A Study of Jihadi Salafists' View under Verse 44 of Chapter al-Maedah with Emphasis on Abdullah b. Abbas' Narration

The Jihadi Salafists referring to verse 44 of Chapter al-Maedah (and whoever did not judge by what Allah revealed, those are they that are the unbelievers) excommunicate the rulers of Muslim countries and accuse them of greater infidelity. They falsify the interpretation of the Prophet's great companion, Abdullah b. Abbas under the said verse, the interpretation which shakes the very basis of Takfiri foundation and which they even refuse to ascribe to Ibn Abbas. They have questioned the reliability and trustworthiness of Hisham b. Hujayr in the chain of transmission of the tradition claiming that an additional cause has been inserted in the text of the hadith. However, a careful examination of the chain and text of the hadith shall bring us to the conclusion that there is nothing in the tradition to harm the authenticity of Ibn Abbas' tradition which has been transmitted through various channels. Contrary to what they claim, early Muslim scholars and also Ibn Taymiyyah who is the theoretician of Salafism and also his students such as Ibn Qayyim not only have not opposed Ibn Abbas' tradition but they, on various occasions, have relied on it in their argumentation. If we examine the Islamic sources we will come to know that Muslim scholars have made use of this hadith in various theological, juridical and exegetic discussions.