[7] The Islamic concept of "Islah" advocates for moral advancement through a reformation based on the rudimental standards of the Qur'an and the Sunnah.
Islah is characterised by an attitude of bypassing classical legal works in preference to literature from the early Muslim generations (Salaf al-Salih).
[3] According to author Josef W. Meri and other scholars, the word is derived from the root salaha Ṣ-L-Ḥ (ص ل ح), occurs in forty verses of the Qur'an, including 49:10, 4:114, 4:128, 11:88[1][9] where it means "to do good, proper, right, restore oneself or to reconcile people with one another, to make peace.
[16][17] In particular, Ibn Taymiyya is regarded as a towering figure in the history of Islamic reformism and his campaigns against mystical interpretation, critique of Taqlid (blind following), creedal polemics against Falsafa, etc.
[18] According to author Juan Eduardo Campo and other scholars, "islah" is used most commonly today in Arabic with respect to the idea of reform, although this usage was not widespread until the modern reform movements of the 19th and 20th centuries; scholars like Muhammad Abduh (1849-1905), Rashid Rida (1865-1935), a prominent follower of Ibn Taimiyah); and Mahmud Shaltut (1893-1963) became popular for their contemporary islah movements.
During every era, religious reformers appear to eradicate these heresies and campaign for a return to the pure Islam, by inviting to Qur'an and Sunnah.