Muhammad Ibn 'Abd al-Wahhab: The Man and his Works (Library of Middle East History) [Hardcover]

Abd Allah Salih al-'Uthaymin (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: September 1, 2009 | Series: Library of Middle East History (Book 19)

The Saudi religious reform movement of the 18th and 19th centuries, known in the west as Wahhabism, is one of the most controversial and misunderstood religious movements of the modern Middle East. This biography of its founder, Muhammad Ibn Abd Al-Wahhab, is the first serious English-language account written not from a Western, but an Arabian perspective.  Based on exhaustive research of primary sources, Abd-Allah Salih Al-Uthaimin reconstructs the social, political and spiritual environment of the Arabian peninsula in the time of Ibn Abd Al-Wahhab. The author charts this movement's intellectual development and growing sway, and unpicks the historic alliance of its founder with the House of Al-Saud: a uniquely close partnership of political and religious relationships whose legacy is felt in the Saudi state to this day. Al-Uthaimin also provides a detailed exposition and commentary on Ibn Abd Al-Wahhab's doctrines, based on his published and unpublished works, and explains his perspective on concepts such as tawhid, takfir and sharia. This meticulously researched biography offers a unique insight into its complex and often controversial subject. As such, it will become essential reading for anyone interested in political Islam, Saudi Arabia and the modern Middle East.

Editorial Reviews

Review

'Al-'Uthaymin does an excellent job of sorting through the complexities of the primary source materials, all of which exist only in Arabic, for the historical context. His work formed the foundation from which other scholarship was able to grow. His coverage of the history of Najd, particularly, is a unique contribution. Another important contribution lies in the presentation of both pro- and anti-Saudi literature, which is hard to find elsewhere ... This work represents an important moment in the development of the presentation of Wahhabi thought and history to a Western audience.' - Dr Natana Delong-Bas, Brandeis University

About the Author

Abd-Allah Sallih Al-Uthaimin is a professor of modern history at King Saud University in Saudi Arabia, and Secretary-General of King Faisal International Prize.  He has a PhD in Islamic History from the University of Edinburgh.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 240 pages
• Publisher: I. B. Tauris (September 1, 2009)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1845117913
• ISBN-13: 978-1845117917
• Product Dimensions: 9.3 x 6.3 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.3 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,393,477 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #84 in Books > Religion & Spirituality > Islam > Sunnism

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