Wahhabism

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Wahhabism (Arabic: Al-Wahhābīyya الوهابية) or Wahabism is a conservative 18th century reform movement of Sunni Islam founded by Muhammad ibn Abd-al-Wahhab, after whom the movement is named.^[1] Wahhabism formed the creed upon which the kingdom of Saudi Arabia was founded ^[1] and is the dominant form of Islam found in Saudi Arabia, and Qatar,^[2] as well as some pockets of Somalia, Algeria and Mauritania.^{[citation needed]} It is now often referred to as a "sect" ^[2] or "branch" ^[3] of Islam, though its supporters reject such a designation.

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 rejected medieval interpretations of Islam, relying on Quran and hadith. ^[5] He preached against a "perceived moral decline and political weakness" in the Arabian peninsula and strongly disapproved of idolatry, the popular cult of saints, and shrine and tomb visitation. ^[6]

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). ^{[7] [8]} The terms "Wahhabism" and "Salafism" are often used interchangeably, but Wahhabism has also been called "a particular orientation within Salafism," ^[9] an orientation some consider ultra-conservative. ^[10][11]

The appeal of Wahhabism to Muslims has been described 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. ^[12]

  Contents 1 History 2 Beliefs 2.1 Enjoining virtue and prohibiting vice 2.2 Fiqh 2.3 Non-Muslims 3 Wahhabism and Salafism 3.1 Osama Bin Laden 4 International influence 5 See also 6 References 7 Bibliography 8 External links 8.1 Critical

  History

  Please help improve this article or section by expanding it. Further information might be found on the talk page or at requests for expansion. (February 2008)

  The term was first coined by the British who were worried about the influence this movement was starting to gain in colonized India.^{[citation needed]} At the time, Britain was worried about the rise of movements hostile to its presence and was trying to foster an Islam favourable to its presence in the Indian sub-continent. This is arguably one of the first encounters between the west and Wahhabism.^{[citation needed]}

  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-al-Wahhab. His book Kitab al-Tawhid ("Book of Monotheism"), and the works of the earlier scholar Ibn_Taymiyya are fundamental to Wahabism.

  Ibn Abdul-Wahhab went so far as to declare jihad against all other Muslims who practiced so-called acts of shirk (polytheism). Ibn Abdul-Wahhab's views were opposed to those of the mainstream Muslim scholars of Mecca and Medina of that time. For example, he called intermediation of Muhammad an act of polytheism.

  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. ^[13]

  Enjoining virtue and prohibiting vice

  Wahhabism is noted for not just 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 has been set up for this purpose.

  Fiqh

  Wahhabis are sometimes said to follow Hanbali school of fiqh (or Madh'hab) but also said to follow no school of fiqh. In a sense both statements are true.

  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`. ^[14]

  Non-Muslims

  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 found 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. ^[15][16]

  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." ^[17] The leftist 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. ^[18] 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. ^[19]

  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,^[20] 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 jihadi salafis is hotly disputed. Among others, Daniel Pipes claims there is "a direct line between the Wahhabis and Osama bin Laden." Dr. Nanata De Long Bas, however, 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 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.”

  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". ^[21]

  Its largess funded an estimated "90% of the expenses of the entire faith," throughout the Muslim world, according to journalist Dawood al-Shirian. ^[22] It extended to young and old, from children's maddrassas to high level scholarship. ^[23] "Books, scholarships, fellowships, mosques" (for example, "more than 1500 mosques were built from Saudi public funds over the last 50 years") were paid for. ^[24] It rewarded journalists and academics who followed it; built satellite campuses around Egypt for Al Azhar, the oldest and very influential Islamic university. ^[25]

  The financial power of Wahhabism, according to observers like Dawood al-Shirian and Lee Kuan Yew, has done much to overwhelm less strict local interpretations of Islam ^[26] and set the Saudi-interpretation as the "gold standard" of religion in many Muslims' minds. ^[27]

  See also

  • Active Islamic Youth

  References

  1. ^ ^{a b}
  2. ^ ^{a b c} Glasse, Cyril, The New Encyclopedia of Islam, Rowan & Littlefield, (2001), pp.469-472
  3. ^ Wahhabi
  4. ^ Esposito, John, The Oxford Dictionary of Islam, OUP, 2003, p.333
  5. ^ Esposito, John, The Oxford Dictionary of Islam, OUP, 2003, p.333
  6. ^ Esposito, John, The Oxford Dictionary of Islam, OUP, 2003, p.333
  7. ^ Hardy, Roger. Analysis: Inside Wahhabi Islam. BBC News
  8. ^ The Wahhabi myth, debunking the bogeyman
  9. ^ GlobalSecurity.org Salafi Islam
  10. ^ Washington Post, For Conservative Muslims, Goal of Isolation a Challenge
  11. ^ John L. Esposito, What Everyone Needs to Know About Islam, p.50
  12. ^ Abou El Fadl, Khaled, The Great Theft: Wrestling Islam from the Extremists, Harper San Francisco, 2005, p.70-72
  13. ^ Cleveland, William L. A History of the Modern Middle East. Third Edition. Boulder, Colorado: Westview Press, 2004. Page.123.
  14. ^ Glasse, Cyril, The New Encyclopedia of Islam Altamira, 2001, p.407
  15. ^ Saudi Publications on Hate Ideology
  16. ^ quotes from a study "based on a year-long study of over two hundred original documents, all disseminated, published or otherwise generated by the government of Saudi Arabia and collected from more than a dozen mosques in the United States." [1]
  17. ^ Saudi Ambassador responds to Freedom House editorial 05/22/2006
  18. ^ Freedom House
  19. ^ Freedom House
  20. ^ Wiktorowicz, Quintan. “Anatomy of the Salafi Movement” in Studies in Conflict & Terrorism, Vol. 29 (2006): p.235.
  21. ^ Kepel, Gilles, Jihad: on the Trail of Political Islam, Belknap Press of Harvard University Press, 2002, p.69-75
  22. ^ Dawood al-Shirian, `What Is Saudi Arabia Going to Do?` Al-Hayat, May 19, 2003
  23. ^ Abou al Fadl, Khaled, The Great Theft: Wrestling Islam from the Extremists, HarperSanFrancisco, 2005, p.48-64
  24. ^ Kepel, Gilles, Jihad: on the Trail of Political Islam, Belknap Press of Harvard University Press, 2002, p.72
  25. ^ (Murphy, Caryle, Passion for Islam : Shaping the Modern Middle East: the Egyptian Experience, Simon and Schuster, 2002 p.32
  26. ^ Dawood al-Shirian, `What Is Saudi Arabia Going to Do?` Al-Hayat, May 19, 2003
  27. ^ An interview with Minister Mentor of Singapore, Lee Kuan Yew

  
  

  Bibliography

  • 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

  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.
  • thewahhabimyth.com
  • The 'Wahhabi' Empire

  Critical

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

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