 | You can helpexpand this article with text translated fromthe corresponding article in Arabic. (September 2020)Click [show] for important translation instructions.
|
Ahmad ibn Umar al-Hazimi | |
|---|---|
أحمد بن عمر الحازمي | |
| Personal life | |
| Born | |
| Alma mater | Umm al-Qura University(BA) |
| Known for | Takfir al-'Adhir |
| Religious life | |
| Religion | Islam |
| Denomination | Sunni |
| Jurisprudence | Hanbali |
| Creed | Athari |
| Movement | SalafismHazimism |
| Muslim leader | |
Ahmad ibn Umar al-Hazimi (Arabic:أحمد بن عمر الحازمي,romanized: Aḥmad ibn ʿUmar al-Ḥāzimī) is a Saudi scholar whose interpretation oftakfir (excommunication) gave rise to the eponymousHazimi. A relatively unknown figure until he publicised his teachings inTunisia after the2011 revolution, some followers of al-Hazimi's views briefly wielded considerable power within theIslamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL). He was arrested and imprisoned by Saudi authorities in 2015 for unknown reasons.
Muhammad ibn Abd al-Wahhab's "third nullifier of Islam" states that those who do not acknowledge the disbelief of a polytheist commit an act of apostasy. Al-Hazimi extends the nullifier to those who refrain from excommunicating those considered "ignorant", a doctrine known astakfir al-'adhir ("excommunication of the excuser").[2] Critics arguetakfir al-'adhir leads to an indefinite chain of excommunication, which the Hazimis refuse.[3]
Al-Hazimi's affinity withSalafi jihadism has been debated by its supporters.[4] Despite the adoption oftakfir al-'adhir by elements of the movement, al-Hazimi has been described as "not himself a jihadi".[2]
Born inMecca, al-Hazimi completed hisbachelor's degree atUmm al-Qura University, majoring in theQuran andSunnah. He also studied under Muslim scholars in theGreat Mosque of Mecca, including inlogic andArabic grammar. He served as theimam of his local mosque in Mecca'sAl-Zahir neighbourhood.[1]
Over the course of four visits toTunisia between December 2011 and May 2012, al-Hazimi delivered a series of lectures promotingtakfir al-'adhir in association with local Islamist organisations linked withAnsar al-Sharia. With their aid, al-Hazimi established theIbn Abi Zayd al-Qayrawani Institute for Sharia Sciences in the country, a religious institute that instructed in his views.[5]
Several Tunisian adherents of al-Hazimi's positions later joined ISIL, disseminating the concept oftakfir al-'adhir and becoming a potent ideological force within the group. In 2013, al-Hazimi uploaded several online lectures regardingtakfir al-'adhir which were attacked byTurki al-Binali, a senior ISIL religious scholar who was the principal opponent of Hazimi influence on the organisation.[4] In the following years, several Hazimis excommunicated ISIL' leadership and revolted against the group, who in turn labelled them as "extremists" and initiated a crackdown on the movement.[2]
On 28 April 2015, al-Hazimi was arrested in Saudi Arabia and later imprisoned.[6]
