Editing Sunni Islam (section)

===Sunni Islam in the contemporary era===
[[File:Grand Istiqlal Mosque.jpg|thumb|[[Istiqlal Mosque, Jakarta|Istiqlal Mosque]] in [[Jakarta]], Indonesia.]]
The fall, at the end of [[World War I]] of the [[Ottoman Empire]], the biggest Sunni empire for six centuries, brought the caliphate to an end. This resulted in Sunni protests in far off places including the [[Khilafat Movement]] in India, which was later on upon gaining independence from Britain divided into Sunni dominated [[Pakistan]] and secular [[India]]. Pakistan, the most populous Sunni state at its dawn, was later [[Bangladesh Independence War|partitioned]] into Pakistan and [[Bangladesh]]. The [[Abolition of the Caliphate|demise of Ottoman caliphate]] also resulted in the emergence of [[Saudi Arabia]], a dynastic absolute monarchy that championed the reformist doctrines of [[Muhammad ibn Abd al-Wahhab]]; the eponym of the [[Wahhabism|Wahhabi movement]].<ref>Gail Minault, ''The Khilafat Movement: Religious Symbolism and Political Mobilization in India'' (1982).</ref><ref>{{cite book |last=Rogan |first=Eugene |date=26 February 2015 |title=The Fall of the Ottomans |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=tP-4BAAAQBAJ |location=UK |publisher=Penguin  |isbn=978-0141968704 }}</ref><ref>{{cite book |title=Contemporary Religions: A World Guide |author=Ian Harris |author2=Stuart Mews |author3=Paul Morris |author4=John Shepherd |year=1992 |isbn=978-0582086951 |page=369|publisher=Longman }}</ref><ref>{{cite book |ref=Bowen |title=The History of Saudi Arabia |author=Bowen, Wayne H. |year=2007 |publisher=Greenwood Press |isbn=978-0313340123}}</ref> This was followed by a considerable rise in the influence of the [[Wahhabism|Wahhabi]], ''[[Salafi movement|Salafiyya]]'', [[Islamism|Islamist]] and [[Jihadism|Jihadist]] movements that revived the doctrines of the Hanbali theologian [[Ibn Taymiyyah|Taqi Al-Din Ibn Taymiyyah]] (1263–1328 C.E/ 661–728 A.H), a fervent advocate of the traditions of the Sunni Imam [[Ahmad ibn Hanbal]]. The expediencies of [[Cold War]] resulted in the radicalisation of Afghan refugees in Pakistan who fought the [[communist]] regime backed by [[USSR]] forces in Afghanistan giving birth to the [[Taliban|Taliban movement]]. After the fall of communist regime in Afghanistan and the ensuing [[Afghan Civil War (1992–1996)|civil war]], Taliban wrestled power from the various [[Afghan mujahideen|Mujahidin factions]] in [[Afghanistan]] and formed a government under the leadership of [[Mullah Omar|Mohammed Omar]], who was addressed as the [[Emir]] of the faithful, an honorific way of addressing the caliph. The Taliban regime was recognised by Pakistan and Saudi Arabia till after [[9/11]], perpetrated by [[Osama bin Laden]] – a Saudi national by birth and harboured by the Taliban – took place, resulting in a [[war on terror]] launched against the Taliban.<ref>{{cite book |last=Hitti |first=Philip K. |title=History of The Arabs |year=1970 |publisher=Macmillan Education |pages=689–741 |isbn=978-0333098714 |edition=Tenth }}</ref><ref>{{cite book |last1=Kepel |first1=Gilles |title=Jihad: The Trail of Political Islam |date=2003 |publisher=Bloomsbury Publishing PLC |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=OLvTNk75hUoC&pg=PA318 |isbn=978-1845112578}}</ref><ref>{{Cite journal |last=Wiktorowicz |first=Quintan |year=2005 |title=A Genealogy of Radical Islam |journal=Studies in Conflict & Terrorism |volume=28 |issue=2 |page=83 |doi=10.1080/10576100590905057 |s2cid=55948737 |doi-access=free }}</ref>

The sequence of events of the 20th century has led to resentment in some quarters of the Sunni community due to the loss of pre-eminence in several previously Sunni-dominated regions such as the [[Levant]], [[Mesopotamia]], the [[Balkans]], the [[North Caucasus]] and the [[Indian sub continent]].<ref>{{cite book |last1=Minahan |first1=James |title=Encyclopedia of the Stateless Nations |date=2002 |page=547}}</ref> The latest attempt by a radical wing of [[Salafi jihadism|Salafi-Jihadists]] to re-establish a Sunni caliphate was seen in the emergence of the militant group [[Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant|ISIL]], whose leader [[Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi]] is known among his followers as caliph and ''Amir-al-mu'mineen'', "The Commander of the Faithful".<ref>{{cite news |author=<!--Staff writer(s); no by-line.--> |title=Profile: Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-middle-east-27801676 |work=BBC News |date=15 May 2015 }}</ref> Jihadism is opposed from within the Muslim community (known as the ''[[ummah]]'' in Arabic) in all quarters of the world as evidenced by turnout of almost 2% of the Muslim population in London protesting against ISIL.<ref>{{cite news |last=Da Silva |first=Chantel |date=16 June 2017 |title=Cologne rally: As many as 10,000 Muslims to protest Islamic extremism |url=https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/europe/cologne-rally-muslims-protest-islamic-extremism-germany-terror-attacks-uk-nichtmituns-not-with-us-a7792876.html |work=Independent |location=Cologne |access-date=5 January 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180106063638/http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/europe/cologne-rally-muslims-protest-islamic-extremism-germany-terror-attacks-uk-nichtmituns-not-with-us-a7792876.html |archive-date=2018-01-06 |url-status=live }}</ref>

Following the puritan approach of [[Ibn Kathir]], [[Muhammad Rashid Rida]], etc. many contemporary ''[[Tafsir]]'' (exegetic treatises) downplay the earlier significance of [[Isra'iliyyat|Biblical material]] (''Isrā'iliyyāt''). Half of the Arab commentaries reject ''Isrā'iliyyāt'' in general, while Turkish tafsir usually partly allow referring to Biblical material. Nevertheless, most non-Arabic commentators regard them as useless or not applicable.<ref name="Pink_pp_114-116">Johanna Pink (2010). ''Sunnitischer Tafsīr in der modernen islamischen Welt: Akademische Traditionen, Popularisierung und nationalstaatliche Interessen''. Brill, {{ISBN|978-9004185920}}, pp. 114–116.</ref> A direct reference to the [[Israeli–Palestinian conflict]] could not be found. It remains unclear whether the refusal of ''Isrā'iliyyāt'' is motivated by political discourse or by traditionalist thought alone.<ref name="Pink_pp_114-116" /> The usage of ''tafsir'ilmi'' is another notable characteristic of modern Sunni tafsir. ''Tafsir'ilmi'' stands for alleged scientific miracles found in the Qur'an. In short, the idea is that the Qur'an contains knowledge about subjects an author of the 7th century could not possibly have. Such interpretations are popular among many commentators. Some scholars, such as the Commentators of [[Al-Azhar University]], reject this approach, arguing the Qur'an is a text for religious guidance, not for science and scientific theories that may be disproved later; thus ''tafsir'ilmi'' might lead to interpreting Qur'anic passages as falsehoods.<ref name="Pink_pp_120-121">Johanna Pink (2010). ''Sunnitischer Tafsīr in der modernen islamischen Welt: Akademische Traditionen, Popularisierung und nationalstaatliche Interessen''. Brill, {{ISBN|978-9004185920}}, pp. 120–121.</ref> Modern trends of Islamic interpretation are usually seen as adjusting to a modern audience and purifying Islam from alleged alterings, some of which are believed to be intentional corruptions brought into Islam to undermine and corrupt its message.<ref name="Pink_pp_114-116" />