Sheikh Rabee al-Madkhali was a giant in the world of Salafi Islam. He was loved by few and hated by most. That’s the reality. He had a particularly strong influence with segments of the British and North American Salafi communities. In the US, that meant Sheikh Rabee was loved by many Black American Salafis. His passing leaves a void and I’m not sure that void will be filled. Who filled the shoes of Ibn Baz, Uthaymeen, and al-Albaani after they passed? What Salafi has that stature in the Muslim World today?
Why was Sheikh Rabee so controversial? He was seen as the chief inquisitor and hammer for the Salafi Dawah. His views were then disseminated to followers who went into their local communities to put people on and off the minhaj and to chastise the deviants and people of innovation (99% of the Muslim community). It was in these matters of theology where Sheikh Rabee became an unpopular and controversial figure even among Salafis.
What made Sheikh Rabee unpopular to most non-Salafis was his Quietism. That is, he instructed his students to refrain from political discourse (and even watching the news), to not openly criticize or rebel against the rulers, and to focus on their relationship with Allah and a strict adherence of what he deemed to be the sunnah. This won Sheikh Rabee enemies among Salafi Jihadis, Takfiris, Ikhwanis, Progressives, and many others.
I was once a critic of Quietism myself, but life has shown me the wisdom of this position.
Young men who were friends of mine who were excited by Islamic lectures, videos, and often misreadings of history volunteering for Jihad campaigns. The end result being them going to prison, their families suffering, and not one person receiving any benefit from their actions.
Non-Black American-Muslim leaders lining up behind Geroge W. Bush in 2000. Everyone would go onto regret this blunder, but no one ever publicly apologized or took accountability.
The hard-left pivot post-911 which saw Muslims former alliances with the far-left and people with a tremendous hostility towards religion. This clever move by many Ikhwani elders, often accompanied by sending their daughters to elite school, did little to impact policy. It did likely accelerate the marry a white guy to full assimilation to non-Muslim grandchildren process.
The utter human catastrophe of the Arab Spring and the obvious lack of enthusiasm Muslims actually have for Islamist politics. For those of us once influenced by Islamic Revivalist politics I think it was a hard lesson. Contrary to what we were told, the Muslim masses are not yearning for theocracies.
The inability for religiously inclined political actors to live in the real world. A world in which Israel exists and will continue to exist and can’t be erased by a TikTok video or fiery khutbah.
The progressive pivot in the last ten years, which will explode if Zohran Mamdani becomes Mayor of New York City. One cannot make a serious argument that progressive politics brings one closer to Allah. The foundation of the progressive movement in the US is largely predicated on a rejection of religion- there is no exception for Islam. So, yes, White Progressives are eager to form an alliance with Muslims, and will even back Muslim Squadish candidates, but Islam must be left at the door. That’s fine, organizations like the DSA and Justice Dems are secular political movements and can’t be expected to embrace a minority religion, but what isn’t fine is when imams are instructing Muslims, and a public sentiment is created, that embracing progressive politics, and supporting candidates like Ilhan Omar and Zohran Mamdani, actually makes one a better Muslim and is, in a sense, a religious duty.
The obvious un-Islamic freak show nature of the campus Gaza protests. Muslims have promoted local leaders in publicly haram relationships in which they openly celebrate. At Columbia one celebrated leader converted to Buddhism. The actions have included many things that cannot be condoned by Islam including targeting churches and synagogues, “canceling Christmas”, and more. The reasons for this are obvious. The movement has nothing at all to do with Islam and is being led by the methodological principals of leftist organizations. This isn’t only true in America it’s true in Gaza as well. Hamas isn’t led by Islamic principles of resistance, but rather by 20th Century Leftist notions of revolutionary violence. Fanon not Fiqh. Mao not a Murshid. When critiqued by Muslims on religious grounds protesters quickly resort to name-calling, anti-Muslim language, and sound like Robert Spencer.
2024. Muslim leaders did a repeat of 2000. Convinced of their own wisdom, despite all evidence to the contrary, a campaign was launched to not vote for Kamala Harris. Granted, Harris was a terrible candidate, so it was a hard case to make. Muslims had also began returning to the right politically in the lead up to 2024 as evidenced by Navigating Differences and Muslim-led parental protests at school boards throughout the nation. The reality is that the Muslim community is too diverse for any leader or organization to issue any dictates.
Condition of Muslims. Most Muslims aren’t praying, aren’t at the masjid, know very little about their faith, don’t even know basic aqeedah and fiqh. The job of the imam is to instruct in matters of faith and not audition for a gig at Al Jazeera or MSNBC. Half of the congregation barely prays, and you think the most important thing at jummah is your political analysis? Half the young people at your masjid are being exposed by the Coffee and Tea apps and you think the most important thing is your erudition on foreign policy matters? Of course, this is the methodology of the Brotherhood in which politics, and the pursuit of political power takes precedent over everything else. What is Tauheed to distract from your hot take on the Big Beautiful Bill?
Let’s be honest, most imams and Muslim leaders aren’t that educated on matters of American and international politics. Why is their opinion important? Why does anyone need to hear it? Shouldn’t they be discussing the religious matters they are actually educated in and trained to discuss? We have newspapers, podcasts, newsletters and many places where we can consume political content. Religious spaces are the only places dedicated to our spiritual needs.
Other faith traditions. To see how damaging combining religion and politics is in America one only needs to look at Christians and Jews. There has been an explosion of the growth of “nones” in America since the 1990s. That is people who are religiously nonaffiliated. There are a number of theories as to why this is the case. I would argue merging religion and politics is a huge factor (and others have made this case as well). With the Republican Party leaning so heavily into their relationship with Evangelical Christians many simply see the church as a place for conservatives. A rejection of conservative politics and Christianity go hand in hand and then such people cluster in college towns, liberal suburbs, and gentrified urban neighborhoods and the process of secularization accelerates. This can be true for liberals as well. For many Reformed and Conservative Jews going to the synagogue and Jewish events, if they went at all, subjected them to liberal lecturing. The Rabbi may have been an atheist, half the congregation not technically even Jewish, and whole talks given without the mention of G_d, the Torah, or anything else of religious value. Full-blown NPR mode all the time. Kids took the lesson to heart, intermarried, and cut out the middlemen, you can watch NPR, or even rebel at watch Fox, from the comfort of your home. The cratering of synagogue attendance at non-Orthodox congregations shows that most have chosen NPR at home. The growth of organizations like Chabad are partially a result of this.
Saudi Arabia. The bulk of the critique for Sheikh Rabee is that he didn’t criticize the King, didn’t speak out against Crown Prince Muhammad ibn Salman, and he didn’t help stir a violent Islamist rebellion against the throne. The success of modern Saudi Arabia is a confirmation that Sheikh Rabee was correct. The masjids are open, everyone is free to pray and be pious, Hajj and Umrah are safer and more efficient than ever, and Saudi Arabia remains a Muslim kingdom. What would an Islamic revolution have brought? Probably something much worse than the carnage and chaos of Syria given the tribal nature of Saudi society. With his words and actions, and his call to Quietism, Sheikh Rabee helped to preserve the lives of many Muslims.
American citizenship. I’m very active in St. Louis politics. I registered to vote on my eighteenth birthday in order to cast my ballot for Slick Willie and I always vote. All American citizens should be civically and politically engaged. My argument isn’t that Muslims should neglect their rights as American citizens. My argument is that imams, mosques, dawah organizations, and Muslim conferences should focus on matters of faith. As citizens, we can engage in political matters according to our own needs and independent of them.
American arrogance. There is an American arrogance that says imams and religious figures living in America should be taken more seriously on political matters than those living in places like Egypt and Saudi Arabia. That is, an imam living in a middle-class American suburb, maybe hasn’t been “home” in years, and is sending their kids to elite schools is a more authentic voice than someone actually living in Egypt or Saudi Arabia. It’s very easy to encite a rebellion when you’ll be watching it on television and your daughters will be reading about it while on “girls trips” to Europe. Of course, this isn’t just American arrogance. Many of these Ikhwanis (and others) have very Ahmed Chalabi visions of themselves in the event of a successful rebellion. If a bunch of people have to die in the process, that’s the cost of doing business- now let me beat this Dallas traffic and get to Dimassi’s before it’s too crowded!
Yasir Qadhi Interview and New Book
I have been less enthused by his tribalistic support for a Pol Pot wannabe in NYC on tribalistic grounds, but I’m very impressed with his interview with Terron Poole and Roxanna Irani on the Skepeislamica podcast. YQ has an extremely low political and social IQ, struggles to pronounce basic common English names despite being born here, and is waging a valiant Jihad with his hairline (perhaps with Turkish assistance?). So, I’m not always on board. However, when it comes to Salafi history, YQ knows his stuff. He breaks down the history of the Salafi movement and breaks it down into 1st, 2nd, 3rd, and even 4th waves. He correctly notes that all movements evolve and become unrecognizable, dispels the myth that the popularity of the Salafi Dawah in the West has ever been primarily about Saudi funding, and puts things into a wider theological, social, and historic context. I encourage everyone to watch the interview and buy the book. One thing that YQ and I have in common is that we both are hated by many Salafis while simultaneously maintaining a personal affinity for both Salafeeyah and Salafis.
MBS, Boxing, and The Salafi Future
I want to thank The Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques, King Salman, Crown Prince Muhammad ibn Salman, and His Excellency Turki Alsheikh for an excellent night of boxing this past Saturday in New York. The event wouldn’t have been possible without Saudi funds. New York had a spectacular weekend of boxing. It started with the Katie Taylor vs. Amanda Serrano III women’s boxing card televised on Netflix on Friday night. The main event was a more tactical affair than the two previous bouts, but the Irish Taylor clearly got the better of her Puerto Rican rival. It proved to be a bad weekend for Boricuas in boxing. Edgar Berlanga talked a lot of trash towards Hamzah Sheeraz in the weeks leading up to their main event fight. Sheeraz, a British Muslim from London of Pakistani heritage, remained calm and respectful. With Irish trainer Andy Lee by his side and he let his fists do the talking. You can watch the whole fight below thanks to His Excellency.
What does the fight have to do with the Salafi future, or, more broadly, the Muslim future? I cannot imagine a better representation of Muslim patience and character than that displayed by Hamzah Sheeraz. His actions are more powerful than that of 1000 MSNBC khutbahs. It was all made possible by Saudi Arabia. The “mothership” as YQ referred to the Kingdom. Saudi Arabia is advancing in the fields of sports, entertainment, AI, technology, and tourism, and this will shape the Salafi future. Curriculum will change, the universities will change, and the dawah will change. However, as MBS has stated, the foundation will not change, the Quran being the basis for law and the Kalimah on the green flag. In fact, you don’t need to look to the Salafi future. Look to the Salafi present via the work of the Muslim World League and Dr. Mohammad Alissa.
(Emphatically takes the bait)
Shaare Zedek/Kol Rinah was an absolute lifesaver for us when we had to say Kaddish and not only were the sermons not completely about politics but every clergy member that they hired seemed to be a good, sincere person. But the reasons we would never join even if spouse could still walk there:
Not enough members thought that G-d wrote the Torah
Theological interest in the Conservative Movement as opposed to Judaism in general but the adult education programs are getting away from that now
The 20 or so people who showed up for the daily minyan took it seriously but it was a glorified ethnic social club for everybody else. Low values of constant learning and getting better compared to any mainstream Orthodox shul in St. Louis
Joshua Leifer committed actual journalism by talking to some of the younger Conservative and Reform rabbis for "Tablets Shattered" and he couldn't fault their spirituality or thoughtfulness. (Leifer grew up thoroughly Conservative but admires Lakewood.) But only a relatively small group was interested in anything they were saying. I speculate that with levels of antisemitism being relatively low until recently to support one of these congregations anyone under 50 had to make a conscious choice to be different from affluent secular white peers and not to go all the way into Orthodoxy. These choices have gotten harder over the decades.
Judaism doesn't map to American partisan politics well any more than Catholicism does. But political power (which in America has to be shared with a lot of other groups almost anywhere that Jews live) means that you have the power to affect things in the world. Without this power even Torah study can atrophy and lose religious meaning as both Bialik and Rav Kook found out in the environment of 19th-century Russia. Jews should also fundamentally not be interested in living in a society built on the exclusion of racialized others and should oppose it as much as possible. (I think American progressives have imposed race as a frame on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and most Israelis don't think that way)
As usual, your analysis sparks a lot of thoughts and reflections. Jazakallahu khair Umar.
I have to partially disagree on the point of political infusion into religious discourse as being the cause of the demise of Christianity and Judaism in America. I think what you've noted is more a symptom than the actual cause. If you look overseas to Europe, America has comparatively much more intact religious institutions and better participation. Liberalism (as a philosophical framework, not the 'left') doomed religion in the west, it left no meaningful role for it.
I'd argue it's more the absence of an authentic, meaningfully differentiated, political outlook amongst American Muslims that breeds attachment to leftist sentiments. When religion fails to answer the sociopolitical questions of the day, youth in particular will look for that content elsewhere. Communism etc. looks good when there's no one presenting an alternate option. The ikhwani factions sort of piggyback off that train.