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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. Sunni Islam is the largest denomination of Islam. Sunni Islam is also referred to as Ahl as-Sunnah wa’l-Jamā‘h (Arabic Fiqh ( Arabic: فقه, fɪqəh is Islamic Jurisprudence. Fiqh is an expansion of the Sharia Islamic law—based directly on the The Hanafi ( Arabic حنفي school is the oldest of the four schools of thought ( Madhhabs The Shāfi‘ī Madhab ( ar شافعي) is one of the four schools of Fiqh, or religious law within The Maliki Madhhab ( Arabic مالكي) is one of the four schools of Fiqh or religious law within Sunni Islam Hanbali ( حنبلى) is one of the four schools ( Madhhabs of Fiqh or religious law within Sunni Islam (the other three being Islamic theology is a branch of Islamic studies regarding the beliefs associated with the Islamic faith In Islam, a Maturidi ( Arabic: الماتريدي) is one who follows Abu Mansur Al Maturidi 's theology which is a close variant of the The Ash'ari theology ( Arabic الأشاعرة al-asha`irah) is a school of early Muslim speculative theology founded by the theologian Abu al-Hasan Athari ( al-Athariyya) in English is translated as textualism which is derived from the Arabic word Athar, which means "Narrations" Muʿtazilah ( Arabic المعتزلة al-mu`tazilah) is a theological school of thought within Sunni Islam. The Deobandi ( Urdu: دیو بندی devbandī) is a Sunni Islamic revivalist movement which started in India and has more recently Barelwi or Barelvi ( Hindi: बरेलवी Urdu: بریلوی is a movement of Sunni Sufism in South Asia that was founded by The Five Pillars of Islam (Arabic أركان الإسلام is the term given to the five duties incumbent on every Muslim. The Shahada ( Arabic: ar الشهادة, from the verb ar شهد "to testify" is the Islamic Creed. Ṣalāt ( Arabic: صلاة‎, pl ṣalawāt, Qur'anic Arabic: صلوة ṣalawah) (also munz in Pashto and This is a sub-article of Islamic economical jurisprudence. Zakaat ( زكاة zækæːh zakaat or zakāh, has the implied Sawm ( Arabic: صوم is an Arabic word for Fasting regulated by Islamic jurisprudence. The Hajj (حج is a pilgrimage to Mecca (Makkah It is the largest annual pilgrimage in the world The Rightly Guided Caliphs or The Righteous Caliphs ( ar الخلفاء الراشدون) is a term used in Sunni Islam to refer to the first Early life Abu Bakr was born at Mecca some time in the year 573 CE, in the Banu Taym branch of the Quraysh tribe Umar (a=عمر بن الخطاب|t=`Umar ibn al-Khattāb c 581-83 CE &ndash 7 November, 644) also known as Umar the Great or Omar the Great Early life Uthman was born in Ta’if, which is situated on a hill and the presumption is that Uthman was born during the summer months since wealthy Meccans ‘Alī ibn Abī Ṭālib (a=علي بن أﺑﻲ طالب|t=ʿAlī ibn Abī Ṭālib 13th Rajab, 24 BH – 21st Ramaḍān, 40 AH The six major Hadith collections (Arabic Al-Sihah al-Sittah) are the works of some individuals from Islamic scholars who by their Sahih Muslim ( Arabic: صحيح مسلم ṣaḥīḥ Muslim, full title "Al-Musnadu Al-Sahihu bi Naklil Adli" is one of the Six major collections as-Sunan as-Sughra (السنن الصغرى also known as Sunan an-Nasa'i (Arabic سنن النسائي is one of the Sunni Six Major Hadith collections Sunan Abu Da'ud (سُنن أبو داوود is one of the Sunni Six Major Hadith collections, collected by Abu Da'ud. Jami al-Tirmidhi (جامع الترمذي popularly Sunan al-Tirmidhi (سُـنَن الترمذي is one of the Sunni Six major Hadith collections Sunan Ibn Maja (سُنن ابن ماجه is one of the Sunni Six Major Hadith collections collected by Ibn Maja. The Muwaṭṭa (الموطأ is an early statement of Muslim law compiled and edited by Imam Malik. Sunan al-Darami by Al-Darami (181H-255H is a Hadith collection considered by Sunnis to be among the nine the Six major Hadith collections Arabic (ar الْعَرَبيّة (informally ar عَرَبيْ) in terms of the number of speakers is the largest living member of the Semitic language Sunni Islam is the largest denomination of Islam. Sunni Islam is also referred to as Ahl as-Sunnah wa’l-Jamā‘h (Arabic For other meanings including people named 'Islam' see Islam (disambiguation. Muhammad ibn 'Abd al-Wahhab at-Tamimi' (1703&ndash1792 ( Arabic: محمد بن عبد الوهاب التميمي)was an Islamic scholar born in The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, KSA ( المملكة العربية السعودية, al-Mamlaka al-ʻArabiyya as-Suʻūdiyya) or Suudi 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. Qatar ( قطر; ˈqɑtˁɑr local pronunciation giṭar officially the State of Qatar (Arabic دولة قطر transliterated The State of Kuwait ( دولة الكويت IPA [dawlatt̪ alkuwajt̪]) is a sovereign Arab Emirate on the coast of the Persian Gulf, enclosed This article is about the country of Egypt For a topic outline on this subject see List of basic Egypt topics. The Kingdom of Bahrain (in مملكة البحرين,, literally Kingdom of the Two Seas) is an Island country in the Persian Gulf Morocco (المغرب "al-Maghrib" officially the Kingdom of Morocco (المملكة المغربية is a country located in North Africa Algeria ( ar [[Arabic]] الجزائر, Al Jaza'ir ælʤæˈzæːʔir Amazigh: ⴷⵥⴰⵢⴻⵔ Dzayer) officially the People's Mauritania (موريتانيا Mūrītāniyā officially the Islamic Republic of Mauritania, is a country 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. Taqi ad-Din Ahmad ibn Taymiyyah ( January 22, 1263 &ndash 1328 was a Sunni Islamic scholar born in Harran, located The Qur’an ( القرآن, literally "the recitation" also sometimes transliterated as Qur’ān, Koran, Alcoran Hadith ( ar الحديث, pl aḥadīth; lit. "narrative" are oral Traditions relating to the words and deeds of the Islamic ^[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.

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

History

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. The First Saudi State was established in the year 1744 (1157 A Muhammad ibn 'Abd al-Wahhab at-Tamimi' (1703&ndash1792 ( Arabic: محمد بن عبد الوهاب التميمي)was an Islamic scholar born in Basra ( BGN: AlBasrah also called Basorah Abillah and Uruk or IRAQ The name that British colony has adopted for Basra For a topic outline on this subject see List of basic Iraq topics. ^[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. Mecca ˈmɛkə also spelled Makkah ˈmækə (in full Makkah Al-Mukarramah (Arabic mækːæ(t ælmʊkarˑamæ مكّة المكرمة, literally Honored Medina mɛˈdiːnə (المدينة المنورة ælmæˈdiːnæl muˈnɑwːɑrɑ or المدينة ælmæˈdiːnæ also transliterated into English as The Hajj (حج is a pilgrimage to Mecca (Makkah It is the largest annual pilgrimage in the world Year 1740 ( MDCCXL) was a Leap year starting on Friday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar (or a Leap

After his return to 'Uyayna, Ibn Abd al-Wahhab began to attract followers there, including the ruler of the town, Uthman ibn Mu'ammar. Al-'Uyayna (ا لعيينة) is a Village in central Saudi Arabia, located some 30 km northwest of the Saudi Capital Riyadh. 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. Zayd ibn Al-Khattab was a Sahaba (companion of Muhammad and the brother of the second Caliph Umar ibn al-Khattab, also IMPORTANT PLEASE READ ##### For all questions relating to the addition of (pbuh peace be upon him or other honorifics 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. Bani Khalid ( بني خالد) is an Arab tribal confederation of eastern and central Arabia. This article refers to the traditional region of Al-Hasa For the current Saudi Arabian administrative unit sometimes called Al-Hasa see Al-Ahsa (governorate. For other uses see Katif. Qatif or Al-Qatif (also spelled Qateef or Al-Qateef; القطيف Al-Qaṭīf ^[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. Al-Diriyah ( الدرعية; also spelled Ad-Dir'iyah, Ad-Dar'iyah or Dir'aiyah) is a town in Saudi Arabia located on the northwestern Abdul Aziz Faysal Saud Ali Abdallah "Imam" Muhammad ibn Saud Year 1740 ( MDCCXL) was a Leap year starting on Friday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar (or a Leap 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. The Arabian Peninsula (in Arabic: شبه الجزيرة العربية šibh al-jazīra al-ʻarabīya or جزيرة العرب jazīrat al-ʻarab)

One of their most famous and controversial attacks was of Karbala in 1217/1802. Karbala ( BGN: Al-Karbalā’; also spelled Karbala al-Muqaddasah) is a city in Iraq, located about southwest of Baghdad at Year 1802 ( MDCCCII) was a Common year starting on Friday of the Gregorian calendar or a Common year starting on Wednesday of the 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. Ḥusayn ibn ‘Alī ibn Abī Ṭālib ( ar حسين بن علي بن أﺑﻲ طالب)‎ (third of Shaban 4 AH / 8th January 626 AD at Medina . . . . 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. The twentieth century of the Common Era began on The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, KSA ( المملكة العربية السعودية, al-Mamlaka al-ʻArabiyya as-Suʻūdiyya) or Suudi 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. The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, KSA ( المملكة العربية السعودية, al-Mamlaka al-ʻArabiyya as-Suʻūdiyya) or Suudi Mecca ˈmɛkə also spelled Makkah ˈmækə (in full Makkah Al-Mukarramah (Arabic mækːæ(t ælmʊkarˑamæ مكّة المكرمة, literally Honored Medina mɛˈdiːnə (المدينة المنورة ælmæˈdiːnæl muˈnɑwːɑrɑ or المدينة ælmæˈdiːnæ also transliterated into English as

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. The Qur’an ( القرآن, literally "the recitation" also sometimes transliterated as Qur’ān, Koran, Alcoran Hadith ( ar الحديث, pl aḥadīth; lit. "narrative" are oral Traditions relating to the words and deeds of the Islamic Muhammad ibn 'Abd al-Wahhab at-Tamimi' (1703&ndash1792 ( Arabic: محمد بن عبد الوهاب التميمي)was an Islamic scholar born in His book Kitab al-Tawhid ("Book of Monotheism"), and the works of the earlier scholar Ibn Taymiyya are fundamental to Wahabism. Taqi ad-Din Ahmad ibn Taymiyyah ( January 22, 1263 &ndash 1328 was a Sunni Islamic scholar born in Harran, located

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. Nejd or Najd (literally "highland" نجد) is the central region of the Arabian Peninsula. Ahmed ibn Hanbal ( Arabic: ‏‎‎‎‎‎‎‎‎أحمد بن حنبل‏‎‎‎‏‎‎‎ ‎‎‎‎‎‎‎ Ahmad bin Hanbal) (780 - Fiqh ( Arabic: فقه, fɪqəh is Islamic Jurisprudence. Fiqh is an expansion of the Sharia Islamic law—based directly on the Madhhab or Mazhab ( Arabic مذهب mæðhæb pl مذاهب mæðæːhıb) is an Islamic school of thought, or Taqlid or taqleed ( Arabic تَقْليد taqlīd) is an Arabic term meaning "to follow (someone" or "to imitate" ^[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. Sunnah ar (سنة plural سنن Sunan literally means “trodden path” and therefore the sunnah of the prophet means “the way and the manners of the prophet” ^[17]

Criticism and controversy

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. Ṣalāt ( Arabic: صلاة‎, pl ṣalawāt, Qur'anic Arabic: صلوة ṣalawah) (also munz in Pashto and ^[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.

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. Fiqh ( Arabic: فقه, fɪqəh is Islamic Jurisprudence. Fiqh is an expansion of the Sharia Islamic law—based directly on the

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. Madhhab or Mazhab ( Arabic مذهب mæðhæb pl مذاهب mæðæːhıb) is an Islamic school of thought, or 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. Hanbali ( حنبلى) is one of the four schools ( Madhhabs of Fiqh or religious law within Sunni Islam (the other three being Madhhab or Mazhab ( Arabic مذهب mæðhæb pl مذاهب mæðæːhıb) is an Islamic school of thought, or 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`. Ahmed ibn Hanbal ( Arabic: ‏‎‎‎‎‎‎‎‎أحمد بن حنبل‏‎‎‎‏‎‎‎ ‎‎‎‎‎‎‎ Ahmad bin Hanbal) (780 - ^[18]

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 . Freedom House is a United States -based international Non-governmental organization that conducts research and advocacy on Democracy, political A "mosque" in English refers to all types of buildings dedicated for Islamic worship although there is a distinction in Arabic between the smaller privately owned mosque and the larger . . 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. Democracy is a form of government in which the supreme power is held completely by the people under a free electoral system ^[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. Conservatism is a term used to describe political philosophies that favour Tradition, where tradition refers to various religious cultural or nationally defined 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. The Institute for Social Policy and Understanding (ISPU is an independent nonprofit research organization committed to studying United States domestic and Foreign policy ^[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]

Muslims

Wahabis have been religiously criticized for labeling many major Muslim groups, such as Sufi and Shi'a Muslims, as apostates. Sufism ( تصوّف - taṣawwuf, Persian: صوفی‌گری sufigari, Turkish: tasavvuf, Urdu: تصوف A Muslim (مسلم pronounced Muslim, not Muzlim) is an adherent of the Religion They also take stances against the the graves of saints, and the practice of Tawassul, asking the saints for prayer on their behalf. Tawassul (توسل is an Islamic religious practice in which a Muslim seeks nearness to Allah.

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. The First Saudi State was established in the year 1744 (1157 A Saud Abdul Aziz ibn Muhammad ibn Saud (عبد العزيز بن محمد بن سعود) was the second ruler of the First Saudi State Karbala ( BGN: Al-Karbalā’; also spelled Karbala al-Muqaddasah) is a city in Iraq, located about southwest of Baghdad at Najaf ( BGN: An Najaf) is a city in Iraq about 160 km south of Baghdad. For a topic outline on this subject see List of basic Iraq topics. Ḥusayn ibn ‘Alī ibn Abī Ṭālib ( ar حسين بن علي بن أﺑﻲ طالب)‎ (third of Shaban 4 AH / 8th January 626 AD at Medina ‘Alī ibn Abī Ṭālib (a=علي بن أﺑﻲ طالب|t=ʿAlī ibn Abī Ṭālib 13th Rajab, 24 BH – 21st Ramaḍān, 40 AH In 1802 they occupied Taif where they also massacred the population. Ta’if ( ar الطائف) is a city in the Mecca Province of Saudi Arabia at an elevation of 1700 metres on the slopes of the Al-Sarawat 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. Mecca ˈmɛkə also spelled Makkah ˈmækə (in full Makkah Al-Mukarramah (Arabic mækːæ(t ælmʊkarˑamæ مكّة المكرمة, literally Honored Medina mɛˈdiːnə (المدينة المنورة ælmæˈdiːnæl muˈnɑwːɑrɑ or المدينة ælmæˈdiːnæ also transliterated into English as Fatimah (فاطمة c 605 –632 was a daughter of the Islamic prophet Muhammad from his first wife Khadija. IMPORTANT PLEASE READ ##### For all questions relating to the addition of (pbuh peace be upon him or other honorifics ^{[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. Ahmad Raza Khan or Ahmed Rida Khan (1856-1921 was a Sunni Muslim scholar and founder of Barelwi School of thought.

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. Ṣalāt ( Arabic: صلاة‎, pl ṣalawāt, Qur'anic Arabic: صلوة ṣalawah) (also munz in Pashto and
• 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. The Qur’an ( القرآن, literally "the recitation" also sometimes transliterated as Qur’ān, Koran, Alcoran
• 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]

Wahhabism and Salafism

Among those who criticize the use of the term Wahhabi is social scientist Quintan Wiktorowicz. The social sciences comprise academic disciplines concerned with the study of the social life of human groups and individuals including Anthropology, Communication studies 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”).

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. Osama bin Laden, with some spelling variations is the name used in English to refer to (أسامة بن محمد بن عوض بن لادن born 10 March " 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]

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. Gilles Kepel (born 30 June 1955) is a prominent French scholar and analyst of the Islamic and the Arab world 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. "Madrasa" and "Medrese" redirect here For the village in Azerbaijan see Mədrəsə. ^[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. A "mosque" in English refers to all types of buildings dedicated for Islamic worship although there is a distinction in Arabic between the smaller privately owned mosque and the larger ^[34] It rewarded journalists and academics who followed it; built satellite campuses around Egypt for Al Azhar, the oldest and very influential Islamic university. Al-Azhar University (pronounced "az-HAR" الأزهر الشريف, "the Noble Azhar" in Egypt, founded in 975 is the chief centre of ^[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. Lee Kuan Yew, GCMG, CH ( born September 16 1923 also spelled Lee Kwan-Yew) is a Singaporean of Chinese immigrant background ^[37]

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. The Ottoman Empire (1299–1923 ( Old Ottoman Turkish: دولتْ علیّه عثمانیّه Devlet-i Âliye-yi Osmâniyye, Late Ottoman and Modern Turkish This article is on the group of early Muslims For the article on the contemporary Islamic movement see Salafi Salaf or Mecca ˈmɛkə also spelled Makkah ˈmækə (in full Makkah Al-Mukarramah (Arabic mækːæ(t ælmʊkarˑamæ مكّة المكرمة, literally Honored Medina mɛˈdiːnə (المدينة المنورة ælmæˈdiːnæl muˈnɑwːɑrɑ or المدينة ælmæˈdiːnæ also transliterated into English as The Persian Gulf, in the Southwest Asian region is an extension of the ^[38]

See also

• Active Islamic Youth

Notes

References

• Esposito, John (2003). John Louis Esposito (born 19 May 1940 Brooklyn, New York City) is a professor of International Affairs and Islamic Studies at Georgetown University The Oxford Dictionary of Islam. Oxford: Oxford University Press. ISBN 0195125584.  
• Kepel, Gilles (2002). Gilles Kepel (born 30 June 1955) is a prominent French scholar and analyst of the Islamic and the Arab world 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.  

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. David Holden was the Chief Foreign Correspondent of London based newspaper The Sunday Times. 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. Dr Madawi Al-Rasheed (born 1962 is a Saudi-Arabian-born professor of Social Anthropology at the department of Theology and Religious Studies in King's College London Dame Freya Madeleine Stark, DBE (b 31 Jan[[ 893]] Paris France - d 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

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. Events 326 - The old St Peter's Basilica is consecrated 1302 - Pope Boniface VIII issues the Papal bull Year 2006 ( MMVI) was a Common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. Bosnia and Herzegovina ( Latin script: Bosna i Hercegovina, Cyrillic script: Босна и Херцеговина is a country on the Balkan TemplateInfobox City for more fields--> Sarajevo is the Capital city and largest urban center of Bosnia and Herzegovina, with
• The 'Wahhabi' Empire
• [2]

Critical

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

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