Despite the inflexibility associated with Saudi Salafism, a growing number of Salafi scholars are moving beyond contemporary Salafi views. This paper will analyze the works of two influential scholars associated with Saudi Salafism: Salman al-Ouda and Hatim al-Awni. Salman al-Ouda, a fiery speaker during the Ṣaḥwah period (discussed in the preceding chapter), has expanded on his use of the concept of fiqh al-wāqi’ (fiqh of realities) by moving from arguing for greater political freedoms to arguing for change in conservative social practices. He advocates a rethinking of Islamic law based on the experience of application rather than formal theoretical rule formation. Ḥatim al-Awni comes from a different strand of Saudi Salafis. As a student of Nasir al-Din al-Albani, al-Awni's primary focus has been academic with a keen interest in ḥadīth studies. Yet, with the rise of the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria (ISIS) he has turned into a vocal critic of mainstream Salafi thought. He criticizes the Wahhabi establishment for holding the same ideology as ISIS, and critically reviews issues such as takfīr (excommunication) and al-walā’ wa-al-barā’ (loyalty and disavowal) that have normally been used to justify jihad. Moreover, he advocates for an opening up of dialogue and discussion within the Saudi public sphere, and argues that it is only through open dialogue that correct faith can be found and internalized. In order to appreciate the significance of these new debates evolving within the Saudi Salafi sphere it is useful to first map the dominant trends in Salafi thought.

Saudi Salafism: Mapping the Religious Sphere

To understand the variety of different trends within the Saudi Salafi religious sphere as it stands today, a good point of entry is Yasir Qadhi's article titled “On Salafī Islam.” Qadhi is arguably the most famous foreign graduate of the Islamic University of Medinah (IUM), and one of America's most influential Muslims (see Volume 2, Chapter 5). Qadhi's extensive training among Salafī scholars during his years in Saudi Arabia as well as his ability to simplify complex fiqh issues for the Muslim audience in America has gained him a large following. His categorization of the various Salafi groups draws on his own experience in Saudi Arabia as well as his training in Western academia.