Salafism is a theological current that finds its roots in the medieval period.

The term "Salafism" only emerged at the beginning of the twentieth century. Before this century, being a salafist meant only belonging to the theology of Ibnu Hanbal.

Dogmatic theology (Kalaam) Hanbalite was characterized by fideism and rejection of rationalism, to the highest degree.

Ibnu Hanbal (780-855) considered that theology Rationalist Mu'tazilit, state doctrine in his period, undermined the integrity of the faith and required a return to the original purity of Islam in the time of the Prophet.

Ahmad ibnu Hanbal was not a lawyer. He was just dealing width the exegesis (Tafseer) of the Qur'aan and the Hadith.

After his death, from his literalism, his students will build a legal school (Mathhab): the fourth and last jurisprudence school of Islam. This school, of name "Hanbalism" is still present in Saudi Arabia and the Gulf countries.

Four centuries later, the theologian Ibnu Taymiyyah (1263-1328), grasped the idea of Ibnu Hanbal, returning to sources, and redirects Hanbalite literalism to a doctrine of purification of faith. He advocates restoration of divine uniqueness (Tawhid) and stands in particular against innovations (Bid'a) such as the cult of the saints and the visit tombs, perceived as idolatry.

Under Mongol rule, he forged the theory of jihad.

It is noted that the jurists Ibnu Katheer and Ibnu al-Qayyim al-Jawzia are disciple of Ibnu Taymiyyah.

Four more centuries later, came Muhammad ibnu 'Abd Al-Wahhab (1703-1792), eponymous founder of Saudi Wahhabism.

He reassembles in him the Hanbalite literalism and the Puritanism-jihadist of Ibnu Taymiyyah. He made his fighting against Shi'ism and partnership (Shirk) his priority.

With Amir Muhammad Ibnu Sa'ud, he proclaims a jihad of territorial unification and doctrinal homogenization.

Saudi Arabia and the Gulf countries do not stop financing and promote the Wahhabism doctrine that is spreading gradually worldwide.

Ahmad Ibnu Hanbal is dead, Ibnu Taymiyyah too, but Wahhabism remains. Nowadays, followers of Wahhabism claim the name salafists (Salafyyin).

Some times later, Jamal ad-Deen Al-Afghaani (1838 - 1897), of Persian origin, is one of the thinkers of pan-Islamism.

His thought is to liberate the East from domestic despotism and foreign imperialism by returning to the sources of Islam; then to the Salaf.

Al-Afghani will have a decisive influence on Mohamed 'Abduh. Both tried to free the religious texts of their ancient and rigid predicament.

Muhammad 'Abduh (1849-1905) was striving to reinterpret the Islamic heritage in the context of Western modernity. He is the only modernist reformer, who wanted new, without returning to As-Salaf.

At the beginning of the 20th century, the term Salafism saw the day. This term then materialized into an ideology. In a way, Salafist tendencies became fashionable.

Rashid Rida (1865-1935) inspired by Ibnu Al-Qayyim al-Jawzia (1292 - 1350), thought that the Salafist must break with legal schools (Mathaahib) in favour of a right to Ijtihaad (individual interpretation).

The group of Muslim Brothers was created by Hassan El-Banna (1906 - 1949). El-Banna, him too, took the way of the Salafism, and envisaged the application of Shariah law.

The Muslim Brotherhood, opposed to the monarchical regime of King Farouk, go into hiding and increase their use of violence. Hassan el-Banna is assassinated in 1949.

He is replaced by Sayyid Qutb (1906 - 1966). He was Marxist first, and then Muslim radical. It legitimated "offensive jihad" to impose the reign of Islam in Egypt and in the world.

In the 1980s, banned from activities in Egypt, the Muslim Brotherhood focussed on creating related movements in Maghreb countries and the Middle East, such as the Islamic Salvation Front (FIS) in Algeria or Ennahdhah in Tunisia.

The Muslim Brotherhood publicly renounces violence. But two underlying groups, their avatars, are still doing Jihad.

- The Al-Gama'a al-Islaamiyya movement, also known as "Islamic Groups" comes from the group of Muslim brothers. His chief Sheikh Omar Abder-Rahmaan died in prison in the United States in 2017 after 24 years of imprisonment.

- Egyptian Islamic Jihad, called Jihad Islamic or Al-Jihad. His boss Ayman Ath-Thawaahiri merged this group with that of Al-Qaeda, led by bin Laden. After the death of this one, Ath-Thawaahiri, becomes in 2011, the number one of Al-Qaeda.

The Salafist movement of the Muslim brothers in Europe, with Taarek Ramadan, and in the United States practices a "double language" for the purpose of continuing its spread.

Here is the last brilliant Salafist. Muhammad Naasir-Ud-Deen Al-Albaani. All alone without wanting to create a dogma, also pass over the bar of Salafism. The new for him is that it promotes a so-called quietist Salafism option.

This new jihad option eliminates the jihad of Salafism and orders obedience to the political authorities in place where a Muslim is.

Al-Albaani was born in 1914 in Shkode, Albania, and died in 1999 in Amman, Jordan.

He criticizes and rejects the four Mathaahib (Muslim jurisprudence schools), and thinks that the Sunni Muslim is not required to turn to a Mathhab to find a jurisprudence (fiqh).

Al-Albaani takes up the science of the Hadith prioritized by Ibnu Hanbal, and criticises with virulence the exegetical methodology of Ibnu 'Abd Al-Wahhab.

Al-Albaani strives to restore 'Ilm al-Hadith as the only religious science intended to find in the example of the Prophet and his companions the answers to the problems not solved by the Qur'aan.

In his work "At-Tasfiyah wa't-Tarbiyah" Al-Albaani calls for purification and education.

So by proclaiming Ijtihaad out of the frame theological-legal of Hanbalism, al-Albaani creates a confrontation with Saudi Wahhabism of Ahlu-Sheikh and thereby the Al-Sa'ud regime.

Salafism is a way, a line of conduct. It is not a group, nor a Mathhab (doctrine), nor a sect, nor a party. All Salafists including the Wahhabists take in them a same leitmotiv that is to apply Shariah, the Islamic legal system, originated from the time of Prophet Muhammad and his companions, called As-Salaf as-Saalih. The Wahhabism is Salafism, Daa'ish is Salafist, the brothers are salafists, and Al-Qaeda is salafist.

Salafism is everywhere in the world, except in the Shi'a states.

The Salafist movement, by its principle, condemns the practices of popular Islam carrying innovations. It rejects western conceptions of secularism, democracy, freedom other than legitimate freedom in Islam.

The Hadith, around which Salafism is made, says:

Which means: "The best people are those of my time and then those who follow them, then those who follow them."

The three centuries of which this Hadeeth refers to are those that the current Salafists call "The time of the Pious Predecessors" (as-Salaf as-Saalih), that is the right past. So, to be salafist is to practice Islam as it was practiced during this period.

Here is the chronology of major events in Islamic history along these three centuries:

570: Birth of the prophet Muhammad.

622: Hegira of the Prophet at Yathrib (Medina). Beginning of the Muslim calendar

632: Death of Muhammad.

632 - 661: Succession of the Prophet by the four "Well Guided Caliphs":
. Abu Bakr (632-634),
. Omar (634-644): First wave of conquests: Islam extends into Iran and Libya. Amr ibnu al-As enters Egypt in 639
. Othman (644-656), and
. Ali (656-661).

660: The Umayyad Arab dynasty takes the power and installs its capital in Damascus.

661 - 750: Second wave of expansion under the Umayyad: Central Asia and the Indus valley (India) to the Pyrenees (Iberian Peninsula).

680: Hussein, Ali's son, is killed by Umayyad soldiers in Karbala.

711: Invasion of Spain by troops Amazigh (Berber) troops guided by Arabs.

717 Omar bin Abdul Aziz becomes the Caliph, the eighth Umayyad caliph. He is well known in Islamic history for his wisdom, his justice and his great piety.

720 Omar bin Abdul Aziz is poisoned.

732: Muslims arrive in Poitiers.

750: Beginning of the Abbasid Caliphate the capital is Baghdad. The Abbasid defeated the Umayyad, and swept them away from.

755: Foundation of the Umayyad Dynasty in Spain.

813 - 833: Intellectual and scientific flowering, Arabic translation of Hellenistic and Indians heritages, Foundation of large libraries in Baghdad and in the Muslim empire.

We must distinguish two notions of Salafism: reformists of the early nineteenth century (Jamal ed-Dine al-Afghani and Mohammed Abduh), who then want to impose reform in the almost Lutheran sense of the term (i.e. a refined reading of the texts); and that of the current Salafists, more literary blind who rejects all innovation (Bid'a).

The Salafist movement, in general, is divided into three categories:

- The largest group are the purists (or quietists), who do not deal with politics

- The second largest group are the activists, who get involved in politics;

- The third group are the jihadist, who forms the minority. Most terrorist groups are Wahhabi, or come from Wahhabi roots, such as ISIS, al-Qaeda, al-Nosrah, and ash-Shabab.