Wahhabism

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Wahhabism (Arabic: Al-Wahhābīyya الوهابية) or Wahabism is a name sometimes applied to the conservative 18th century reformist call of Sunni Islam attributed to Muhammad ibn Abd-al-Wahhab, an Islamic scholar from what is today known as Saudi Arabia, who became known for advocating a return to the practices of the first three generations of Islamic history. The modern Saudi state is founded on the 18th-century alliance between the Wahhabi religious movement and the House of Saud ^[1] and is the dominant form of Islam found in Saudi Arabia and Qatar,^[2] and is well spread and popular in Kuwait, Egypt U.A.E., Bahrain, Morrocco, Algeria and Mauritania as well as many other parts of the muslim world.^{[citation needed]} It is now often referred to as a "sect"^[2] or "branch"^[3] of Islam, though its supporters reject such designations.

The primary doctrine of Wahhabism is Tawhid, or the uniqueness and unity of God. ^[4] Ibn Abdul Wahhab was influenced by the writings of scholars such as Ibn Taymiyya and questioned medieval interpretations of Islam, relying on Quran and hadith. ^[4] He preached against a "perceived moral decline and political weakness" in the Arabian peninsula and condemned idolatry, the popular cult of saints, and shrine and tomb visitation.^[4]

The term "Wahhabi" (Wahhābīya) was first used by opponents of ibn Abdul Wahhab and is considered derogatory and rarely used by the people it is used to describe, who prefer to be called "unitarians" (Muwahiddun). ^[5][6] Wahhabism as a form of Islam, as a theology and as jurisprudence within Islam doesn't in fact exist.The label is used in the most foucaultien sense of the word label.^{[citation needed]}

The terms "Wahhabism" and "Salafism" are often used interchangeably, but Wahhabism has also been called "a particular orientation within Salafism," ^[7] an orientation some consider ultra-conservative. ^[8][9]

Contents 1 History 1.1 Muhammad ibn Abd-al-Wahhab 2 Beliefs 3 Criticism and controversy 3.1 Enjoining virtue and prohibiting vice 3.2 Fiqh 3.3 Non-Muslims 3.4 Muslims 4 Wahhabism and Salafism 4.1 Osama Bin Laden 5 International influence 5.1 Explanation for influence 6 See also 7 Notes 8 References 9 Additional Reading 10 External links 10.1 Critical

[edit] History

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[edit] Muhammad ibn Abd-al-Wahhab

Further information: First Saudi State

Further information: Muhammad ibn Abd-al-Wahhab

The founder of Wahhabism, Ibn 'Abd al-Wahhab studied in Basra (in southern Iraq) and is reported to have developed his reformist ideas there. ^[10][11] He is reported to have studied in Mecca and Medina while there to perform Hajj ^[12][13]before returning to his home town of Uyayna in 1740.

After his return to 'Uyayna, Ibn Abd al-Wahhab began to attract followers there, including the ruler of the town, Uthman ibn Mu'ammar. With Ibn Mu'ammar's support, Ibn 'Abd al-Wahhab began to implement some of his ideas such as leveling the grave of Zayd ibn al-Khattab, a companion of the Muslim prophet Muhammad, and ordering that an adulteress be stoned to death. These actions were disapproved of by Sulaiman ibn Muhammad ibn Ghurayr of the tribe of Bani Khalid, the chief of Al-Hasa and Qatif, who held substantial influence in Najd and ibn 'Abd al-Wahhab was expelled from 'Uyayna.^[14]

Ibn Abd al-Wahhab was invited to settle in neighboring Dir'iyya by its ruler Muhammad ibn Saud in 1740 (1157 AH), two of whose brothers had been students of Ibn Abd al-Wahhab. Upon arriving in Diriyya, a pact was made between Ibn Saud and Ibn Abd al-Wahhab, by which Ibn Saud pledged to implement and enforce Ibn Abd al-Wahhab's teachings, while Ibn Saud and his family would remain the temporal imams ("leaders") of the movement.

Beginning in the last years of the 18th century Ibn Saud and his heirs would spend the next 140 years mounting various military campaigns to seize control of Arabia and its outlying regions, before being attacked and defeated by Ottoman forces.

One of their most famous and controversial attacks was of Karbala in 1217/1802. There, according to a Wahhabi chronicler `Uthman b. `Abdullah b. Bishr, Wahhabis "scaled the walls, entered the city ... and killed the majority of its people in the markets and in their homes." They "destroyed the dome placed over the grave of al-Husayn" and took as booty "whatever they found inside the dome and its surroundings. .... the grille surrounding the tomb which was encrusted with emeralds, rubies, and other jewels. .... different types of property, weapons, clothing, carpets, gold, silver, precious copies of the Qur'an." ^[15]

In the early 20th Century, the Wahhabist-oriented Al-Saud dynasty conquered and unified the various provinces on the Arabian peninsula, founding the modern day Kingdom of Saudi Arabia in 1932. This provided the movement with a state. Vast wealth from oil discovered in the following decades, coupled with Saudi control of the holy cities of Mecca and Medina, have since provided a base and funding for Salafi missionary activity.

[edit] Beliefs

Wahhabi theology treats the Qur'an and Hadith as fundamental texts, interpreted upon the understanding of the first three generations of Islam and further explained by many various commentaries including that of Ibn-Abd-al-Wahhab. His book Kitab al-Tawhid ("Book of Monotheism"), and the works of the earlier scholar Ibn Taymiyya are fundamental to Wahabism.

Like most scholars in Najd at the time, Ibn Abd-al-Wahhab was a follower of Ibn Hanbal's school of jurisprudence but "was opposed to any of the schools (Madh'hab) being taken as an absolute and unquestioned authority," and condemned taqlid.^[16]

Wahhabism also denounces the practice of blind adherence to the interpretations of scholars and the blind acceptance of practices that were passed on within the family or tribe. Ibn Abd al-Wahhab believed in the responsibility of the individual Muslim to learn and obey the divine commands as they were revealed in the Quran and the Sunnah. ^[17]

[edit] Criticism and controversy

[edit] Enjoining virtue and prohibiting vice

Wahhabism is noted not just for urging Muslims to follow the religious duties of Islam, such as salah, but compelling them to do so. ^[2] In the country of Saudi Arabia for example, the Committee for the Propagation of Virtue and the Prevention of Vice, a state religious police unit, has been set up for this purpose.

[edit] Fiqh

The label of Wahhabism is often contested by so called "Wahhabis" because in Islam, a group must differ in fiqh (Islamic jurisprudence) in order to be attributed a separate label.

The basis of any religious group or sub-group lies in its understanding of that religion, in this case Islam. That said, two key aspects define a religious group's understanding of Islam; its philosophical approach, but most importantly, the methodology used to derive Fiqh.

Sunni Islam has four methodological schools of fiqh, or madhabs: Hanbali, Maliki, Shafei and Hanafi. Like other Sunni Muslims, so-called Wahhabis use these same different approaches.

Although most so-called wahhabis are said to follow the Hanbali school of fiqh (or Madh'hab), they are also said to follow no school of Fiqh, hence making them different and unique to classical Islamic jurisprudence. This simplification is in fact false, as all Wahhabis follow at least one of these methodological schools. The reason behind this simplistic explanation is that some often confuse the purpose of a Madh'hab.

A Madh'hab is not a source of ready answers; it is a methodological approach. These schools differ in the means (the methodology) through which they derive "the answer" to different questions within Islamic jurisprudence, and do not necessarily disagree on the end results. Even non-"Wahhabi" Sunni scholars do not blindly imitate, since as scholars, they have a purpose to inquire and research. A Madhab is only a source of ready answers if a person is not a scholar (alemm; plural form, ulemma), then he can refer to an expert's/alemm's answer, or a madhab's answer if a consensus within exists.

The Wahhabis consider themselves to be 'non-imitators' or 'not attached to tradition' (ghayr muqallidun), and therefore answerable to no school of law at all, observing instead what they would call the practice of early Islam. However, to do so does correspond to the ideal aimed at by Ibn Hanbal, and thus they can be said to be of his `school`. ^[18]

[edit] Non-Muslims

It is reported that some Wahhabist books and pamphlets teach that Muslims should reject absolutely any non-Muslim ideas and practices, including political ones. A study by the NGO Freedom House claimed to find Wahhabi publications in a number of mosques in the United States preaching that Muslims should not only "always oppose" infidels "in every way," but "hate them for their religion ... for Allah's sake," that democracy "is responsible for all the horrible wars of the 20th century," and that Shia and other non-Wahhabi Muslims were infidels. ^[19][20]

The Saudi government responded with criticism of Freedom House, saying it has "worked diligently during the last five years to overhaul its education system" but "[o]verhauling an educational system is a massive undertaking... As with previous reports, Freedom House continues to exhibit a disregard for presenting an accurate picture of the reality that exists in Saudi Arabia."^[21] The group rightweb.org also has criticized Freedomhouse as being funded by conservative foundations, quoting two academics expressing "concern that the Freedom House indicators are biased in the direction of U.S. foreign policy preferences." The Institute for Social Policy and Understanding (ISPU) has criticized the study for citing documents from only a few mosques, and argues that most mosques in the US are not under Wahhabi influence.^[22] ISPU comments on the study were not entirely negative however, and concluded:

American-Muslim leaders must thoroughly scrutinize this study. Despite its limitations, the study highlights an ugly undercurrent in modern Islamic discourse that American-Muslims must openly confront. However, in the vigor to expose strains of extremism, we must not forget that open discussion is the best tool to debunk the extremist literature rather than a suppression of First Amendment rights guaranteed by the U.S. Constitution. ^[22]

[edit] Muslims

Wahabis have been religiously criticized for labeling many major Muslim groups, such as Sufi and Shi'a Muslims, as apostates. They also take stances against the the graves of saints, and the practice of Tawassul, asking the saints for prayer on their behalf.

Wahabis have also committed controversial and violent actions against fellow Muslims. In 1801 and 1802, the Saudi Salafis under Abdul Aziz ibn Muhammad ibn Saud attacked and captured the holy Shi'a cities of Karbala and Najaf in Iraq, massacred parts of the Shi'a population and destroyed the tombs of Husayn ibn Ali, the grandson of Muhammad, and Ali bin Abu Talib, the son-in-law of Muhammad. In 1802 they occupied Taif where they also massacred the population. In 1803 and 1804 the Saudis captured Mecca and Medina and destroyed historical monuments and various holy Muslim sites and shrines, such as the shrine built over the tomb of Fatima Zahra, the daughter of Muhammad, and even intended to destroy the grave of the Prophet Muhammad himself.^{[23][24][25][26][27]}

Wahhabism has been criticized by Barelwi Sufi scholar Imam Ahmed Raza Khan for beliefs and practices which, according to him, violate the Quran and Sunnah.

This is the very sect that will emerge in the future in different names and famous disguises. Now, in this last period of time the very same cult emerged as "Reformers of Deen" and called themselves Wahhabis. All the signs about this group that were foretold in the Sahih Ahadith Shareef are found exactly in the present Wahhabi followers. A few prophecies were mentioned here.

• If you compare your Salaah with their Salaah you will regard yours as insignificant and insufficient.
• Likewise, your fasting in comparison to theirs (Wahabis) and your good deeds to that of theirs.
• They will recite the Holy Quran but it will not go below their throats.
• Their words and speech will be very sweet and appealing and they will quote in every step.
• Their condition will be such that they will leave the (boundaries of) Deen as an arrow leaves the bow for its target.
• One of their signs is that most of them will shave the hair of their heads.
• Their pants will be raised high above the ankles.^[28]

[edit] Wahhabism and Salafism

Among those who criticize the use of the term Wahhabi is social scientist Quintan Wiktorowicz. In a footnote of his report, Anatomy of the Salafi Movement,^[29] he comments:

Opponents of Salafism frequently affix the “Wahhabi” designator to denote foreign influence. It is intended to signify followers of Abd al-Wahhab and is most frequently used in countries where Salafis are a small minority of the Muslim community but have made recent inroads in “converting” the local population to the movement ideology. In these countries, local religious authorities have responded to the growing influence of Salafi thought by describing Salafis as Wahhabis, a term that for most non-Salafis conjures up images of Saudi Arabia. The foreign nature of the “Wahhabis” is juxtaposed to locally authentic forms of indigenous Islam. In this manner, opponents of Salafism inject nationalism into religious discourse by raising the specter of foreign influence. The Salafi movement itself, however, never uses this term. In fact, one would be hard pressed to find individuals who refer to themselves as Wahhabis or organizations that use “Wahhabi” in their title or refer to their ideology in this manner (unless they are speaking to a Western audience that is unfamiliar with Islamic terminology, and even then usage is limited and often appears as “Salafi/Wahhabi”).

[edit] Osama Bin Laden

What connection, if any, there is between Wahhabism and so-called jihadi salafis is hotly disputed. Among others, Daniel Pipes claims there is "a direct line between the Wahhabis and Osama bin Laden." However, Natana De Long-Bas, senior research assistant at the Center for Muslim-Christian Understanding at Georgetown University, argues:

The militant Islam of Osama bin Laden does not have its origins in the teachings of Ibn Abd al-Wahhab and is not representative of Wahhabi Islam as it is practiced in contemporary Saudi Arabia, yet for the media it has come to define Wahhabi Islam in the contemporary era. However "unrepresentative" bin Laden's global jihad is of Islam in general and Wahhabi Islam in particular, its prominence in headline news has taken Wahhabi Islam across the spectrum from revival and reform to global jihad.^[30]

[edit] International influence

According to Western observers like Gilles Kepel, Wahhabism gained considerable influence in the Muslim world following a tripling in the price of oil in the mid-1970s. Having the world's largest reserves of oil but a relatively small population, Saudi Arabia was in a position to spend tens of billions of dollars throughout the Muslim world promoting Islam, and in particular Wahhabism, which was sometimes referred to as "petro-Islam". ^[31]

Its largess funded an estimated "90% of the expenses of the entire faith," throughout the Muslim world, according to journalist Dawood al-Shirian. ^[32] It extended to young and old, from children's maddrassas to high level scholarship. ^[33] "Books, scholarships, fellowships, mosques" (for example, "more than 1500 mosques were built from Saudi public funds over the last 50 years") were paid for. ^[34] It rewarded journalists and academics who followed it; built satellite campuses around Egypt for Al Azhar, the oldest and very influential Islamic university. ^[35]

The financial power of Wahhabist advocates, according to observers like Dawood al-Shirian and Lee Kuan Yew, has done much to overwhelm less strict local interpretations of Islam ^[36] and has caused the Saudi interpretation to be perceived as the "gold standard" of religion in many Muslims' minds. ^[37]

[edit] Explanation for influence

Khaled Abou El Fadl has attributed the appeal of Wahhabism to Muslims as stemming from

• Arab nationalism, which was attracted by the Wahhabi attack on the Ottoman Empire;
• reformism, which was attracted to a return to al-salaf al-salih;
• Wahhabi control of the two holy cities of Mecca and Medina, which gave Wahhabis great influence on Muslim culture and thinking;
• the discovery of Persian Gulf oil fields, which after 1975 allowed Wahhabis to promote their interpretations of Islam using billions from oil export revenue. ^[38]

[edit] See also

• Active Islamic Youth

[edit] Notes

The references in this article would be clearer with a different or consistent style of citation, footnoting, or external linking.

[edit] References

• Esposito, John (2003). The Oxford Dictionary of Islam. Oxford: Oxford University Press. ISBN 0195125584. 
• Kepel, Gilles (2002). Jihad: The Trail of Political Islam, trans. Anthony F. Roberts, 1st English edition, Cambridge: Belknap Press of Harvard University Press. ISBN 0-674-00877-4. 

[edit] Additional Reading

• David Holden & Richard Johns, The House of Saud, Pan, 1982, 0-330-26834-1
• Hamid Algar, Wahhabism : A Critical Essay, Islamic Publications International, ISBN 1-889999-13-X
• Natana J. Delong-Bas, Wahhabi Islam: From Revival and Reform to Global Jihad, Oxford University Press, ISBN 0-19-516991-3
• Madawi Al-Rasheed, A History of Saudi Arabia, Cambridge University Press, 2002, ISBN 0-521-64412-7
• Gerald De Gaury, Freya Stark, Arabia Phoenix, Kegan Paul International Limited, ISBN 0-7103-0677-6, ISBN-13, 9780710306777
• Haneef James Oliver, "The 'Wahhabi' Myth", T.R.O.I.D. Publications, February 2004, ISBN 0-9689058-5-4
• Quist, B. Wayne and Drake, David F., "Winning the War on Terror: A Triumph of American Values," iUniverse, 2005, ISBN 595357768

[edit] External links

• Who First Used the Term 'Wahhabi'?
• The Ideology of Terrorism and Violence in Saudi Arabia: Origins, Reasons and Solution
• Does Saudi Arabia Preach Intolerance in the UK and US?
• Full Text of Kitab Al Tawhid by Ibn Abdul Wahhab
• A BBC Today programme, 08:10 on 18 November 2006 referred to the issue of Wahhabism in Bosnia, especially Sarajevo - see also Spero News on the issue.
• The 'Wahhabi' Empire
• [2]

[edit] Critical

• The 'Wahhabi' Nemesis: Exposing those responsible for causing terror
• Wahabi Way
• Definitive Wahhabi Profile
• Refutation of Wahabism
• Saudi Publications on Hate Ideology