomaa's handling of textual evidence, citing examples such as the truncated quotation of the hadith of Uthman ibn Hunayf concerning supplication through the Prophet .
- Theological and Legal Disputations: The author methodically addresses seventeen specific doctrinal and legal issues that Gomaa designated as distinctive marks of extremism . These include the Ash'ari school's position on solitary reports (ahad) in creed, supplication through intermediaries (tawassul), seeking blessings from relics (tabarruk), praying in mosques housing mausoleums and shrines (adriya), travel to graves, celebrating the Prophet's birthday (al-Mawlid), and the theological status of the Prophet's parents . Saqr also defends the obligation or legal validity of the face veil (niqab), pointing out that Gomaa labeled veiled women as rigid extremists despite having previously acknowledged on public broadcasts that the three imams—Abu Hanifa, al-Shafi'i, and Ahmad ibn Hanbal—regarded it as obligatory .
- Political and Social Allegations: The concluding sections address Gomaa's international press interventions, specifically his Washington Post article accusing Salafis of orchestrating attacks on shrines and churches during the post-revolution security vacuum . Saqr refutes these accusations, pointing out that judicial authorities and police investigations cleared Salafis of destroying shrines, and noting that Salafis had actively protected churches during unrest . Saqr also references the formal legal complaint filed by ten Egyptian lawyers with the Public Prosecutor against Gomaa for incitement .
Answer updated