WAHHABISM

1
WAHHABISM ITS VISION OF JIHAD
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MUHAMMAD B. ABD WAHHAB (1703-1792)

• Born in 1703 in Najd, Arabia, into a prominent
  family of Hanbali jurists and theologians.
• Learned the Quran by heart, and studied the
  Hadith, the Quran, jurisprudence, Sufism,
  commentary, and theology.
• In 1745, Abd al-Aziz b. Saud, a chief small
  tribe in Arabia, made religious-political
  alliance with Abd Wahhab, i.e.
• Wahhabi Islam as the official religion of the
  Saudi state.
• Waged Jihad against the surrounding tribes.
• Took Riyadh in 1773 as the capital city captured
  Mecca in 1803.
• In 1812, Muhammad Ali defeated the alliance of
  Saud the followers of Wahhabi took control of
  the Holy cities and finally destroyed the Saudi
  state in 1818.
• In 1902, Ibn Saud recaptured Riyadh, restored it
  as the Saudi Kingdom, and reached its successful
  Saudi state until 1932.

3
Wahhabis Interpretation of Islam

• Salaf
• The Influence of Ibn Taimiyya (1263-1328)
  Serving God above loving God
• His vision of Tawhid (the unity of God),
  reflected in his treatise on Kitab al-Tawhid
  (1398 Hijra).
• His call to return to the Quran and the Sunnah
  as the authoritative sources of beliefs and
  practices.
• His vision of independent reasoning (ijtihad) as
  opposed to blind imitation (taqlid).
• His vision of pristine Islam as opposed to
  cultural-religious innovation (bidah).

4
Wahhabis Conception of Jihad

• Jihad as collective duty (fard kifayah), instead
  of the individual obligation (fard ayn).
• Jihad as the act of hijratravel, emigration.
• The purpose of Jihad as a means of protecting the
  Muslim community from aggression.
• The act of Jihad is carried out by the male
  adults to struggle against the opponents of
  Islam.
• The driving force of Jihad must be piety, guided
  by the instruction of religious leader (imam).
• When Is Jihad necessary?
• How should Jihad be conducted?

5
Globalization of Wahhabism

• International competition with Iran and Pakistan
  since 1979
• Global Funding of Islamic Activities
• Diffusion through the internet

6
Global Doxa conveyed by Ibn Baz and al-Albani

• Rejection of religious innovation (bida)
• Extension of the term infidel (kafir)
• Status of women
• Perception of the West

Shaykh Abdul-Azeez bin Baz, 1910 - May 12, 1999
Shaykh Nasir ud-Deen al-Albani, 1914 - Oct. 2,
1999