Who are Salafiyyah and what do they claim?

Question:
Who are Salafiyyah and what do they claim?

Answer:
Salafiyyah is an unwanted recent phenomenon that claims exclusive authority over Muslims and Islamic norms definitions, and deems infidels other than its followers. It is an egocentric sect that attributes itself to the meritorious Prophet of Islam and struggles against the unity of Muslim society by claiming unity in an unreligious atmosphere.
Salafiyyah which is the bedrock of Wahhabism claims there is no school of thought (madhab). We are bound to return to the Prophet`s era and followers, and the companions of the Prophet. They vouch for the denial of all Islamic sects [schools of thought] for achieving unity. On the other hand, they unsheathe their swords of excommunication, remove their opponents from Islamic society, and create discord and disunion.
It is clear that the invitation of people to put their religious achievements is impossible because the followers of Islamic sects do not easily abandon their beliefs. Neither do they head blindly to an unknown dark spot, which Salafiyyah shows. The chances to accept this new trend become slimmer as alleged invitation to practice religion save sects and schools of thought is a cover story for a new kind of sect and school of thought. This invitation is a kind of sect which is strangled by fundamentalism and shortsightedness, which displays Islam as an idle, spiritless, incapable, and unattractive religion. It revives atrocity and prejudice and accordingly blocks any way to reconciliation and compromise. Instead, it nourishes an environment of tension and pessimism and facilitates feats of sword.

Refrence:

Rezvani, Ali Asghar," Salfigari ve pasokh be shobahat", p10
Source: http://persian.makarem.ir
Translation by: AhlulBayt News Agency (a.s) (Abna.ir)