- Also-called:
- Muwaḥḥidūn (“Unitarians”) or Salafi
- Date:
- c. 1744 - present
- Related People:
- Muḥammad ibn ʿAbd al-Wahhāb
Wahhabi
-
What is the Wahhābī movement?
The Wahhābī movement is an Islamic reform movement tracing back to Muḥammad ibn ʿAbd al-Wahhāb in 18th-century Najd, central Arabia. Adherents call themselves salafīs (followers of the pious forebears) or muwaḥḥidūn (unitarians) to emphasize the absolute oneness of God.
Ibn ʿAbd al-Wahhāb aimed to restore Islam to its original, idealized state, purging it of polytheism. He rejected doctrines outside the Qurʾān and Sunnah (traditions of Muhammad), condemning practices like decorating mosques and venerating saints. His movement gained political strength through an alliance with Muhammad ibn Saud, leading to Wahhābī dominance in Arabia by 1800. Today, Wahhābism is prevalent in Saudi Arabia and Qatar.
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Where and when did the Wahhābī movement begin?
The Wahhābī movement, an Islamic reform movement, was founded by Muḥammad ibn ʿAbd al-Wahhāb in the 18th century in Najd, central Arabia.
ʿAbd al-Wahhāb began spreading his teachings around 1740 in Huraymilāʾ but was expelled. In 1744, he found refuge in Al-Dirʿiyyah, where Muḥammad ibn Saud encouraged his movement. The Wahhābī movement then became closely tied to the Saudi dynasty.
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Who was the founder of the Wahhābī movement?
Muḥammad ibn ʿAbd al-Wahhāb (1703–1792) was the theologian who founded the Wahhābī movement in the 18th century. His teachings called for a return to early Islamic principles, as he rejected any innovations to the faith that were not rooted in the Qurʾān and the Sunnah (the traditions of Muhammad).
His alliance with Muhammad ibn Saud, the ruler of Najd, helped spread Wahhābism, making it a dominant force in Arabia by 1800. Today, Wahhābism is prevalent in Saudi Arabia and Qatar.
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What are the main beliefs of the Wahhābī movement?
The Wahhābī movement, founded by Muḥammad ibn ʿAbd al-Wahhāb in the 18th century, is an Islamic reform movement that adheres to strict Islamic principles. Wahhābīs call themselves muwaḥḥidūn ("unitarians") and emphasize the absolute oneness of God (tawḥīd).
Key beliefs of the Wahhābī movement:
* Rejection of practices seen as polytheistic, such as visiting tombs and venerating saints.
* Emphasis on the original teachings of Islam as found in the Qurʾān and the Sunnah (traditions of Muhammad).
* Literal interpretation of the Qurʾān and Sunnah, basing theology and jurisprudence on these texts.
* Rejection of other sources of doctrine (uṣūl al-fiqh) as innovations (bidʿah).
* Striving to create an Islamic society based solely on the Qurʾān and Sunnah.Wahhābism is prevalent in Saudi Arabia and Qatar. The movement has had a significant social and political impact, including the enforcement of strict codes of public behavior and the demolition of historic sites associated with early Islam.
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How has the Wahhābī movement influenced Saudi Arabia?
The Wahhābī movement, founded in the 18th century by Muḥammad ibn ʿAbd al-Wahhāb, has significantly influenced Saudi Arabia through its alliance with the Saudi family, leading to the establishment of three Saudi kingdoms, including the modern Kingdom of Saudi Arabia in 1932.
The Wahhābī religious establishment has ensured Saudi Arabia remains markedly conservative, with strict codes of public behavior enforced by a religious police force. The Saudi government relies on its ties to Wahhābism and its role as custodian of Mecca and Medina to establish political legitimacy.
Wahhābism's prohibition of venerating shrines and sacred objects has led to the demolition of many historical Islamic sites in Mecca and Medina.
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Why is the Wahhābī movement sometimes controversial within the Muslim world?
The Wahhābī movement, an Islamic reform movement rooted in the Ḥanbalī school of law, is sometimes controversial within the Muslim world due to its strict interpretation of Islam. Wahhābīs reject practices they view as polytheistic, such as venerating saints and tombs, advocating a return to the original teachings of the Qurʾān and Sunnah.
Some Muslims view Wahhābism as an austere form of Islam. Preservationists have also criticized the demolition of historical sites, including homes and graves of Muhammad's companions, because Wahhābism prohibits the veneration of shrines, tombs, and sacred objects. Some Islamic thinkers believe Hadith shouldn't be a source of laws or beliefs, while others feel neglecting Hadith threatens Islam.
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Wahhabi, any adherent of the Islamic reform movement founded by Muḥammad ibn ʿAbd al-Wahhāb in the 18th century in Najd, central Arabia, and adopted in 1744 by the Saudi family. In the 20th and 21st centuries, Wahhabism is prevalent in Saudi Arabia and Qatar.
The term Wahhabi is used primarily by outsiders to distinguish the movement; adherents often refer to themselves as salafīs (“followers of the pious forebears”), a term used by followers of other Islamic reform movements as well. They characterize themselves as muwaḥḥidūn (“unitarians”), a term derived from their emphasis on the absolute oneness of God (tawḥīd). They reject all acts that they see as implying polytheism (shirk), such as visiting tombs and venerating saints, and advocate a return to the original teachings of Islam as incorporated in the Qurʾān and the Sunnah (traditions of Muhammad), with condemnation of all other sources of doctrine (uṣūl al-fiqh) as innovations (bidʿah). Wahhabi theology and jurisprudence—based, respectively, on the teachings of the theologian Ibn Taymiyyah and the legal school of Aḥmad ibn Ḥanbal—stress literal interpretation of the Qurʾān and Sunnah and the establishment of an Islamic society based only on these two bodies of literature.
Muḥammad ibn ʿAbd al-Wahhāb began promulgating his teachings in the oasis town of Ḥuraymilāʾ about 1740. Although his father was a Hanbali jurist and his ideas were rooted in the Hanbali school of law, they were rejected by local Hanbali officials and he was expelled, first from Ḥuraymilāʾ and then from ʿUyaynah.
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In 1744 he arrived in al-Dirʿiyyah, where his movement was encouraged by the emir, Muhammad ibn Saud. From then on, the political fortunes of the Wahhabi movement were closely allied to those of the Saudi dynasty. By the end of the 18th century, they had brought all of Najd under their control; attacked Karbala, Iraq, a holy city of the Shiʿi branch of Islam; and occupied Mecca and Medina in western Arabia. The Ottoman sultan brought an end to the first Wahhabi empire in 1818, but the sect revived under the leadership of the Saudi king Faisal (I) ibn Turki. The empire was then somewhat restored until once again destroyed, at the end of the 19th century by the Rashīdiyyah of northern Arabia. The activities of Ibn Saud in the 20th century eventually led to the creation of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia in 1932 and assured Wahhabi religious and political dominance on the Arabian Peninsula.
In the late 20th and 21st centuries, the preeminence of the Wahhabi religious establishment has ensured that the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia remains markedly more conservative than other states in the region. A large religious police force (known as the Muṭawwaʿūn) enforces strict codes of public behavior—including, for example, mandatory observance of Islamic rituals and gender segregation.
Because Wahhabism prohibits the veneration of shrines, tombs, and sacred objects, many sites associated with the early history of Islam, such as the homes and graves of companions of Muhammad, were demolished under Saudi rule. Preservationists have estimated that as many as 95 percent of the historic sites around Mecca and Medina have been razed.