Wahhabi

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Wahhabi (Arabic: Al-Wahhābīyya‎ الوهابية) or Wahhabism is a name given to people who strictly follow Muhammad ibn Abd-al-Wahhab. In fact, the commonly used term wahabbi is used at Salafis which although believe that Abdul Wahab was their great Imam some do not admit that the base of their belief is entirely with Abdul Wahab. The sect attributed to Muhammad ibn Abd-al-Wahhab, an 18th-century scholar from what is today Saudi Arabia. He advocated a process of purifying Islam from what he considered innovations in Islam (Bidah) violently. He believed that those who practice innovation in Islam are Kafir.^[1][2][3]

Because they possess the ultimate right to declare people Kuffar^[4] (plural of Kafir or infidels), Muhammad ibn Abd-al-Wahhab's followers led an army which occupied Ta’if and Mecca (Makkah). This was followed by massacres of unarmed Muslims and the destruction of many graves and holy sites. Muhammad ibn Abd-al-Wahhab also considered destroying the house where the Prophet Muhammad was born and destroyed Sufi shrines and sacred tombs in Mecca and Medina, including the grave of Prophet Muhammad and his companions, out of fear that it might be worshipped.^[5][6]

It is often referred to as a sect within Sunni Islam, although this designation is disputed.^[7] The term "Wahhabi" (Wahhābīya) was first used by opponents of ibn Abdul Wahhab.^[8] It is considered derogatory by the people it is used to describe, who prefer to be called "unitarians" (Muwahiddun).^[9] The terms "Wahhabi" and "Salafi" are often used interchangeably, but Wahhabi has also been called "a particular orientation within Salafism",^[8] an orientation some consider ultra-conservative.^[10][11] Wahhabism is specifically a theological sect, while the focus of Salafism was historically confined to reinterpreting Islamic jurisprudence, or fiqh. That many modern Wahhabis are also Salafis, and now refer to themselves nearly exclusively as such, has led to confusion.^[12]

Wahhabism predominantly influenced the central Arabian peninsula, known as Najd, originally advocating the Hanbali school of jurisprudence.^[13] It has developed considerable influence in the Muslim world through the funding of mosques, schools (madrasahs) and other means from Persian Gulf oil wealth.^[14] The name stems from following the strict interpretations of Muhammed Ibn Wahhab. The primary doctrine of Wahhabi is Tawhid, or the uniqueness and unity of God^[15] as pronounced by Ibn Abdul Wahhab and influenced by the writings of Ibn Taymiyya, a Hanbali jurist who in some of his writings considered calling on pious figures as intermediaries for one's prayers to be an innovation. Ibn Abdul Wahhab preached against a "perceived moral decline and political weakness" in the Arabian Peninsula and condemned what he saw as idolatry in the form of shrine and tomb visitation.^[15]

Contents 1 History 1.1 Mohammad Hayya Al-Sindhi 1.2 Muhammad ibn Abd-al-Wahhab Najdi 1.3 Saudi sponsorship 2 Beliefs 2.1 Deobandi/Wahabi beliefs and the correct Islamic beliefs 2.2 Fiqh 3 Criticism and controversy 3.1 Naming controversy: Wahhabism and Salafism 3.2 Criticism by other Muslims 3.3 Attitudes towards Non-Muslims 3.4 Militant and Political Islam 3.5 Destruction of Islam's early historical sites 4 International influence and propagation 4.1 Explanation for influence 5 Notes 6 References 7 Additional reading 8 External links 8.1 Critical

[edit] History

[edit] Mohammad Hayya Al-Sindhi

It was Abdullah who introduced ibn Abdul-Wahhab to Mohammad Hayya Al-Sindhi and recommended him as a student. Ibn Abdul-Wahhaab and al- Sindi became very close and ibn Abdul-Wahhaab stayed with him for some time. Al-Sindi was a great scholar of hadith. He was also well known for repudiating innovations, Muhammad ibn 'Abd al-Wahhab came to Madina as a relatively young scholar and studied under Al-Sindhi. He was introduced to this teacher by 'Abdallah ibn Ibrahim ibn Sayf, another scholar with whom he had studied. Scholars have described Muhammad Hayya as having an important influence on Ibn 'Abd al-Wahhab, encouraging him in his developing determination to denounce rigid imitation of medieval commentaries and to utilize informed individual analysis (ijtihad).Muhammad Hayya also taught Ibn 'Abd al-Wahhab a rejection of popular religious practices associated with 'saints' and their tombs that is similar to later Wahhabi teachings. It is apparent, then, that Muhammad Hayya, and his general intellectual milieu, have some importance for an understanding of the origins of at least the Wahhabi revivalist impulse.^[16]

[edit] Muhammad ibn Abd-al-Wahhab Najdi

Mohammad Ibn 'Abd al-Wahhab Najdi, studied in Basra (in southern Iraq) and is reported to have developed his ideas there.^[17][18] He is reported to have studied in Mecca and Medina while there to perform Hajj^[19][20] 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, one of the Sahaba (companions) 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 Nejd and ibn 'Abd al-Wahhab was expelled from 'Uyayna.^[21]

Ibn Abd al-Wahhab was invited to settle in neighboring Diriyah 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 "leaders" of the movement.

[edit] Saudi sponsorship

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 invasions were justified according to the Wahhabis because the destruction of the villages of polytheists is authorized in the Qu'ran.

One of their most famous and controversial attacks was on Karbala in 1802 (1217 AH). 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] 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."

^[22]

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.^[23] 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 Wahhabi missionary activity.

The Saudi government established the Commission for the Promotion of Virtue and Prevention of Vice, a state religious police unit, to enforce Wahhabi rules of behaviour.^[13] Afghanistan maintained a similar government ministry from 1992 to the downfall of the Taliban in 2001. It was revived by the Supreme Court of Afghanistan as the Ministry for Haj and Religious Affairs.^[24]

[edit] Beliefs

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The Wahhabi subscribe to the understanding of primary doctrine of the uniqueness and unity of God (Tawhid).^[15][25] The first aspect is believing in Allah's Lordship that He alone is the believer's lord (Rabb). The second aspect is that once one affirms the existence of Allah and His Lordship, one must worship Him and Him alone.

Wahhabi theology treats the Qur'an and Hadith as the only fundamental and authoritative texts. Commentaries and "the examples of the early Muslim community (Ummah) and the four Rightly Guided Caliphs (632-661 C.E.)" are used to support these texts but are not considered independently authoritative.^[26]

Ibn Abd-al-Wahhab further explains in his book Kitab-at-Tawhid (which draws on material from the Qur'an and the narrations of the prophet) that worship in Islam includes conventional acts of worship such as the five daily prayers; fasting; Dua (supplication); Istia'dha (seeking protection or refuge); Ist'ana (seeking help), and istigatha (seeking benefits). Therefore, making dua to anyone or anything other than Allah, or seeking supernatural help and protection which is only befitting of a divine being from something other than Allah are acts of shirk and contradict Tawhid. Ibn Abd-al-Wahhab further explains that Prophet Muhammad during his lifetime tried his utmost to cut all ways and roots towards shirk.

The most important of these commentaries are those by Ibn Abd-al-Wahhab (even though he was not among the first three generations) including his book Kitab al-Tawhid, and the works of Ibn Taymiyyah. Abd-al-Wahhab was a follower of Ahmad ibn Hanbal's school of fiqh (Islamic jurisprudence) like most in Nejd at the time, but "was opposed to any of the schools (Madh'hab) being taken as an absolute and unquestioned authority". Therefore, he condemned taqlid^[27] at the scholarly level.

Wahhabism also denounces the practice of blind adherence to the interpretations of scholars, except his own interpretation, and the blind acceptance of practices that were passed on within the family or tribe. Of the most widely used excuse of the pagans around the time of the prophet was that they worshiped idols because they saw their forefathers engaged in that practice. Ibn Abd al-Wahhab wrote in support of the responsibility of the individual Muslim to learn and obey the divine commands as they were revealed in the Quran and the Sunnah.^[28] He upheld the view that blind deference to authority eventually leads one to neglect their direct connection with Qur'an and Sunnah. Islam is not a religion in which one must be bound by priests and rabbis for any recourse to religious texts. He uses as evidence an "ayah" of the Qur'an in which Allah condemns the children of Israel for taking their rabbis as authorities besides Allah. This was because they gave supreme authority to scholars without any critical and evaluative mindset and gave ultimate loyalty and connection to the scholars and creation rather than Allah and his revealed texts.

[edit] Deobandi/Wahabi beliefs and the correct Islamic beliefs

INCORRECT BELIEF 1: Allah عزوجل can speak lies.- Baraheen-e-Qaatia, Pg. 278 by Khalil Ahmed Ambetbwi & Fataawa Rashidia, Vol. 1, Pg. 20 by Rashid Ahmed Gangohi

Speaking a lie is a fault, just as how stealing, fornicating, etc. are faults. Without doubt, Allahعزوجل is free from faults.

The Holy Quran states, “اصدق من اللہ حدیثا” 25.1 Also, the qualities of Allahعزوجل are Sure (Waajib), not probable. Thus, to say, "Allahعزوجل can probably ...” is not Islamically correct.

INCORRECT BELIEF 2: The glory of Allahعزوجل is that whenever He wishes, He can know the Unseen (Ghaib). Allahعزوجل has not bestowed any Saint, Prophetصلی اللہ علیہ وسلم, Jinn or Angel with this ability. - Taqwiyatul-lmaan by Ismail Dehlwi

Allahعزوجل is the Knower of the Unseen (Aalimul-Ghaib) at all times. His knowledge is His quality and is Sure (Waajib). Saying, "Whenever He wishes, He can know ...." means that if Allahعزوجل doesn't wish, He remains ignorant. This is infidelity (kufr).

The qualities of Allahعزوجل are not choices for Him, but are sure for Him. Also, He has blessed His beloveds with knowledge of the Unseen. The Holy Quran

INCORRECT BELIEF 3: To believe Allahعزوجل to be free from time, place, form and being a composite is Innovation (Bidat). - Izaahul-Haqq by Ismail Dehlwi

Allahعزوجل is free from time, place, form and composition. He doesn't live in a place, have an eye or is made up of parts. Unfortunately, Deobandis have accepted this belief of kufr as well. - Books of Ilme-Kalaam (Scholastic Theology)

Allahعزوجل does not have knowledge of the servant's actions beforehand. Only when the servant does a good or bad deed, then does Allahعزوجل gain knowledge of it. - Bulgatul-Hairaan, Pg. 57 by Maulwi Husain Ali, a student of Rashid Ahmed Gangolri

INCORRECT BELIEF 4: Allahعزوجل is the Knower of everything from always and His knowledge is Sure and Eternal (Qadeem). Any person who believes Allahعزوجل to be unaware of anything is one out of the deen of Islam. - General books of Beliefs (Aqaaid)

Deobandis refute even the Knowledge of the Unseen of Allahعزوجل! So if they reject the Holy Prophet’sصلی اللہ علیہ وسلم Knowledge of the Unseen, what is so surprising?

Speaking a lie is a fault, just as how stealing, fornicating, etc. are faults. Without doubt, Allahعزوجل is free from faults.

Also, the qualities of Allahعزوجل are Sure, not probable. Thus, to say, "Allahعزوجل can probably is not Islamically correct.

INCORRECT BELIEF 5: To accept Khaatimun Nabiyeen (the Last and Final Prophetصلی اللہ علیہ وسلم) to mean that Rasoolullahصلی اللہ علیہ وسلم is the final Messengerصلی اللہ علیہ وسلم and Prophetصلی اللہ علیہ وسلم is wrong. Rather, it means that he is the original and permanent Prophetصلی اللہ علیہ وسلم and all others are temporary. Thus, if another Prophetصلی اللہ علیہ وسلمappears after Rasoolullahصلی اللہ علیہ وسلم, still too will there be no difference in him being the final Prophetصلی اللہ علیہ وسلم - Tahzeerun Naas, Pg. 18 and 34 by Qaasim Nanautwi, who is the founder of Darul Uloom Deoband

"Khaatimun-Nabiyeen" means that our Holy Prophetصلی اللہ علیہ وسلم is the Final Messenger. It is impossible for a person to become a Prophet either during the time of our Beloved Huzoor or after it. This is the meaning upon which the entire Muslim Ummah has agreed upon and is also the meaning explained in the Hadith. Anyone who rejects this is an apostate (Murtad), i.e. the Qadiyanis and Deobandis

INCORRECT BELIEF 6: When it comes to deeds (a'maal}, then outwardly, the followers (Ummatis) are often equal and, in fact, even surpass the Prophetصلی اللہ علیہ وسلمs. - Tahzeerun-Naas, Pg. 7 by Qaasim Nanautwi.

Any non-Prophetصلی اللہ علیہ وسلم, whether he is a Saint (Wali), Ghaus or Companion (Sahaabi), cannot equal a Prophetصلی اللہ علیہ وسلم in any excellence, be it in either knowledge or practice. In fact, a non-Sahaabi cannot even equal a Sahaabi. Only a little amount of charity given by a Companion of a Prophetصلی اللہ علیہ وسلم is better than the vast amounts of charity that we give. - Hadith Sharif

INCORRECT BELIEF 7: A likeness and equal to the Holy Prophetصلی اللہ علیہ وسلم is possible. - Yak-roozi, Pg. 144 by Ismail Dehlwi

Allahعزوجل is the glorious Creator and His Beloved Muhammad Mustapha is the incomparable mercy unto all creation and the intercessor for the sinners. Due to these qualities, an equal to the Holy Prophetصلی اللہ علیہ وسلمis absolutely impossible. Risaala Imtinaa 'un-Nazeer by Maulana Fadhle-Haqq Khairabadi .

INCORRECT BELIEF 8: To address the Holy Prophetصلی اللہ علیہ وسلم as "brother" is correct because be is also a human. - Baraheen-e-Qaatta, Khalil Ahmed Ambethwi & Taqwiatul-Imaan, Pg. 51 by Ismail Dehlwi

INCORRECT BELIEF 9: The Knowledge of Shaitaan and the Angel of Deatb is more than the Holy Prophet’s صلی اللہ علیہ وسلم knowledge. - Baraheen-e-Qaatia, Pg. 55 by Khalil Ahmed Ambethwi

Any person who accepts any creation to have more knowledge than Sayyiduna Rasoolullahصلی اللہ علیہ وسلم is a Kaafir. -Shifaa Sharif

The Holy Prophetصلی اللہ علیہ وسلم is the most knowledgeable of alt of Allah’s عزوجل creation.

INCORRECT BELIEF 10: The Knowledge of the Prophetصلی اللہ علیہ وسلم is like or equal to the knowledge of children, lunatics and animals. - Hifzul-Imaan, Pg. 15 by Ashraf Ali Thanwi

To compare any quality of the Noble Messengerصلی اللہ علیہ وسلم to disgraceful things or say that it is equal to such things isan explicit blasphemy and infidelity (kufr).

INCORRECT BELIEF 11: The Holy Prophetصلی اللہ علیہ وسلم learnt bow to speak Urdu from Madrassah Deoband - Baraheen-e-Qaatia by Khalil Ahmed Ambethwi

Allahعزوجل had taught Hadrat Adam علیہ السلام all languages. The Holy Prophet’sصلی اللہ علی’ہ وسلم if knowledge is more extensive than his. So, whoever says that the Prophetصلی اللہ علیہ وسلم learnt a language from a certain Madrassah is someone out of the deen.

INCORRECT BELIEF 12: Every creation, whether revered (Prophetصلی اللہ علیہ وسلم, Saint) or not, is more disgraced than a cobbler in front of Allah's عزوجل glory. Taqwiatut-Lmaan, Pg. 18 by Ismail Dehlwi

Allah عزوجل states, “و کان عنداللہ وجیھا”, 25.2 and “العزۃ اللہ و ارسولہ و للمومنین”, 25.3

The person who accepts the Nabi صلی اللہ علیہ وسلم to be disgraced in comparison to Allahعزوجل is himself more dishonored than a cobbler.

INCORRECT BELIEF 13: To think of the Holy Prophetصلی اللہ علیہ وسلم in namaaz is worse than becoming captivated in the thought of your donkey and ox. Siraate-Mustaqeem, Pg. 97 by Ismail Dehlwi

The namaaz which does not have the thought of Rasoolullah's صلی اللہ علیہ وسلم greatness is rejected, because Salaam is made to the Holy Prophetصلی اللہ علیہ وسلم in "At-Tahiyaat ... " How can that namaaz, which has no remembrance of he who taught us namaaz, be worthy of being called namaaz?! - Refer to the Discussion of Haazir & Naazir

INCORRECT BELIEF 14: I saw the Holy Prophetصلی اللہ علیہ وسلم in a dream wherein he took me to the Pul Siraat (bridge over Jabaunam to enter Jannat). After a little while, I noticed that be was falling from it and so I stopped him from falling. - Butghatut-Halraan, Pg. 8 by Husain Ali.

Some slaves of the Holy Prophetصلی اللہ علیہ وسلم shall pass over the Pul Siraat like lightning. Those who will stumble on it will gain stability through Sayyiduna Rasoolullah’sصلی اللہ علیہ وسلم help. He will make dua saying, "Rabbi Sallim!" (Peace, Ya Allahعزوجل) Hadilh Sharif.

Whoever claims to have saved the Holy Prophetصلی اللہ علیہ وسلم from falling from the Pul Siraat has no Imaan.

INCORRECT BELIEF 15: When Ashraf Ali Thanwi Deobandi was a senior-citizen, he married a very young female student. Before this, a disciple (mureed) of bis had a dream in which be saw Sayyidah Aisha approaching Ashraf Ali's house. Ashraf Ali began to interpret this dream as follows, "Soon, a very young woman will come into my care, because when the Nikah of Sayyidab Aisha was made to Rasoolullahصلی اللہ علیہ وسلم, she was 7 years old. The same is of relevance here. I am an old mao and my wife is a minor." -Risaala al-Imdaad by Ashraf Ali Thanwl

All of the wives of the Holy Prophetصلی اللہ علیہ وسلم are the Mothers of the Muslims. - The Holy Quran

It is the unique glory of Sayyidah Aisha رضی اللہ تعالٰی عنہا that all the mothers of this world can be sacrificed at her feet. If a vile person had to see his mother in a dream, he wouldn't interpret her to symbolize a wife, yet this Ashraf Ali did. This is very disrespectful to Sayyidah Aisha رضی اللہ تعالٰی عنہا. In fact, it is open abuse against her! How can any self-respecting Muslim deduce his mother to represent a wife?

The above are only a few examples of the corrupt beliefs of the Deobandis. If all their infamous beliefs had to be gathered together, journals would be needed. The Shias spew abuse against the Sahaaba and the Khaarij slandered the Able Bait, but not even Allahعزوجل was spared from the Deobandis! They have insulted the Holy Prophetصلی اللہ علیہ وسلم B, the Sahaaba, the Able-Bait, the Ummul-Mu'mineen and the Friends of Allahعزوجل. If a person had to say to any self-respecting individual, "I have seen your mother in a dream and have interpreted her to mean a wife," the latter will not be able to bare this. We, the slaves of the Prophetصلی اللہ علیہ وسلم, cannot bear such ridicule for our Mother, Sayyidah Aisha رضی اللہ تعالٰی عنہا. Through my pen, I am informing Muslims to stay far away from such people until they repent from such filthy beliefs.

An accusation made against the Ahle-Sunnah is that we are Peer-worshippers and equate the Holy Prophetصلی اللہ علیہ وسلم and our Shaikhs to Allahعزوجل. Thus, we are polytheists (Musriks). .

However, I shall now demonstrate the level of Peer-worship committed by the Deobandis themselves and what they believe their Peers to be. Mautwi Mahmoodul-Hasan has written in the eulogy (marsiya) of his Shaikh, Maulwi Rashid Ahmed Gangahi,

[edit] Fiqh

The Wahhabis/Salafis 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'.^[29]

[edit] Criticism and controversy

[edit] Naming controversy: 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,^[30] he said:

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. ... 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").

Indeed, to this day, the term is still used to stir up conflict between Muslims.^[31]

Other observers describe the term as "originally used derogatorily by opponents", but now commonplace and used even "by some Najdi scholars of the movement.".^[8]

[edit] Criticism by other Muslims

In "The Refutation of Wahhabism in Arabic Sources, 1745-1932, "Kingdom without Borders Google Books, Hamadi Redissi provides original references to the description of Wahhabis as a divisive sect (firqa) and outliers (Kharijites) in communications between Ottmans and Egyptian Khedive Muhammad Ali. Redissi details refutaions of Wahhabis by scholars (muftis) among them Ahmed Barakat Tandatawin who in 1743 describes Wahhabism as ignorance (Jahala). In 1801 and 1802, the Saudi Wahhabis 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 (Ali bin Abu Talib), the son-in-law of Muhammad. (see: Saudi sponsorship mentioned previously) 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 Fatimah, the daughter of Muhammad, and even intended to destroy the grave of Muhammad himself as idolatrous.^[1][2][3]

Some Muslims, such as the Islamic Supreme Council of America, and Abdul Hadi Palazzi classify Wahhabbism as extremist, islamist and heresy mainly based on Wahhabbism's rejection of traditional Sunni scholars and interpretation.^[32][33]

[edit] Attitudes towards Non-Muslims

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 certain other non-Wahhabi Muslims were infidels.^[34][35]

The Saudi government responded by pointing out: "[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." ^[36]

The anti-rightist group "rightweb" also criticized the Freedom House study. It quoted a review of the study by Institute for Social Policy and Understanding (ISPU) which complained the study cited documents from only a few mosques, arguing most mosques in the US are not under Wahhabi influence.^[37] 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.^[37]

Thus the report's findings may be open to criticism by placing it in its political context: for example, Noam Chomsky has criticised Freedom House as having "long served as a virtual propaganda arm of the government and international right wing."^[38]

[edit] Militant and Political Islam

What connection, if any, there is between Wahhabism and Jihadi Salafis is 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 Prince Alwaleed 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.^[39]

Noah Feldman, draws a distinction between what he calls the "deeply conservative" Wahhabis and what he calls the "followers of political Islam in the 1980s and 1990s," such as Egyptian Islamic Jihad and later Al-Qaeda leader Ayman al-Zawahiri. While Saudi Wahhabis were "the largest funders of local Muslim Brotherhood chapters and other hard-line Islamists" during this time, they opposed jihadi resistance of Muslim governments and assassination of Muslim leaders because of their belief that "the decision to wage jihad lay with the ruler, not the individual believer".^[40]

Karen Armstrong believes that Osama bin Laden, like most extremists, follows the ideology of Sayyid Qutb, not "Wahhabism".^[31]

[edit] Destruction of Islam's early historical sites

The Wahhabi teachings strongly disapprove of veneration of the historical sites associated with early Islam, on the grounds that only God should be worshipped and that veneration of sites associated with mortals leads to idolatry.^[41] As many followers of the Shia sect perform pilgrimage, and sometimes worship, and pray to various mausoleums and sites associated with Shia history, the Shia aren't too fond of the Wahabi approach to historic sites. Consequently, a significant number of buildings associated with early Islam, historic mosques, mausoleums and other artifacts have been destroyed in Saudi Arabia by the Wahhabi followers from early 1800s through the present day.^[42][43] This practice has proved controversial and has received considerable criticism from the Sunni and Shia Muslims and in the non-Muslim world.

[edit] International influence and propagation

According to Western observers like Gilles Kepel, Wahhabism gained considerable influence in the Islamic 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 began to spend tens of billions of dollars throughout the Islamic world promoting Wahhabism, which was sometimes referred to as "petro-Islam".^[44] According to the documentary called The Qur'an aired in the UK, presenter Antony Thomas suggests the figure may be "upward of $100 billion".^[45]

Its largess funded an estimated "90% of the expenses of the entire faith", throughout the Muslim world, according to journalist Dawood al-Shirian.^[46] It extended to young and old, from children's madrasas to high-level scholarship.^[47] "Books, scholarships, fellowships, mosques" (for example, "more than 1500 mosques were built from Saudi public funds over the last 50 years") were paid for.^[48] It rewarded journalists and academics, who followed it; built satellite campuses around Egypt for Al Azhar, the oldest and most influential Islamic university.^[49]

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^[46] and has caused the Saudi interpretation to be perceived as the "gold standard" of religion in many Muslims' minds.^[50]

The Saudis have spent at least $87 billion propagating Wahhabism abroad during the past two decades, and the scale of financing is believed to have increased in the past two years, as oil prices have skyrocketed. The bulk of this funding goes towards the construction and operating expenses of mosques, madrassas, and other religious institutions that preach Wahhabism. It also supports the training of imams; domination of mass media and publishing outlets; distribution of Wahhabi textbooks and other literature; and endowments to universities (in exchange for influence over the appointment of Islamic scholars). Some of the hundreds of thousands of South Asians expats living in Saudi Arabia and the Persian Gulf have been influenced by Wahhabism and preach Wahhabism in their home country upon their return. Agencies controlled by the Ministry of Islamic, Endowments, Call (Dawah) and Guidance Affairs of Kingdom of Saudi Arabia are responsible for propagation to the non Muslim expats and are converting hundreds of non-Muslims into Islam every year.^{[51][52][53][54][55]}

[edit] Explanation for influence

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

• Arab nationalism, which followed the Wahhabi attack on the Ottoman Empire;
• reformism, which followed a return to Salaf (as-Salaf aṣ-Ṣāliḥ;)
• 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.^[56]

[edit] Notes

This article's citation style may be unclear. The references used may be made clearer with a different or consistent style of citation, footnoting, or external linking. (September 2009)

[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 ed.). Cambridge: Belknap Press of Harvard University Press. ISBN 0-674-00877-4. 
• Saint-Prot, Charles. Islam. L'avenir de la tradition entre révolution et occidentalisation (Islam. The Future of Tradition between Revolution and Westernization). Paris: Le Rocher, 2008.

[edit] Additional reading

• Holden, David and Johns, Richard, The House of Saud, Pan, 1982, ISBN 0-330-26834-1
• Algar, Hamid, Wahhabism : A Critical Essay, Islamic Publications International, ISBN 1-889999-13-X
• Delong-Bas, Natana J., Wahhabi Islam: From Revival and Reform to Global Jihad, Oxford University Press, ISBN 0-19-516991-3
• Al-Rasheed, Madawi, A History of Saudi Arabia, Cambridge University Press, 2002, ISBN 0-521-64412-7
• De Gaury, Gerald and Stark, Freya, Arabia Phoenix, Kegan Paul International Limited, ISBN 0-7103-0677-6, ISBN 9780710306777
• Oliver, Haneef James, The 'Wahhabi' Myth: Dispelling Prevalent Fallacies and the Fictitious Link with Bin Laden, 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 0595672728
• Spencer, Robert (2003). Onward Muslim Soldiers. Regnery Publishing, USA. ISBN 0-89526-100-6. 
• Spencer, Robert (2005). The Politically Incorrect Guide to Islam (And the Crusades). Regnery Publishing, USA. ISBN 0-89526-013-1. 
• Spencer, Robert (2006). The Truth About Muhammad. Regnery Publishing, USA. ISBN 978-1596980280. 
• Malik, S. K. (1986). The Quranic Concept of War. Himalayan Books. ISBN 8170020204. 
• Swarup, Ram (1982). Understanding Islam through Hadis. Voice of Dharma. ISBN 0-682-49948-X. 
• Trifkovic, Serge (2006). Defeating Jihad. Regina Orthodox Press, USA. ISBN 192865326X. 
• Phillips, Melanie (2006). Londonistan: How Britain is Creating a Terror State Within. Encounter books. ISBN 1-59403-144-4. 

[edit] External links

• What Is a Salafi And Is Their Approach Valid?
• Leading American Academic Discusses the Wahhabi Myth
• 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^{[dead link]}
• Spero News - Bosnia: Muslims upset by Wahhabi leaders
• The Wahhabi Myth
• The Wahhabi Movement
•  "Wahhābis". Encyclopædia Britannica (11th ed.). 1911. 

[edit] Critical

• Analysis: Inside Wahhabi Islam
• Wahhabism: Understanding the roots and role models of islamic extremism
• 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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