Salafism

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noun

A movement comparing itself to Sunni Islam, claiming to taking the pious ancestors, the salaf of the patristic period of early Islam, as exemplary models.

Similar
Salafi movement
Scrabble 13
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Meanings

nounSalafism (uncountable)
  1. uncountableIslamA movement comparing itself to Sunni Islam, claiming to taking the pious ancestors, the salaf of the patristic period of early Islam, as exemplary models.

Synonyms & antonyms

nouna militant group of extremist Sunnis who believe themselves the only correct interpreters of the Koran and consider moderate Muslims to be infidels; seek to convert all Muslims and to insure that its own fundamentalist version of Islam will dominate the world

Similar
Salafi movement
Broader
IslamIslamismMohammedanism

Synonym sets from Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.

Origin

From Salafi + -ism or salaf + -ism.

Full word history & related roots →

Translations

Arabic سَلَفِيَّة
  • سَلَفِيَّة (salafiyya)a Sunni Islamic movement
Chinese Mandarin 沙拉菲主義 /沙拉菲主义
  • 沙拉菲主義 /沙拉菲主义 (shālāfēizhǔyì)a Sunni Islamic movement
Czech salafismus
  • salafismusa Sunni Islamic movement
Dutch salafisme
  • salafismea Sunni Islamic movement
Esperanto salafismo
  • salafismoa Sunni Islamic movement
French salafisme
  • salafismea Sunni Islamic movement
German Salafismus
  • Salafismusa Sunni Islamic movement
Hebrew סלפייה, סלפיזם
  • סלפייה (salafíya)a Sunni Islamic movement
  • סלפיזם (salafízm)a Sunni Islamic movement
Hindi सलफ़ी, वहाबी
  • सलफ़ी (salfī)a Sunni Islamic movement
  • वहाबी (vahābī)a Sunni Islamic movement
Indonesian Salafisme
  • Salafismea Sunni Islamic movement
Italian salafismo
  • salafismoa Sunni Islamic movement
Japanese サラフィズム
  • サラフィズム (sarafizumu)a Sunni Islamic movement
Malay Salafisme
  • Salafismea Sunni Islamic movement
Polish salafizm
  • salafizma Sunni Islamic movement
Portuguese salafismo
  • salafismoa Sunni Islamic movement
Russian салафи́зм
  • салафи́зм (salafízm)a Sunni Islamic movement
Spanish salafismo
  • salafismoa Sunni Islamic movement
Swedish salafism
  • salafisma Sunni Islamic movement
Turkish Selefilik
  • Selefilika Sunni Islamic movement
Cite this entry
APA

Salafism. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 3, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/Salafism

MLA

“Salafism.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/Salafism. Accessed November 3, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “Salafism,” accessed November 3, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/Salafism.

Source: Salafism on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.