Izala Society


Banda tsoro
Izala Society, formally Jama’at Izalat al Bid’a Wa Iqamat as Sunna, also called JIBWIS, is a Salafi movement originally established in Northern Nigeria to fight what it sees as the bid’a practiced by the Sufi brotherhoods. It is one of the largest Salafi societies in Nigeria, Chad, Niger, and Cameroon.

Organization

Izala was established in 1978 in Jos, Nigeria by Sheikh Ismaila Idris,, "in reaction to the Sufi brotherhoods", specifically the Qadiri and Tijan Sufi orders.
According to Ramzi Amara,

Today the Izala is one of the largest Salafi societies not only in Northern Nigeria, but also in the South and even in the neighboring countries. It is very active in Da‘wa and especially in education. The Izala has many institutions all over the country and is influential at the local, state, and even federal levels.

The group has been called a salafist organization "that embraces a legalist and scripture centered understanding of Islam".
David Commins has described it as the fruit of missionary work by the Saudi Arabian funded and led World Muslim League.
"Essential texts" for members of the Izala Society are "Muhammad ibn Abd al-Wahhab's treatise of God's unity and commentaries by his grandsons". Ibn Abd al-Wahhab was the founder of the Wahhabi mission, the official Islamic interpretation of Saudi Arabia. He saw Sufism as rife with idolatry. The Izala Society has been considered as the most nonviolent and most educated Islamist group, due to their disposition to work, contribution and sharing knowledge to humanity through Qur’an and Sunna.

Prominent members