Salafi Islam

Salafi Islam
Symbol
Organised Religion
Ideological doctrine:	Orthodox Islamic theology, Sharia
Operation
Region(s) of operation:	Multi-system
Based in:	Qaf?
Historical information
Predecessors:	Sunni Islam
Founded:	27th century
Notable splinter factions:	Mujaddid Islam
[Source]

“	Make yourself patient upon the Sunnah, stop where the people stopped, speak with what they spoke with, and refrain from what they refrained from. And follow the path of your Righteous Predecessors for verily, sufficient for you is that which was sufficient for them.	”
–Abd al-Rahman al-Awza'i

Salafi Islam, commonly known as Salafism, is an interplanetary branch of the Islamic faith. Remnants of the more orthodox elements of Sunni Islam who did not accept Christianislam, Salafism draws its name from an earlier movement that sought a return to the traditions of the salaf, the first three generations of Muslims, which they preached as the unadulterated, pure form of Islam. Modern Salafism sees itself as the true continuation of Islam, and many of the faith's adherents view Christianislam with some degree of hostility. Qaf is perceived to be the center for Salafism as the majority of the planet is Salafi Muslim, but Earth remains significant still because of its history and the continued role of the hajj in Islam.

History

Background

The origins of Salafi Islam go back to the split between Sunnis and Shias, as Salafi Islam is overwhelmingly descended from Sunni schools of theology. The dominant denomination of Islam for centuries, Sunni Islam believed that Muhammad did not clearly designate a successor and the Muslim community acted according to his sunnah in electing his father-in-law Abu Bakr as the first caliph in contrast to the Shia view, which holds that Muhammad announced his son-in-law and cousin Ali ibn Abi Talib as his successor. Political tensions between Sunnis and Shias continued with varying intensity throughout Islamic history and were exacerbated in recent times by ethnic conflicts and the rise of Old Salafism and Jihadism in the 20th and 21st centuries. The loss of the caliphate in the 20th century led to a decentralization of the religion despite attempts by non-state actors to reinstate a Sunni caliphate with the most prominent example being the "Islamic State" or Daesh.

The adherents of Sunni Islam would be acutely affected by the Climate Crisis, and that would lead to great deal of continued resentment by Sunni Muslims towards the West and China, who were spearheading the efforts to escape a dying Earth into the stars. This situation came to a head in the 27th century when the Inter-Faith Congregation, spearheaded by Unitarians and the Baha'i Faith, began the effort to unify the two largest faiths of Earth, Christianity and Islam, into a single, modern religion. Large segments of Sunni Islam, numerous Protestant denominations, and the Roman Catholic Church showed interest in the Inter-Faith Congregation while the Eastern Orthodox Church, some Protestant denominations, and most Shia sects rejected the proposed new religion. Christianislam formed from the Inter-Faith Congregation in 2632, leading to immediate conflict within the affected former religions. This conflict was expressly apparent in Sunni Islam and Catholicism, which both violently fragmented in the aftermath of the creation of Christianislam. The remnants of traditional Catholicism and Sedevacantism would fade with time while Salafism would persist.

The temporary problem of religious extremism caused by the creation of Christianislam happened to coincide with an already worsening Climate Crisis, and the whole situation spiraled out of control in places such as Southeast Asia and Africa. To alleviate all this unrest, many Salafist Muslims would leave Earth in the early fourth millennium for the Trappist System, particularly Qaf. Giving the factions some space would bring down tensions on Earth until religious conflicts finally became irrelevant by the 3500s. However, Salafi Islam would survive and thrive outside Earth, with the largest Salafist populations being on Mars and Qaf.

Throughout the entire period from the 20th century to the fourth millennium, a movement steadily built to reinstate the caliphate lost with the dissolution of the Ottoman Empire. This pro-caliphate movement largely remained just talk on Earth and Mars, but it boiled over into violence on Qaf with the War of the Caliphate that preceded the Commonwealth Wars. This foundling caliphate was seen as illegitimate by the majority of Salafists, and those loyal to the new caliphate split into Mujaddid Islam. The following centuries soured the pro-caliphate movement on Qaf, and the subsequent Martian Civil War largely extinguished Salafi Islam on Mars with many Salafi Martians fleeing to either Cariocecus or Qaf. The religion has grown more moderate over the last millennia, but hardliners remain across known space, especially on Qaf.

Current Era

Currently, Salafi Islam has a presence throughout the stars but is strongest on Qaf. Its relationship with Christianislam has calmed considerably though resentment remains between the groups for past slights, real and imagined. On Qaf and a few other places, some Salafists still cling to the fundamentalist ideals of their ancestors with the most extreme being the jihadists in the Shiva Mountains attempting to overthrow the Qafi Federation. These efforts are unsuccessful, but efforts by similarly-minded groups such as the Qaf Islamic Party have been more rewarding.

Structure

Taking inspiration more from the more decentralised historical Sunni Islam, Salafi Islam is organised along the lines of sharia to remain true to the Quran and the Muslim tradition (sunnah). Imams are worship leaders of a mosque and Muslim community and lead Islamic worship services, serve as community leaders, and provide religious guidance. Many within Salafi Islam clamor for a caliph to lead a single unified Muslim community as in the past, but the pro-caliph movement has not gained much support except for on Qaf.

Membership

Salafi Islam originated from dissident Muslims on Earth but is most prominent on Qaf in the Trappist System. The religion is also present as a minority religion in many other places where Christianislam is present, as Salafi Islam feeds off of converts from Christianislam. Salafi Islam once had a prominent presence on Mars, but it was eliminated along with many other religions on the planet when ALIAS took over.