On Refuting ISIS

First of all, this is a fatwa and does not attempt to criticize ISIS from a Western, secular, Christian, or any other standpoint. Instead, al-Yaqoubi is a religious scholar and approaches his criticism of ISIS from the perspective of religious orthodoxy. As such, there are some things in here that may make Western readers uncomfortable—for instance, al-Yaqoubi’s argument that slavery is only permissible if an opponent takes Muslims as slaves first. This is rooted in traditional Islamic legal traditions, not in Western attitudes towards human rights (where advocates—including myself—would instead say that slavery is never permissible.

That being said, al-Yaqoubi’s classification of ISIS as not being Muslim (or, if they are, it’s only in the most marginal form) is centered around his argument that members are ISIS are modern 5arawij (خوارج or “kharijis”). The 5arawij were a group who, in the first century after Islam emerged on the historical scene, acted as the third major sect—against both the Shia and Sunni. While the Shia thought that the role of caliph could only go to members of the Prophet’s family, Sunnis thought that it was open to other Arabs and could be decided through arbitration and—to some extent—election. The 5arawij took this a step further and argued that the position of caliph was open to any Muslim, not just Arabs, but arbitration was not permissible. Instead, the role of the caliph could only go to someone that was chosen by God alone. Any leader who sinned was to be opposed—and overthrown—by Muslims, in the view of the 5arawij.

The 5arawij for famous for their violence and fanaticism, although they’ve mostly died off today (the only remaining 5ariji group is the Ibadi, in what is today Oman and the Mzab Valley of Algeria, although their views toward arbitration are not frequently practiced). I think that this perception of the 5arawij is a bit overstated, as much of the documentary material comes from Islamic leaders who were opposed to the 5arawij on principle.

Nevertheless, al-Yaqoubi classifies ISIS as being made up of 5arawij because they do not accept any other leadership in the Islamic world. To them, Saudi Arabia is “as-Salul” (السلول) a reference to a tribal chief in 7th century Arabia who was known for his hypocrisy. Iran is “ar-Rafida” (الرافضة), or the “rejectors,” as they reject the companions of the Prophet. Other countries, like Turkey and UAE are “tawaghit” (طواغيت), or “idolators,” because they presumably worship something other than God (money? development? power?). From al-Yaqoubi’s classification of ISIS as 5ariji, all of the rest seems to fall into place.

Yet, I can’t help but feel that this isn’t a perfect parallel, and that other readers may think the same thing, thus making the book significantly less compelling. It seems that it won’t matter so much anymore, as (as far as I’m aware) the age of ISIS has mostly passed, but it could have been more effective some years ago had it been more expansive.