السلفية و السلطة : تعاون استراتيجي أم مأزق قاتل

Abstract EN

Following the events of September 11th, Salafism became a topic that attracts the attention of most Islamic studies specialists.

The primary goal of this wave of studies and research was to understand the intellectual, political and social sources of Salafism in order to understand the outputs of this religious movement which became aspiring to more than a limited religious or social reform.

It is no longer hidden to anyone that all studies that aimed to explain the Salafi movement agree on the fact that the early origins of Salafism were organically linked to the Saudi state in its various successive versions.

In this paper, after defining the concept of Salafism, I will try to show how Salafism arose from a “Sacred covenant” between Muhammad Ibn Abd al-Wahhab and Muhammad bin Saud, a covenant that allowed the division of power in the Kingdom into two parts, one of which was a socio-religious authority over which the Sheikh was entrusted; the second was a security, economic and political, and was entrusted to al-Saud.

I will also explain that this sacred covenant was greatly influenced by the "Founding contract" that was concluded between members of the royal family, and the "Profane alliance" which the royal family entered into with the external factor.

I argue that the interaction between the covenant, the contract, and the alliance can explain many of the Salafi contradictions, revisions and divisions.