Reflections on the Sources of the Contemporary Islamic Revival

ABSTRACT The groups and movements that comprise the Islamic revival of the past half century share an ideology of return to the origins of the faith and strictly following the scriptures. They are habitually divided into Islamist activists, who seek involvement in the political arena; Salafi purists, who censure “deviations” from “true” Islam; and Traditionalist ʽulama, who uphold the living legal, theological, and Sufi tradition. This article offers some reflections on the intricate connections and conflicts among these three large religious trends by reviewing three recently published studies that touch upon the ideational sources on which they draw. It shows the ambiguous stand of Sunni Islamic Modernists, the precursors of Islamism, toward old and new Muslim sects; the lingering exclusivism and militancy of Wahhabis, who form a subset of Salafism, in al-Qaʽida and ISIS; and the versatility of Traditionalists in accommodating to modernity.