Muwahhid Muslim
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A Muwahhid, Muwahhid Muslim or Unitarian Muslim is a Muslim who places an emphasis on the concept of tawhid. Although many movements have used this term "muwahhid", this page focuses on the conglomeration of non-political and primarily theological Muslim revivalist movements that grew in various intermittent periods including the early 19th century.
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Lexicology[edit]
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The transliteration of the term "Muwahhid" comes in various forms, including Muwahid, Mowahhid. In Its plural form they may be described as Muwahhidun, Muwahhideen or simple Muwahhids. Some female Muwahhid Muslims refer to themsevles as Muwahhidah. The closest translation of Muwahhid into English would correspond to "Unitarian Muslim", and some Muwahhids who anglicise their affiliation call themselves as such.[1] Although the various spellings may include misspellings, plural variation, classical figure of speech pronunciation, pronounced adverb forms, scanno spellings or extant peninsular unclassified isolates that result from multiple linguistic transcriptions.[2] Less common plural spellings include muwahidin, mowahidoon, mowahhidiin. Furthermore, this term is being frequently used by Druses and Wahhabis in order to define their tawhid aqidah.[3][4][5]
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Important figures
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Texts
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Holy places
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Appropriation[edit]
However the terms should not be confused with other types of individuals since there are many groups who have appropriated the term Muwahhid. These include for example the Druze, or the Berber sect which culminated in the Almohad Dynasty, both of whom call themselves as such, along with synonyms such as Ahl al-Tawḥīd (Arabic: أهل التوحيد), which would translate as "The People of Unity" or "The Unitarians", from tawḥid, unity (of God). The Mu'tazili also used the term along with near synonyms such as Ahl al-ʿAdl wa t-Tawḥīd, meaning "The People of Justice and Monotheism".[6]
Unitarian Muslim tenets[edit]
Based on the distinctions in this article there is complete overlap with between Muwahhid Muslims and the broader Muslim body of beliefs who also place tawheed as the primary reference in describing the relation between God and other than God.[7] As a result, the terms can be used interchangeably and it will not be sufficient to identify a particular sect from the broader body of Muslims unless placed in a specific context.[8] Proponents of the Muwahhid school of thought sometimes claim that their affiliation to this emphasis comes as a result of the Quran. They claim that the Quran similarly emphasizes tawheed, therefore Muslims should obey Allah and do the same.[9] Muwahhids traditionally relied on religious discourse to dissuade individuals from following what they deemed to be idolatrous attributions to God.[10] This sometimes included arguments against the addition of consubstantial persons to their conception of God and the haramness of giving animalistic features to God.[11] Furthermore, their arguments against the excessive emphasization of intermediaries between mankind and God was primarily based on a fear of giving leeway to overzealous mosquegoers who might possibly exploit and manipulate less religiously grounded mosquegoers.[12]
Since Muwahhids predominate in Sunnicentric centers of worship, some Muwahhids questioned the hadithically derived sunnah that had little to no feedback from ayahs in the Quran as well as the tendency among masjidgoers (mosquegoers) to give undue weight to non-tafsir elucidations that have no Quranically derived roots.[13] Although all Muslims share the concept of tawhid as one of the pillars of their faith, Muwahhidists differ in that tawhid constitutes a comprehensive overview that is elevated to an all-encompassing primacy of their faith as well as a tendency for reactionary proactivism to environments that seem fluid in this regard.[14] Muwahhidism has no clear ideology and has predominantly been used as an appellation or moniker by various Muslims. However one character that seems to trend across most Muwahhids is that Allah is viewed as holding supreme authority in matters of fiqh, a propensity and sentiment that is sometimes accompanied by a desrire to eradicate excessive human interpolation from areas such as the quranicities of scripture and ideology.[15]
Notable Muwahhidists[edit]
See also[edit]
References[edit]
- ^ A History of the Crusades: 466, Kenneth Meyer Setton - 1969
- ^ The World of Ibn Ṭufayl: Interdisciplinary Perspectives on Ḥayy Ibn Yaqẓān, page 135, Lawrence I. Conrad - 1996
- ^ Wiktorowicz, Quintan. "Anatomy of the Salafi Movement" in Studies in Conflict & Terrorism, Vol. 29 (2006): p. 235, footnote.
- ^ Mahdi, Wael (March 18, 2010). "There is no such thing as Wahabism, Saudi prince says". The National. Abu Dhabi Media. Retrieved 12 June 2014.
- ^ Commins, David (2009). The Wahhabi Mission and Saudi Arabia. I.B.Tauris. p. ix.
Thus, the mission's devotees contend that "Wahhabism" is a misnomer for their efforts to revive correct Islamic belief and practice. Instead of the Wahhabi label, they prefer either Salafi, one who follows the ways of the first Muslim ancestors (salaf), or muwahhid, one who professes God's unity.
- ^ Historical Dictionary of the Crusades - Page 163, Corliss Konwiser Slack - 2003
- ^ Tawhid
- ^ 2010 M izady Mideast religion statistics
- ^ Islam: a challenge for Christianity - Volume 3 - Page 65,Hans Küng, Jürgen Moltmann - 1994
- ^ Journal, Muslim World League - Volume 7 - Page 47, 1979
- ^ Prophet Jesus (Pbuh): A Prophet Not A Son, Of God - Page 23, 1999 Harun Yahya
- ^ Islamic Studies - Volume 33, Issues 1-3 - Page 8, 1994
- ^ Islam in the World - Page 459, Malise Ruthven - 2006
- ^ A Quietist Jihadi: The Ideology and Influence of Abu Muhammad Al-Maqdisi, p 141, Joas Wagemakers 2012
- ^ Islam and the Destiny of Man - Page 88, Gai Eaton - 1985
